Khaled Bin Braik, Consulting Partner and Emiratisation Programme Leader, PwC Middle East, speaks to Business Chief
1. Can you tell us about PwC’s nationalisation agenda in the UAE, including the Watani Programme
Nationalisation is at the core of PwC’s strategy and a key enabler to achieving our organisation’s purpose. Empowering and enabling local talent to develop their leadership capabilities is a key strategic priority for us. By prioritising the development of our local talent, we are also helping to upskill the region’s broader talent pool and better prepare them for the workforce needs of the future.
We have been working on the UAE nationalisation initiative since 2012 with the launch of the "Watani" programme. This initiative promotes UAE national representation across all service lines and supports national talent at every stage of their career. It offers a range of dedicated programmes, facilitates client exchanges, and provides comprehensive training opportunities. Our Watani programme covers graduates, experienced hires, interns, secondees and is a priority across all our lines of service - Assurance, Consulting, Deals, Tax and Legal, Strategy&, and Internal Services.
2. How is PwC helping to drive Emiratisation? What have been its achievements so far? And what are the targets?
We developed a firm-wide nationalisation strategy with targeted initiatives to support our nationals across their entire PwC career journey which include improving awareness of professional service careers for prospective national hires, developing targeted talent, learning & development, coaching, mentorship and mobility programmes, working to cascade nationalisation KPIs across the business, and establishing strategic talent partnerships with government entities.
We are also committed to building the next generation of Emirati business leaders through 3 key programme areas:
Watani Programme which supports UAE national talent development across their entire career journey
Sustainable Talent Exchange Programme (STEP) which supports talent development of our UAE client’s future leaders through secondment opportunities into PwC
PwC Academy which provides leading edge training to equip nationals with the workforce skills of the future
Some of the various achievements that have been marked by our nationalisation efforts as outlined below:
PwC has over 1,200 national employees in 14 offices across the GCC
Our national representation has doubled since 2019 with continued ambitions to grow
Diversity and inclusion is also a key firm priority and we are proud that almost 50% of our national workforce is female
Emirati talent has grown to over 120, with particularly strong growth with our graduate population having increased to over 60 in 2022
In the inaugural year of the STEP programme, we have developed over 40 national secondees that supported over 90 different client engagements
We have also trained over 6,000 Emiratis through our PwC Academy since 2012 and even more nationals across the region, in a range of areas such as leadership, finance and data analytics
We are viewed as the sector pioneer for professional services firms with regards to nationalisation, we were awarded the ‘Best Emiratisation Supporting Entity’ by the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation in 2020 and have other multiple national awards from various entities. Additionally, the PwC Watani Programme has been awarded “The Best Nationalisation Initiative in the Private Sector 2022” at the GCC GOV HR Awards
We established a GCC Nationalisation Council that governs the attraction, development, and retention of our national talent
3. Why is Emiratisation so important for the future of the UAE?
Nationalisation continues to play a critical role in alleviating the socio-economic burden placed upon the government by contributing to the establishment of a transformative and sustainable national human resource development model. It provides nationals with opportunities for professional development, capability building and training, career progression and growth, including career fulfilment and satisfaction. It also aims to equip Nationals with the skills of the future; transferable and unique skills that give them a competitive edge and make them more resilient to change. Ultimately, nationalisation will help balance the scales and ensure national representation across all strategic sectors and industries
4. PwC recently launched its first Youth Council to support national talent development. Can you tell us more about this?
We have partnered with the UAE’s Federal Youth Authority to establish our very own PwC Youth Council to nurture national talent and its development. This initiative offers a platform for meaningful dialogue and knowledge exchange among UAE leadership, members of the private sector, and the youth whereby essential topics around nationalisation opportunities for growth and development are unified.
Our PwC Youth Council is designed to ensure fair and inclusive representation for all of the youth that is involved. It empowers youth voices and considerations, contributing to the development of a dynamic, diverse workforce ready to propel the nation's future growth. The launch of the Youth Council demonstrates PwC's significant commitment to nurturing and developing the UAE's next generation of leaders.
5. What are the challenges for Emiratisation in the private sector? And most importantly, the opportunities?
There are a number of challenges that are currently hindering the enablement of proper nationalisation across the private sector:
Disproportionately low nationalisation in economic sectors: Nationalisation rate is disproportionately low across economic sectors when compared to the overall UAE population
High concentration of nationals in public sector: The public sector, including the federal and local governments, are main employers of nationals
While the government continues to be the leading driver of nationalisation in the UAE, the onus is now on private-sector leaders to take up the challenge. That means transitioning from playing a supporting role to a leading one in driving nationalisation. There is a need to invest in future skills to prepare young Emiratis for the future of work and develop the next generation of leaders who can drive the UAE’s transformation into a green, digital and knowledge based economy.
Resolving the persistent skills mismatch is a good place to start to help align the supply of national talent with emerging gaps in private sector capability. Understanding and responding to the preconceptions and preferences of Emirati employees is crucial if employers are to break down traditional barriers and secure the strongest appointments long-term.
6. What should businesses consider in achieving Emiratisation, eg. Different hiring strategies needed?
The private sector needs to be more proactive in attracting, developing and retaining national talent, and there are a number of considerations that they can take on in order to do so:
Develop a purpose driven nationalisation agenda by embedding nationalisation targets and provisions into talent strategies and plans
Leverage diversified and optimal sourcing channels to identify, evaluate, recruit and onboard nationals across different labour-market segments
Reimage learning pathways to provide the right learning and development opportunities and environment for nationals to grow and thrive
Redefine performance management for nationals and manage their journey in the organisation through accelerated career journeys
Create personalised reward programmes to recognise the contribution of nationals and reward them fairly and equitably
Enable nationals’ effective transition and mobility within the organisation by introducing reskilling and career conversion programmes to open up more resilient career pathways
Leverage technology and data analytics to drive better decision-making through evidence-backed nationalisation interventions
Provide employees with opportunities to undertake entrepreneurial ventures within the boundaries of the corporate (intrapreneurship), enabling them to maintain high levels of job stability whilst mitigating the financial risks. As per our Emiratisation survey, our findings show that 8 in 10 Emirati graduates surveyed have a desire to develop their entrepreneurial skills and eventually become self-employed or grow their own business
