DBS bank named one of the 2014 Aon Hewitt Global top companies for leaders
The bank is the highest-ranked Singapore-based company in the world
Said Lee Yan Hong, Managing Director of DBS Group Human Resource: “As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS believes in building a strong pipeline of leaders who will help shape the future of banking. We have a comprehensive programme in place that helps identify and groom the next few generations of leaders across the bank. We are pleased to be recognised as one of the top companies for leaders globally. To be the highest-ranked Singapore-based company on the list is a further testament of our talent development strategy.”
Winners of The 2014 Aon Hewitt Global Top Companies for Leaders were selected and ranked based on a number of criteria, including strength of leadership practices and culture, examples of leader development on a global scale, alignment of business and leadership strategy, company reputation, business and financial performance.
DBS’ talent development strategy is centred around grooming talents to meet current and future business needs, including succession planning for key leadership positions. The bank has a programme in place to identify and engage talents at different levels across the bank. Its talent pool comprises young talents to senior professionals who are offered a differentiated development experience and training roadmaps based on needs and career aspirations at each stage.
Through the bank’s internal mobility programme, talents are mobilised to work on key projects or rotated into roles in DBS’ six key markets, enabling them to gain greater exposure, knowledge and experience. Every year, one third of talents leverage these mobility opportunities to gain a broader perspective and in-depth knowledge of the bank.
To ensure a holistic development experience, these future leaders also participate in talent conferences, external programmes, mentoring or coaching. Through these development opportunities, they are able to build a strong network with their peers.
In order to continually innovate and position itself as the Asian bank of choice, it is also important for the bank to achieve corporate diversity among its talent pool. In addition to hiring talents from non-banking background, the bank also hires more than 200 new graduates from a range of backgrounds and disciplines through its six talent programmes for recent graduates.
With technology rapidly changing the way people interact with banks, the diversity in its leadership talent pool helps DBS identify and act on opportunities to shape the future of banking. To help leaders make a mindset shift, the bank organises innovative learning experiences such as hackathons that encourage them to adopt an outside-in perspective. These mindset changes led to the development of banking services such as DBS PayLah! which transformed peer-to-peer payments in Singapore.
Lee added: “As the digital banking evolution continues to unfold, it is important to ensure that our leaders are well-equipped with the knowledge and skill sets to identify and act on opportunities and threats. By bringing talents with different expertise together, we are able to create even greater value to our customers.”
“In today’s complex and unpredictable business landscape, Top Companies for Leaders are passionate about cultivating resilient and engaging leaders who take the time to know and develop their talent and understand what experiences they need to rise above the rest,” said Pete Sanborn, Global Talent practice leader. “We congratulate DBS Bank on being among a select group of organisations that excel at building and growing a strong leadership environment.”
Conducted six times since 2001, The Aon Hewitt Global Top Companies for Leaders study is a comprehensive analysis of talent management and leadership practices of organisations around the world. This year, nearly 180 companies from North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America participated in the study.
For two consecutive years, DBS has won the Great Workplace Award from Gallup. This is in part due to the bank’s focus on providing recognition and work-life balance for employees. DBS was also the first local bank to win in the “Best Graduate Development”, “Best Reward & Recognition Strategies, and “Best Work-Life Balance” categories in the HRM Awards 2014.
For more information of The Aon Hewitt Top Companies awards and DBS talent development programmes, click here.
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About DBS
DBS - Living, Breathing Asia
DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia, with over 250 branches across 17 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS has a growing presence in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank's capital position, as well as "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings, is among the highest in Asia-Pacific. DBS has been recognised for its leadership in the region, having been named “Asia’s Best Bank” by The Banker, a member of the Financial Times group, and “Best Bank in Asia-Pacific” by Global Finance. The bank has also been named “Safest Bank in Asia” by Global Finance for six consecutive years from 2009 to 2014.
DBS provides a full range of services in consumer, SME and corporate banking activities across Asia. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets. These market insights and regional connectivity have helped to drive the bank’s growth as it sets out to be the Asian bank of choice. DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, and positively impacting communities through supporting social enterprises, as it banks the Asian way. It has also established a SGD 50 million foundation to strengthen its corporate social responsibility efforts in Singapore and across Asia.
With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. The bank acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in all of our 21,000 staff, representing over 40 nationalities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.