Landmark Arabia, a unit of leading retail and hospitality conglomerate Landmark Group, has launched its Retail Leadership Programme at an exclusive ceremony held at the Marriott, Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Held in the presence of Saudi Arabia’s inspirational athlete and pioneer, Raha Moharrak, the event was attended by employees and leaders across the Group. Building on its success of employing over 7,000 Saudi nationals, the newly launched programme will offer the employees an opportunity to fast-track their career and take on key retail and managerial roles.

Forty-four of the company’s best performing employees, including 38 Saudi women, were selected to take part in the developmental initiative. The selection process was rigorous with multiple levels of interviews and performance appraisals to ensure the formation of an esteemed group of performers.

As a part of this year-long training programme, the selected candidates will be provided with extensive practical and experiential training by managers to improve their skills on the job. This will allow them to grow in a real retail environment understanding various key aspects of the business.

Nisha Jagtiani, group director, Landmark Group, said: “As a leading retailer in the region we have always been focused on investing in the growth of Saudi youth and women, to develop their skills and help them meet their career goals. Having been in the region for over two decades we employ some very bright Saudi talent in retail. More than 66% of our existing Saudi National employees are women, and we are delighted to see them progress in their career to take on leading retail roles in our business.”

“The Retail Leadership Programme was specifically designed with the aim to fast-track the growth of our Saudi workforce. It gives me immense pride to introduce our first batch of RLP stars, of which 90% are Saudi women. This is a huge milestone for us and stands testament to our deep commitment in building future leaders in Saudi Arabia,” she added.

The Retail Leadership Programme will serve as a platform for all Saudi nationals working with the retailer to accelerate their growth within the company, and inspire talented individuals to pursue a long-term career in the retail business.

The selection of the candidates RLP will be completed in two different phases and is completely based on experiential learning where in each employee will shadow an existing manager. The first phase will focus on store retail roles, and the second phase will coach trainees on senior retail roles and key support functions.

After completing the programme, trainees who are the most equipped for the role will be given promotional priorities, along with suitable compensation. – TradeArabia News Service

You can watch a video on this programme at: https://vimeo.com/344031977