The client
Mubadala’s (www.mubadala.ae) focus is on managing long-term, capital-intensive investments that deliver strong financial returns and tangible social benefits for Abu Dhabi. While Mubadala’s investments have to be commercially viable, generating sustainable profits over the long-term, they also have to deliver strong social returns to Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates.

The challenge
Mubadala’s vision is a bold one; to be a catalyst that is facilitating Abu Dhabi’s ambition to diversify and transform its economy, developing a new generation of business leaders, and building a prosperous future for its people.

Facing rapid growth and the management of complex and diverse business relationships, Mubadala recognised that an effective learning and development strategy was a central plank to sustainable business growth, both for itself, and for Abu Dhabi as a whole. With their extensive investments in rapidly-growing companies, their human resource mandate includes the ability to spin off CEOs and executive management teams to global organisations.

Synapsys was selected via a global search strategy as the partner that would help shape the vision for learning and development.

 
The solution
First, understand the people, then, understand the people some more. Over six weeks our team of five consultants began with an extensive datagathering process across the senior management team. While we began to understand the unique challenges Mubadala faced, we also rolled up our sleeves and built upon the existing competency framework. A validated framework was the building block for managing current and immediate training activity while the longer term vision was evolved, and implementation plans developed.

After signoff of a four point strategic plan, our focus shifted to elaborating an implementation pathway that detailed how that vision would be made a reality. Starting with an internal focus, activity over a three year period gradually shifted from Mubadala itself to the wider mandate to support the development of Abu Dhabi itself, and its people.

The benefit
Learning and development now helps inform the wider vision for the company. A range of projects evolved from the wider strategy are now in the process of implementation, including Leadership development, internal communications processes, the innovative utilisation of innovative learning technologies, and talent and succession planning.

Mubadala recognises that sustainability practices have wider application than simply to the environment. The strategy document implementation plans we partnered to develop now shape sustainable practice for the organisation itself.