Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced the graduation of the first cohort of UAE National engineers from an EGA Technical Leadership programme in Switzerland.

Her Excellency Dr. Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Alotaiba, UAE Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation, Christophe Darbellay, State Councillor and Head of the Department of Economy and Education in the Government of the Canton of Valais, Switzerland and Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, attended the graduation ceremony in Sierre, Switzerland. The ceremony saw the launch of a comprehensive book documenting EGA’s pioneering journey in the carbon electrode industry.

Programme participants worked on the design and implementation of innovative solutions to advance EGA’s Carbon & Port operations, applying their technical knowledge to real-world industrial challenges. Each EGA technical leader developed an individual thesis and presented their findings during the graduation ceremony as part of their assessment.

Her Excellency Dr. Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Alotaiba, UAE Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation, said: “ The graduation of these talented Emirati engineers reflects the UAE and EGA’s commitment to developing world-class technical capabilities in UAE National talent to support the growth of our national industrial sector. Their achievements in this highly specialised programme show the strength of the collaboration between the UAE and Switzerland in advancing industrial excellence.”

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “Highly-skilled leaders and strong technical expertise are central to our global competitiveness and sustainable growth. This Technical Leadership programme enables UAE National talent at EGA to acquire necessary technical skills to fuel our growth. I was impressed by the innovative thesis presentations from our graduates and look forward to seeing their ideas put into practice.”

Amer Almarzooqi, Vice President of Carbon and Ports at Emirates Global Aluminium, added: “EGA developed the bespoke, 35-week training programme in collaboration with R&D Carbon, a leading Swiss consultancy specialising in carbon technology and process improvement for the aluminium industry. Our goal is to build specialised technical leadership skills among our UAE National talent.  The programme combines theoretical foundation building and practical applications to improve performance and excellence.”

EGA conducts technical development programmes for employees at all levels of the company, including with leading international partners from academia and beyond. In addition, around 2,500 EGA staff attend management training courses each year, from graduates to executive leaders.