BMMI’s Young Leaders Programme (YLP) was launched in 2010 and has become a successful learning experience for those involved.

Aimed at developing leadership and business skills amongst high potential youth, candidates of the programme have had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a variety of functional areas within the organisation, through rotational training.

The latest participant who completed the programme, Yusuf Amin, shares his experience. Starting in May 2015, Yusuf completed in just over one year after he found his calling in the Facilities Management department.

Yusuf spent three months in Integrated Management Systems (IMS), Finance, Human Resources (HR), Alosra and Corporate Communications and CSR. “I never actually rotated to the Facilities Management department as it wasn’t in my place but I saw how they liaised with people and collaborated with all departments and different parts of the business,” he said. “It was something I admired. They worked extremely hard and were very detail oriented, a lot of their work goes unnoticed.”

At the end of each rotation, Yusuf conducted a presentation to Deputy CE & CFO, Ammar Aqeel, and then President & CEO, Gordon Boyle about his journey with that department, what he had learned and what he can take with him. At the start, this wasn’t something that Yusuf was comfortable with, but having a mentor came in handy. “Ammar was my mentor throughout the programme. We met once a month to talk about my struggles and what I had gained and he always gave me advice,” said Yusuf. “He used to set me tasks to complete and my presentation skills was one of the things that I wanted to focus on.”

As a result, they enrolled Yusuf on a Presentations Skills course and it built his confidence when having to present at the end of each rotation. Although Yusuf might not be presenting as much as he used to, he mentioned it is something he values, as the programme allowed him to focus on areas for development.

“I have a lot of things I need to develop, but the best thing about the programme is that I joined it right after I graduated and I had no idea what I wanted to do, or how I could even use my skills,” he said. Yusuf used the opportunity to find his true calling. “I got to know people around the business and how the company works. It made life at BMMI easier and more comfortable. Everything is more simple when you know the right people to go to.”

He explained that the experience was one he will never forget and appreciates that he had the opportunity to enroll on the programme.  There wasn’t a particular department Yusuf enjoys the most but the most knowledge gained was in the Finance department. “I like numbers and the team explained every part of the department to me. It’s a big department with different components to it, so it was really interesting but it just wasn’t for me,” he added.

“I stayed in the programme because it is a good opportunity for training and to know about different aspects of the business. It is an excellent opportunity to grow and develop in the company,” he ended.

Yusuf was awarded with an award of completion by CEO, Marek Sheridan, recently and thanked him for his contribution, as well as congratulated him for the successful completion of the programme.