Rick Pudner, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates NBD
Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, announced today its sponsorship of the St. Andrews Youth Golf Camp, which is designed for young amateur golfers of 12-18 years of age from emerging golf markets. The inaugural event of the Emerging World Youth Golf Tour will be held in July at St. Andrews in Scotland - the historical home of golf.
Emirates NBD actively supports the youth development initiatives, especially among UAE nationals, who comprise 10 of the 20 bright young talents who will take part in the St. Andrews Youth Golf Camp. The bank has a long association with the game under its “Passion for Golf” strategy and has supported many high-profile golfing events, including The Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.
“Golf is a sport that we share a longstanding passion for at Emirates NBD,” said Rick Pudner, Group CEO, Emirates NBD. “As a highly competitive sport, golf is aligned to our own values of success and heritage. As a national financial institution, it delights us to sponsor a programme for youth in golf, half of whose participants are from the UAE. Our commitment to support UAE golfers is part of a wider endorsement of sports. Additional sponsorship of the broadcast of the event on Golfing World TV will allow participants to share their experience and achievements with family and friends.
“Supporting the Emerging World Youth Golf Tour also provides us with invaluable international exposure and helps strengthen our brand recognition globally.”
The event is designed to develop the 20 participants, who have been rigorously selected from the Middle East, China, South America and Europe, socially and culturally through an exciting experience of golf at the “home of golf”. The two-week training camp has been organised under the guidance of former European Tour chief, Ken Schofield, and Master PGA professional, Alan Walker.
Participants will train at the state-of-the-art St. Andrews Links Golf Academy with Steve North, a top-25 UK instructor. Other experts imparting knowledge of the sport include Simon Holmes, Sky TV commentator and former coach of Sir Nick Faldo, and the European Ryder Cup mind coach Jamil Qureshi.
Emirates NBD is closely involved with many major international sporting events, including the FINA World Swimming Championships, the Al Habtoor Tennis Championship, the Arabian Horse Racing Day in the UK and the Dubai World Cup - the richest horse race in the world. The bank also supports the Al Nasr Sports Club.
