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Winning Secrets: UBS has reached more than 300,000 candidates in APAC, resulting in a solid pipeline

Winning Secrets: UBS has reached more than 300,000 candidates in APAC, resulting in a solid pipeline

Its alumni network has helped connect with 600+ alumni and provided re-hire opportunities, says Daniel Brandenberger, Head of HR Singapore and Senior HR BP WM APAC, UBS AG Singapore.

Throughout UBS' 160 years of history – from its Swiss roots to its global reach, the team has always known the true meaning of long-term commitment. And this holds true for employees as much as it does for customers.

At the 10th annual edition of HR Excellence Awards, Singapore in 2022, UBS AG Singapore won the gold award for 'Excellence in Employer Branding' as well as the silverware recognising it as 'Employer of the Year'.

In view of this achievement, we catch up with Daniel Brandenberger, Head of HR Singapore and Senior HR BP WM APAC, UBS AG Singapore on initiatives for both experienced hires and young talents that have positioned UBS to not only connect with talent but also create a healthy talent pipeline for the industry in Singapore.

Q Congratulations on the achievement! Could you take us through the highs-and-lows of your people strategy?

At UBS, our people strategy is aligned with the firm’s purpose of reimagining the power of investing and connecting people for a better world. The tactics we employ to deliver our purpose and strategy allow us to drive business results by attracting, connecting and retaining the right talents.

COVID-19 brought about challenges where we doubled-down on our focus to digital solutions, and evolved our positioning and tactical approach to how we deliver best-in-class HR experience to our employees.

We adopt an agile approach and encourage a culture of continuous feedback where our employees help us further refine and improve how we connect with them.

Across the firm, we are well-diversified and are on track to have 30% females in Director and above ranks by 2025.

We genuinely believe that only a diverse workforce and one with equal opportunities can unlock and achieve the full potential of our people to deliver the firm’s larger purpose.

We are proud to operate our state of the art 9 Penang Road UBS campus, inspiring and enabling our staff to work and deliver at their best in a conducive and collaborating work environment, offering a range of different working settings and arrangements.

Q How did the HR team identify and align the business and employee needs, and craft out this perfect solution?

At UBS, we seek to deliver a best-in-class employee experience to motivate and empower our staff on development, engagement, and wellbeing. This is the foundation for an 'Employer of Choice' which creates strong 'UBS Branding Ambassadors'.

Our health and wellbeing events have an average participating rate of more than 70% and we also receive positive feedback from our graduate trainees, where an average of 92% are rating the overall UBS experience and value of the programme either good or excellent.

These outcomes are proof that our HR strategy has impact and that we can measure what we deliver.

Q Could you share the results that your strategy has delivered – be it on the business, HR or people side?

Building on our strong brand and paired with our talent acquisition initiatives, we have successfully reached more than 300,000 candidates in APAC, resulting in a solid pipeline of applications across different roles and locations.

In addition, we can leverage from our UBS Alumni Network, where we have connected with 600+ alumni and offered re-hire opportunities. Through our initiatives for both experienced hire and young talents, UBS is able to connect with the talent and create healthy talent pipeline for the industry in Singapore.

In line with the business, keeping our workforce healthy, safe and engaged in the midst of a pandemic was our priority as well and our employees has trusted us through this journey. An employee experience survey was conducted and 82% of our people believe that UBS cares about and supports their health and wellbeing.

Q What is your message to all stakeholders who have supported you in this journey?

I am very thankful for the constant support and encouragement from the stakeholders in tiding through all the highs and lows that we experience together as a firm.

It is normal for a firm to come across obstacles and difficulties along the way, but with the teamwork and support system that is incorporated at UBS, we were able to carry out relevant initiatives, allowing UBS to achieve great results. As a firm, we will continue to strive harder to empower our workforce and creating an inclusive environment for our employees to grow, bringing UBS to greater heights. 

Q What are you most excited about when you think about the future of HR?

Looking ahead, I am excited to work with the UBS team to tackle more challenges that come our way, bringing about more meaningful future initiatives where we continue to innovate and explore new ways to reimagine the power of investing, and connecting people for a better world.


Photo / UBS (interviewee pictured in centre, holding the trophy)

Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets' section!

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region!

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region!

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