PANDA Retail Company has won Mowaamah Golden Certification for its longstanding commitment to the employment of persons with disabilities. Mowaamah Certification is a program with a set of requirements by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development for organizations and businesses whose work environments are inclusive and supportive to the persons with disabilities.

Since 1998, Panda has made a significant progress in advancing inclusion in its functions. A total of 313 employees with disabilities work in the Company up to date. One employee has been on the job for 20 years, another 18 years, and three other employees have been in Panda for around fifteen years each; demonstrating therefore Panda efforts for providing an appropriate and supportive work environment for them.

In addition to the acquisition of Mowaamah Gold Certificate, Panda has been recently recognized as one of the 2017 Best Companies in Disability Inclusion. The award is a joint initiative of the United Nations and the Government of Sao Paulo in Brazil. It offers the international businesses an opportunity to receive a rank on their disability inclusion policies and practices. Panda was proudly rated the second international company.

Panda Retail Company will continue to hire people with disabilities not only for giving them job skills but also to give them a sense of independence, self-confidence, and ultimately a chance to succeed in the workplace and in their personal lives.

Rania Al Turki, chief executive officer of human resources expressed her happiness in achieving such local and international awards which reflecting its belief in supporting and developing the work environment for people with disabilities and their employees in general.

She stressed the company's progress in supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor market, where 112 students were trained in 2017 and equipped with the skills necessary to compete in the labor market. Meanwhile, 48 of them were recruited in Panda markets from the company's commitment to people with disabilities to the capabilities and talents they can harness in the growth of the company. — SG