Union Bank’s new brand identity which was unveiled in October 2015 has won two Gold awards at the Transform Awards MENA 2016 held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Dubai, on May 18, 2016.

Union Bank won the award for ‘Best Brand Development To Reflect Changed Mission/Vision/Positioning’ beating Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Bank Al Bilad, Gulf Finance, VOX, Bahrain Finance Company and Commercial Bank of Dubai, and ‘Best Visual Identity From The Financial Services Sector’ beating Bank ABC, ADCB, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Gulf Finance and MAF Finance.

Reacting to the awards, Head of Corporate Affairs & Corporate Communication, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, who managed the rebranding exercise for Union Bank said, “To be recognized at the Transform Awards and competing against premier brands across Middle East and Africa is truly a fantastic validation of the hard work that went into the development and execution of our new identity. Our brand identity is a critical piece of Union Bank’s overall transformation and our goal was to depict a more contemporary and energetic institution while maintaining our authenticity and key elements of the brand heritage.

“We are extremely pleased to share this success with our agency, Landor, who led the creative effort and worked with us in great collaboration and partnership throughout the entire process,” Ekezie-Ekaidem said.

Chief Executive Officer, Emeka Emuwa said, “Our award winning identity reflects our new proposition to make banking simpler and smarter for our customers. Following the brand launch, Union Bank has introduced two innovative savings products – UnionKorrect and UnionGoal to the Nigerian market. We have rolled out the new identity in 80 branches across the country, ensuring that our customers are able to bank in a modern and professional environment. We continue to launch new branches every quarter.

“Our technology and banking platform upgrades, along with the transformation of our processes have reduced our transaction processing times by over 20%. The impact of these changes are being felt by our customers and reflected in reputable independent surveys which show a marked improvement in Union Bank’s industry rankings on customer service. We are also attracting new customers to the bank and growing our overall customer base which boosted our deposit book by 12% in 2015.

“Given the positive feedback we have received on the new identity, locally and now internationally, Union Bank will continue to push forward to ensure that our products and services continue to reflect our brand proposition,” Mr. Emuwa concluded.

The Transform Awards is organized by Transform Magazine, a leading authority in global rebranding and brand development. According to a press statement announcing the winners, the organizers said, “The winners of the Transform Awards MENA 2016 set the standard for rebranding and brand development on both a regional and international scale.”