United Overseas Bank (UOB) turns 80 today, and marks the milestone with an ambitious branding campaign that includes plans to enhance staff skills and service levels.

One initiative requires employees to take part in mandatory weekly team meetings to ensure company core values are properly practised.

In the past three months, UOB has spent 25,000 hours training people managers, and that number will rise by a further 10,400 hours by the end of the year. New key performance indicators were also introduced to ensure senior managers lead by positive example.

The moves followed a year-long survey of its retail and corporate clients, as well as employees, to understand their perceptions towards UOB.

Meanwhile, the brand campaign will include a series of announcements over the next month, pledging support for art, education and children.

UOB hopes to reaffirm its heritage of enterprising spirit and commitment to customers, said Ms Gan Ai Im, its head of brand.

"The new brand campaign captures the ethos that has driven UOB's achievements over the past 80 years and reflects how we will be guided into the future in our decision-making," she added.

UOB, which opened as United Chinese Bank, has grown to become one of the region's biggest financial institutions.

Between 1980 and 2014, its net profit grew to around $3.25 billion, with business in 19 countries, including Myanmar beginning this year.

At the same time, UOB - along with its local banks DBS and OCBC - remains one of the world's most financially sound banks, with an Aa1 rating by Moody's, and an AA- rating by Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings.

Wong Wei Han