Accelerating Retail Banking Growth For FNB Namibia
As part of FNB Namibia’s drive to strengthen its retail banking capabilities and prepare its workforce for the future of financial services, the Retail Accelerator was conceptualised and implemented in partnership with GHM Training & Development. The initiative forms a cornerstone of the bank’s broader Learning & Development strategy—one aimed at embedding a culture of continuous growth, measurable performance, and customer excellence across every retail touchpoint.
Designed as a branded learning experience rather than a conventional training programme, the Retail Accelerator empowers employees to translate strategy into practice. It connects business priorities with personal capability building, aligning frontline teams with FNB’s customer promise and service vision. Through immersive, high-impact academies, the experience creates a direct line between learning, behaviour, and measurable business outcomes.
CLIENT
FNB Namibia
INITIATIVE
Retail Accelerator – part of FNB Namibia’s Learning & Development Strategy.
FORMAT
Blended learning experience (4–6 hour interactive academies, digital and in-person delivery).
CORE OBJECTIVES
Build sales capability, enhance customer experience, drive performance culture, and unify retail standards across branches.
Retail Banking. Accelerated.
The Retail Accelerator is a flagship capability-building journey, bringing together structured learning, leadership alignment, and practical application. Each academy within the accelerator—such as the Sales Excellence Academy and Customer Experience Academy—focuses on equipping retail teams with the tools, mindset, and behaviours needed to achieve consistent growth and service differentiation in a competitive market.
The experience blends interactive workshops, facilitator-led sessions, and digital reinforcement tools to ensure real-world application. Through tailored modules, participants develop confidence in client engagement, consultative sales, and customer-centric delivery—transforming learning from a compliance exercise into a culture of performance excellence.
The Challenge
As part of its long-term people strategy, FNB Namibia identified a critical need to accelerate capability growth within its retail division. While the bank had strong operational systems and a clear customer promise, there was a gap in translating these standards into consistent, measurable frontline behaviours. Sales and service teams operated at varying levels of performance, and leadership recognised that sustainable growth would require more than skills training—it demanded a shift in culture, mindset, and everyday practice.
The challenge was to equip every retail employee—from teller to manager—with the tools, language, and confidence to deliver on the bank’s strategic intent, while fostering ownership of performance improvement across all branches. FNB sought a solution that could blend human connection with measurable business impact—one that would energise teams, not burden them.
The Solution
GHMTraining & Development partnered with FNB Namibia to design and implement the Retail Accelerator, a branded learning experience anchored in behavioural change, performance metrics, and strategic alignment.
The solution was structured as a multi-academy ecosystem built around key capability pillars:
- Sales Excellence Academy – driving proactive, consultative, and customer-focused selling.
- Customer Experience Academy – embedding empathy, consistency, and service excellence at every touchpoint.
- Emerging streams – developing branch leadership, digital fluency, and coaching capability to sustain the change.
- Inhouse Product & Service Knowledge
Each academy runs as a 4–6 hour blended experience, combining digital tools, scenario-based learning, and facilitator-led sessions designed to transform knowledge into practice. Real FNB data, customer insights, and team performance dashboards were integrated to contextualise learning and drive accountability.
The Retail Accelerator also introduced a distinct internal brand identity and communication framework, positioning learning as a prestigious, aspirational part of career growth within FNB. This alignment created excitement, buy-in, and measurable participation across the retail network.
↑ Satisfaction Scores
Linked directly to improved service behaviours & confidence on the floor.
Real change. Big impact.
Top Subjects & What It Means
SEA’SHigh scoring subjects tend to be behaviour-focused (e.g. how to engage clients, how to run quality sales conversations). Lower scoring subjects are typically heavier on process or compliance. This suggests facilitation and contextualisation drive perceived value more than abstract methodology alone.
CEA’s strongest subjects are those tied to customer leadership, service culture, and real-world scenarios of handling clients. Where ratings dipped, content leaned toward policy/process without immediate emotional or situational anchoring. This pattern is consistent with adult learning research: relevance is highest when participants can see themselves using the skill in live customer moments, not just understanding the principle.
What Delegates have said
This is the best training I have ever attended, it was more informative, fun and applicable than any other training I have attended.
I’ve gained confidence in handling objections and closing sales more effectively thanks to the practical frameworks shared.
The Trusted Advisor programme helped me build deeper client relationships. I now focus on understanding their needs, providing valuable solutions, and collaborating closely to become a trusted partner, not just a seller.
The whole course about a Growth mindset was so enlightening and very empowering at the same time, it gave me courage and the “Kick” Ineeded to take charge and to change.
I am now more focused on setting SMART goals, staying accountable, and improving habits like procrastination.
The objection-handling section has been extremely helpful, and I’m now successfully overcoming many more objections than before.
I have started to view client interactions through a more holistic lens, aligning value with client needs rather than focusing solely on outcomes. I now realise my negotiation style could use refining, especially in navigating client expectations versus internal capabilities.
The programme has helped me strengthen my communication skills and maintain a positive attitude. I’ve become better at engaging with clients and understanding their needs. I’m excited to continue improving my time management and prioritization for greater efficiency.
Key Takeaways
Strategic Alignment
Embedding learning within the business strategy ensures every training hour supports measurable KPIs, constant alignment and application.
Branded Experience
A distinct identity and storytelling approach elevate learning beyond compliance and create emotional buy-in.
Blended Impact
Combining immersive facilitation with digital reinforcement through our learning hub enhances retention and on-the-job application.
Cultural Shift
Learning is now perceived as part of “how FNB Namibia works”—not as an external intervention. Everyone knows what great looks like.
Scalable Framework
The Accelerator model provides a repeatable structure for new academies through our job families division and learning path creation. (e.g., Leadership, Digital Skills).
