UAE: Teacher wins brand-new BMW after signing up for bank account

Dubai - “I thought it was a joke," she says, when told about the prize.

Charlotte Hugill was busy shopping when she received a call from her school principal. And what she heard next left her "over the moon". The Sharjah teacher had won a brand-new BMW X2 after opening a new bank account with Emirates NBD at her school GEMS Cambridge International School – Sharjah.

Hugill, who was selected at random for the prize, said: “I thought it was a joke because I’ve never won anything more than the occasional £10 (Dh50) on a scratch card back home.”

The foundation stage teacher had moved to the UAE only in December last year. In fact, she hadn’t started driving in the UAE yet. But when she found out she had won, to prepare for the arrival of her top-of-the-range new car, she even went ahead and hired a rental to help her prepare for driving in the UAE.

Hugill said: “I want to thank Emirates NBD and GEMS Education for this great prize. I’m looking forward to being able to drive to school in comfort and being able to really explore the UAE. I had never won anything before and am extremely delighted. My first drive will be down to the beach to watch the sunset with my friends.”

Ershad Ahmed, head of Loyalty and Strategic Partnerships, GEMS Education, said: “At GEMS Education, we want to always offer value to our staff and through this important partnership with Emirates NBD, we have been able to give these opportunities to our employees. We are thankful to Emirates NBD for this generous prize and we look forward to delivering even more surprises to our staff in the coming year.”

Hugill later unveiled her new car at a presentation ceremony at the GEMS Education Corporate Office, where she was presented with further bonus gifts, including a BMW track driving experience at Dubai Autodrome, flowers and other gift vouchers.

Aju Chacko, Senior Vice President, Retail Banking Sales at Emirates NBD, said: “We thank GEMS Education for this partnership and opportunity to delight one of our new customers through this exclusive competition for GEMS employees. We hope that Ms Hugill will enjoy her new car and enjoy the full range of banking services with Emirates NBD.”

• Sharjah