BBK and the BIBF announce the launch of the second cohort of Women on Board

17 Sep 2023

Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait and the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) announced the launch of the second cohort of the “Women on Board Program”.

Based on BBK’s objectives to develop community partnerships, sustainable development, and enhance the role of women in society, and following the success of the first cohort, BBK and the BIBF announced the launch of the second cohort of the Women on Board program, which aims to support Bahraini women to reach positions of executive management, including Board of Directors membership. The program includes intensive training by international trainers and experts, with the aim of enhancing the presence of women in leadership and decision-making positions.

BBK’s Group Chief Executive, Dr. AbdulRahman Saif stated, “After the resounding success of the first cohort of the Women on Board program, we are pleased to continue supporting this specialized program that aims to facilitate women’s access to corporate boards of directors and leadership positions, as well as enhance their representation and assumption of responsibility.” “Through this program, we look forward to encouraging and building the capabilities of Bahraini women to advance on the corporate ladder, encourage them to keep pace with professional developments, and lead these developments through creativity and innovation at work, in a way that brings well-being and economic prosperity to the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

Dr. Saif also added: “These programs represent an effective response by BBK to the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and in compliance with the decisions recently issued by the Central Bank of Bahrain and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce related to amending the provisions of corporate governance to take into account women representation in the formation of boards of directors of joint-stock and public companies, and to enhance women representation on boards of directors of joint-stock companies listed on the Bahrain Stock Exchange, as part of the national directives for women’s progression led by the Supreme Council for Women.”

On his part, Dr. Ahmed Al-Shaikh, the BIBF’s Chief Executive Officer stated, “The BIBF is keen on supporting the presence of women in all fields, including leadership positions, and their assumption of responsibility for leading and managing businesses and making important decisions in various institutions. The representation of women on boards of directors is considered complementary to enhancing diversity and inclusion in strategic decision-making and improving the overall performance of companies.

Dr. Al-Shaikh also stressed that the BIBF offers programmes on a global level in addition to specialized training content with trainers of international competencies, to achieve the program’s objectives effectively, to support Bahraini women, enhance their leadership skills, and qualify them to occupy leadership positions on boards of directors.”

Details related to the program and the registration mechanism will be announced on the website and the social media accounts of the Bank and the BIBF.

To register, visit https://www.bibf.com/bbk-women-on-boards-programme/