MANAMA, BAHRAIN – 01 September 2015 – Three senior Bahraini Ithmaar Bank employees joined their peers from other Islamic banks across the Kingdom to attend an intensive Leadership Grooming Programme designed to help develop the next generation of C-suite executives.
The 17-day programme, which was conducted by top-tiered Canadian university, the Ivey Business School, is part of a joint initiative by the Central Bank of Bahrain and the Bahrain Waqf Fund.
Ithmaar Bank’s nominees to the programme, Head of Private Banking, Rafed Ahmed Al-Mannai, Asset Management Senior Manager, Ayoob Yusuf Al-Awadhi, and Commercial and International Banking Senior Manager Abdulla Hussain Al-Mulla, were congratulated by the Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Abdul Rahim, following their success completion of the first part of the Programme.
The participants have successfully completed the first part of the Programme that took place in the Ivey Business School’s Hong Kong Campus for eight working days from 18 May to 27 May 2015. The next part of the Programme will take place in the Ivey Business School’s Canada Campus over nine working days during October 2015.
“This programme aims to fast-track and groom the next generation of C-suite executives to steer the Islamic finance industry in the right direction,” said Abdul Rahim. “This addresses a key demand of the industry to ensure that the number of competent Bahraini nationals, with all the necessary training and experience, continues to increase in positions of Executive Management across the Islamic financial sector,” he said.
“Each of the nominated employees has demonstrated commitment, potential, competence and high integrity,” said Abdul Rahim. “Their input and efforts contributed towards the Bank’s continuing success, and providing them with such an accelerated leadership development programme will help enhance their skills and international business knowledge. This will, in turn, help them become better leaders,” he said.
The Programme which focuses on three key themes - strategic thinking, leadership skills and ethics - targets Bahrainis in mid management roles.
“Primarily using the case study method, participants are provided advanced learning in leadership skills, strategic thinking and ethics, while also exposing them to the Asian business model and the financial sector of Canada,” said Ithmaar Bank Head of Human Capital, Enas Rahimi. “This experience and interaction will help prepare them to become better leaders and decision makers and valuable assets of the Bank,” she said.