Cementing its dedication to promoting gender equality and empowering women in the capital markets sector, Bahrain Bourse proudly announced the roll-out of the Board Mentorship Program in collaboration with the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) during the annual United Nations "Ring the Bell for Gender Equality" event, which was held in conjunction with 105 international exchanges & clearing houses to honor the occasion with a week of bell-ringing activities in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative, the UN Global Compact, and UN Women. This momentous occasion, coinciding with International Women's Day, underscoring Bahrain Bourse's commitment to fostering female leadership within the financial sector, and comes as part of Bahrain Bourse’s sixth consecutive year of engagement in this global event.

The event, which featured a "Ring the Bell for Gender Equality" ceremony, was attended by H.E. Khalid bin Ebrahim Humaidan, Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), Mr. Abdulkarim Ahmed Bucheery, Chairman of Bahrain Bourse, Dr. Ahmed Al Shaikh, Chief Executive Officer of BIBF, along with CEOs of listed companies, prominent executive females in leadership positions from various listed companies, as well as other key stakeholders.

The event is being held for the 10th year globally in a succession, with the theme “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”. The theme recognizes the importance of leadership development at Board level. Hence, Bahrain Bourse has worked collaboratively with the BIBF to establish a Board Mentorship Program which aims to cultivate board-ready candidates through a specialized training program tailored for Board of Directors positions. Its objective is to equip participants with the requisite knowledge and expertise necessary for leadership roles on corporate boards, foster governance excellence, and enable them to steer their respective organizations toward success and sustainability. This 5-week program will include a rigorous screening process where 20 senior executive professionals will be selected based on specific eligibility criteria to participate.

Sh. Khalifa bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, CEO of Bahrain Bourse, commented: "Recognizing the critical role exchanges play in advancing gender equality as part of SDG Goal 5 within the capital markets, Bahrain Bourse proudly launches the Board Mentorship Program. This initiative aligns with our sustainability efforts and fuels an ecosystem of empowered women leading listed companies.”

"This initiative aligns also with recent decisions issued by the CBB and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, emphasizing women's representation in the formation of boards of directors of listed companies. It reflects our commitment to national directives for women's progression led by the Supreme Council for Women," Shaikh Khalifa added.

The BIBF’s CEO, Dr. Ahmed AlShaikh stated, “The Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) is proud to partner with Bahrain Bourse to launch this flagship program that provides capacity-building opportunities for potential boards members, as it aims to provide them with the necessary skills to make critical decisions for organisations, in addition to training on applied best practices, and enhancing governance concepts in addition to other decisive topics.” 

He added, “Enhancing the competencies of board members is an essential pillar for the sustainable success of any organisation, as achieving leadership excellence requires developing consulting and strategic decision-making skills.” Through this program, we seek to empower existing directors and hone the skills of potential board of director members to keep pace with emerging challenges and opportunities in the fast-paced business world.”

In 2019, Bahrain Bourse announced its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative to further promote sustainable and transparent capital markets, as part of its sustainability journey. Bahrain Bourse's endorsement of the UN WEP in 2023 is aimed to further strengthen its sustainability journey and roadmap on topics related to gender equality.