• Al-Bahar: “NBK RISE” aligns perfectly with NBK’s sustainability goals of inclusion and diversity
  • The program provides an opportunity for women to demonstrate their skills and bring a change in their workplace and society
  • Businesses should support women to effectively participate in the decision-making processes
  • Equity promotes sustainable development and reflects positively on the society and long-term economic growth
  • As part of the initiative, a pledge is signed between leading regional and global corporations to increase women’s representation in leadership positions

Kuwait: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) officially launched its global women leadership initiative “NBK RISE”, a first-of-its-kind program designed to elevate women leaders to higher leadership roles.

NBK RISE was officially launched in the presence of representatives from Alshaya Group, Commercial Bank of Kuwait, Burgan Bank, EQUATE, and STC Telecom as pledge partners.

The event also featured representatives from NBK RISE educational partners, including ie Business School, Franklin Covey and INSEAD, as well as mentors of the program and, 20 participants of NBK RISE.

Ms. Shaikha Al-Bahar, Deputy Group CEO of the National Bank of Kuwait, delivered a speech underlining the importance of this key initiative as a new beginning towards women empowerment in the corporate world and encouraged the attendants to seize the opportunity to navigate the barriers to leadership.

“NBK Rise aligns perfectly with NBK’s sustainability goals of inclusion and diversity”. Al-Bahar commented.

Al-Bahar highlighted that a push for more female leadership representation is an excellent strategic direction for organizations to bring fresher ideas and perspectives to the boardroom. The global goal of sustainability becomes more within reach when more women are involved in critical decision-making. This also creates a conducive environment for sustainable development and reflects positively on the society and long-term economic growth.

“NBK RISE will give tools, confidence, and the opportunity to talented female candidates and enable them to become influential leaders and drive decisions in the future”. Al-Bahar added.

Al-Bahar called on NBK RISE participants to make the most of this exceptional opportunity, to reach their full potential and make a difference in the corporate world.

The event concluded with a pledge signing ceremony where representatives from NBK Group, Alshaya Group, Commercial Bank of Kuwait, Burgan Bank, EQUATE, and STC Telecom collectively signed a pledge, showing their solid commitment by uniting and working towards the objectives of this global program.

This was followed with a guided tour of the NBK RISE Leadership Exhibition, a creative interactive exhibition created to help people understand what it takes to be a leader.

NBK Rise program is founded and led by Shaikha Al-Bahar, Deputy Group CEO of NBK, and developed by the team of Najla Al-Sager, Head of Talent Management, NBK Group Human Resources, and Alia Abu El Fath, Head of Corporate Communications, NBK Capital and Global Wealth Management.

The program consists of various training modules aimed at developing the leadership, strategic, communication, and interpersonal skills of professional women participants to equip and prepare them for higher leadership roles. Another important aspect of the program is the NBK RISE Pledge, where NBK will lead and organize a pledge between leading regional and global corporations to increase women’s representation in leadership positions.

NBK prides itself in following equality principles throughout its international locations, where women already occupy 49% of its workforce. NBK RISE is a testament to NBK Group’s continuous efforts to be a global leader in corporate community advancement.

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