KUWAIT: In honor of Kuwaiti Women's Day, Gulf Bank announced its sponsorship of a panel discussion organized by the Soroptimist Kuwait association for community development. The panel discussed female leaders in the diplomatic corps as part of its support for local civil society efforts that empower women. The event was attended by a large group of newly appointed women in the Kuwaiti diplomatic corps and included other female ambassadors of Arab and foreign countries working in Kuwait.

The participating ambassadors shared their personal experiences in the diplomatic field, and discussed what it is like to work in the diplomatic corps. The attendees also discussed the challenges of the workplace, as well as their strategies as to how they overcame them. They also provided new ambassadors with tips and best practices for the work environment.  The speakers also praised Kuwait's significant developments in the female empowerment sphere, especially in light of the fact that Kuwait has the largest proportion of women working in the diplomatic corps in the Middle East.

During the event, the ambassadors pointed out that Kuwait has come a long way in empowering women, in terms of both political rights and their participation in the development of the national economy through employment across various sectors. These recent efforts are part of a long line of achievements accomplished by the state and the private sector in supporting and empowering women.

"Today, we are pleased to celebrate the women of Kuwait, who hold incredible roles in such a vital field. We are proud to honor these women as part of Gulf Bank's firm belief in empowering women and youth across various fields, through the effective application of the principles of sustainability," commented the Manager of Corporate Communications at Gulf Bank, Lujain Al-Qenaei.

She added: "We believe in the vital and strategic role played by women and youth in various sectors in Kuwait, and I am pleased to highlight our pride in all the women working in the diplomatic service in Kuwait. We hope that today's gathering and panel discussion will serve as a motivation for young women attending this event to pursue the careers of their dreams with confidence and conviction."

Al-Qenaei also touched on Gulf Bank's continuous efforts in empowering women, noting that Gulf Bank is the first bank in Kuwait to eliminate all cases of gender-based discrimination between its employees and achieve full equality between them in job benefits. This notable achievement comes in accordance with the United Nations' principles on women's empowerment, and in implementation of the Bank's 2025 strategy, knowing that one of its pillars is to achieve community sustainability within and outside the Bank.

She also affirmed the Bank's commitment to empower women through employment and in supporting their career pathways to leadership positions. It is worth noting that the percentage of female employees at Gulf Bank recently exceeded 40 percent of the Bank's total staff, while their share of leadership positions exceeded 30 percent in 2020.

Gulf Bank's vision is to be the leading Kuwaiti Bank of the Future. The Bank is constantly engaging and empowering its employees as part of an inclusive and diversified workplace in recognition of every employee's role in delivering customer excellence and serving the community at large. With its extensive network of branches and innovative digital services, Gulf Bank is able to give its customers the choice of how and where to conduct their banking transactions, all while ensuring a simple and seamless banking experience.

Gulf Bank is committed to maintaining a robust sustainability program at the community, economic, and environmental levels through sustainability initiatives that are strategically selected to benefit both the country and the Bank. Gulf Bank supports Kuwait Vision 2035 "New Kuwait" and works with various parties to achieve it.