Feras Al-Darmi

KUWAIT: As part of the bank's top-level strategy focused on human capital development across all levels of its organization, Kuwait International Bank (KIB) continues to actively invest in the upskilling and professional development of its employees, to enable its teams to deliver a more enhanced and streamlined banking experience to customers. Within this framework, the Bank has sought to focus especially on facilitating advanced level training and high-level leadership coaching to both mid- and senior-level managers across its operations.

Within this framework, Fahad Al-Bader, Assistant General Manager - Operations at KIB recently participated in an executive education program, which was presented by Harvard Business School in collaboration with the Central Bank of Kuwait and the Kuwait Institute of Banking Studies. The program, entitled 'Succeeding in Difficult Times', was dedicated to executives like Bader, responsible for tackling uncertainties and potential financial obstacles.

The program focused on strategic threats in financial markets, mitigation, including the use of new financial technology to deal with the repercussions of the pandemic, cyber threats and a deeper and detailed understanding of the challenges faced by senior financial executives and ways to address them. This developed Bader's leadership and response management skills.

On the other hand, Athoub Al-Dhaher, Manager - Risk Governance at KIB partook in the Risk Management Leaders Program, a global program also held in coordination with the Central Bank of Kuwait and the Kuwait Institute of Banking Studies. The full-time program included a series of specialized training courses and educational lectures, which ran for five months and spread over five stages. The first stage and second stage took place in Kuwait, while the final three stages were conducted abroad. Furthermore, Dhaher received an accredited international certificate when she completed the program and her graduation project.

On this occasion, KIB Deputy General of Human Resources Management Feras Al-Darmi, praised the participation of Bader and Dhaher in their training program, praising their diligence in pursuing professional development as part of the bank's initiative towards providing continuous educational and professional training support to its employees.

He further stressed on the bank's commitment to its human capital development efforts by saying: "We are actively invested in insuring that our employees are fully qualified and readily equipped to deal with all the developments and challenges facing our very dynamic sector in general. In order to maintain a competitive edge in the market, it is crucial that our teams continue to be agile, well-informed and highly trained - on par with international best practice standards in our industry."

It is important to note that KIB's mission to educate and develop employees also extends towards its upcoming young talent. In efforts to attract young nationals to join the banking workforce, KIB recently participated in the virtual exhibition of job opportunities at the Gulf University of Science and Technology, where the Area Manager of KIB, Abdullah Al-Shatti, presented workshops discussing employment opportunities and tasks related to work in management retail and branch banking.

In attendance was also Deputy Head of Auto Sales, Abdulaziz Al-Shammari who spoke on topics related to direct sales management and the opportunities available to develop their careers based on a plan outlined between them and the executive management of the Bank; further demonstrating the career pathways available for young talent.

"Offering the best banking experience in the market means having the best banking talents available. Our mission from a human capital perspective is simply to attract and retain the best talents, and to provide them with every tool and resource possible to continue to develop their skills and capabilities - individually and as a team," concluded Darmi.