BIBF Celebrates the Success of its Financial Industry Mentoring Programme

BIBF recently held a closing ceremony under the patronage of H.E. Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj, Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain and Chairman of the BIBF Board of Directors, to celebrate the success of its Mentoring Programme – conducted in partnership with the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) and the Supreme Council for Women (SCW).

The mentoring programme, part of the 2015 ‘Women in the financial and banking sector’ initiative of HRH Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), was a direct result of a collaborative effort between academic institutions and the financial industry. The main objective of the programme was to provide participating students with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn first-hand from the experience of industry leaders, and explore potential career paths in a vibrant, growing industry. The project also provided mentors with an opportunity to give back to the Bahraini community and share their expertise and success stories with their mentees.

The ceremony began with a speech by H.E. Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj, Governor of Central Bank of Bahrain, in which he expressed his pride in the commitment and drive of the participants, and highlighted the fundamental basis of the strategic vision of Bahrain and the Central Bank of Bahrain, and their full belief in the importance of developing human resources to reach the desired goals of the Kingdom. He also noted that the programme was established to develop the skillset of the students in collaboration with the BIBF, the premier provider of human resources training in the financial and banking sector, and emphasised that the Central Bank would continue to support the Bahraini youth in their determination towards a better future.

The mentoring programme served seventy students nominated from five universities – Al Ahlia University, University of Bahrain, University of Bangor-BIBF, Bahrain Polytechnic and the Royal University for Women, along with forty mentors from fifteen financial institutions.

The scope of the programme involved two main components – the first was a series of BIBF workshops designed to develop the communication, banking, Islamic finance, insurance, and investment skills of the participants. The second component comprised of three mentoring workshops conducted on a one-to-one basis by the assigned mentors, and was hosted at their respective organisations.

“Mentoring is a critical component of professional development and is defined as relationship in which a person invests time, expertise, and effort to increase and improve another person’s growth, knowledge and skills. Its importance is often overlooked given the dynamic and fast-paced nature of the banking and finance industry, and I am hopeful that this programme will permanently open the communication channels for the exchange of knowledge

and experience between current and aspiring industry professionals”, said BIBF Director Solveig Nicklos in her speech.

The event took place at the Gulf Hotel Convention Centre in the presence of representatives from the Central Bank of Bahrain, the Supreme Council for Women and BIBF, participating mentors and mentees, and executives from the banking and financial services sector.