Khaleeji Commercial Bank and the BIBF Announce the Experts of The Economic Diversification Forum

Under the patronage of H.E.Khalid Al Rumaihi the Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), Khaleeji Commercial Bank (KHCB) and The BIBF have announced the expert speakers and panellists of The Economic Diversification Forum.

The objective of the two-day Economic Diversification Forum, which will be held on 19^th and 20^th November, is to address the topic of economic diversification and highlight its importance for Bahrain’s national economy. Held under the theme “Working together for a sustainable future”, both international and local experts will deliver insightful sessions and participate in stimulating panel discussions focusing on the importance of adapting to new economic conditions and other various factors that play a role in ensuring long term stability for all stakeholders in the Kingdom.

The Economic Diversification Forum consists of various and diverse high level panellists, who are experts from various sectors in the Kingdom, such as financial services, education, oil and gas, industry, tourism, and technology. The panels will be interactive platforms tackling important topics about the pertinent need for economic diversification in our Kingdom and amongst the many expert panellists discussing the topics are, H.E. Mohammed Al Qaed, Chief Executive – Information & eGovernment Authority, H.E. Shaikh Khaled Bin Humood Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer – Bahrain Authority for Tourism and Exhibitions, Mr. Abdulkarim Bucheery

Vice Chairman – Khaleeji Commercial Bank, Mr. Mohammed Al Binfalah, Chief Executive Officer – Bahrain Airport Company, Dr. Dawood Nassif, Board Director – BAPCO and Gulf Air, Mr. Abdulhakeem Al-Khayyat, Managing Director & CEO – Kuwait Finance House, and Dr. Jawaher Al-Mudhahki, Chief Executive – Education and Training Quality Authority (BQA).

Additionally, specialised sessions will shed light on various topics within the economy, giving the participants a more comprehensive overview of economic prospects and current insights to financial and economic stability, in addition to prospects of support for entrepreneurs in the Kingdom.  These sessions include topics such as the National Development Strategy, and how the country can further diversify its’ economy through capitalising on SMEs. Covering these specialised sessions that aim to expand the range of understanding the concept of diversification are high-level speakers, including, Kalbir Sohi, Co-Founder & CEO – Drie (UK), Mr. Omar Al-Ubaydli, Program Director for International and Geo-Political Studies – Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat), Dr. Jarmo Kotilaine, Chief Economist, Market & Strategy Intelligence – Economic Development Board, Dr. Corrie J. Block, Strategic Management and Corporate Governance – Paragon Consulting, Dr. Samer AlJishi, Group President – BFG International.

Commenting on this occasion, KHCB’s Chairman, Dr. Ahmed Al Mutawa said, “The main objectives of this forum is to highlight the importance of working together, both the private and public sector to ensure that these awareness and educational initiatives continue to benefit the nation, by attaining sustainability goals as outlined by the government. We are working together through the Economic Diversification Forum to highlight the importance of this topic through the various panel discussions and the expert sessions. In order to guarantee participant experience is as effective as possible, we aim to cover the most pertinent topics to expand widen the horizons of understanding the concept of diversification.”

Dr. Al Mutawa also added, “At the KHCB, we believe our national responsibility is to highlight the efforts of our Kingdom in economic diversification, with the support rendered for the success of these efforts. This will no doubt, have a sound impact on the Kingdom and on all organisations private and public, leading to the well-being of citizens and the prosperity of our Kingdom.

The BIBF’s Director, Dr. Ahmed AbdulHameed AlShaikh said “It is always important for our stability and sustainability of our Kingdom to keep abreast current economic prospects that will enable us to further develop and elevate our businesses and expand our human potential. Through the Economic Diversification Forum, we bring our efforts forward to highlight the importance of being aware of the different strategies various sectors can utilise in order to build a better economy for our nation.”

To Register and For more information on KHCB’s Economic Diversification Forum, please call 17815551 or e-mail us at edf@bibf.com or visit our website at  http://edf.bibf.com