Kuwait, 20 February 2014: Gulf Bank announced that it has officially opened its new training center 'DURRAT ALKHALEEJ' located in its Al Zahra branch.  Gulf Bank's Chairman, Mr. Omar Kutayba Alghanim, Mrs. Salma Al-Hajjaj, General Manager – Human Resources, along with senior executives from the Bank's management  were joined by invited guests, Mr. Fawzi Al-Majdali, Secretary General - Manpower and Government Restructuring Program (MGRP),  Dr. Yaqoub Al-Refaei, Director - Institute of Banking Studies in Kuwait, Dr. Bassam Al-Feeli and Ms. Sumaya Al-Jassim - Kuwait Foundation of Advancement of Science (KFAS), all of whom congratulated  Mr. Alghanim and the Bank's management on this occasion and commended them for their commitment to the training and development of the Bank's workforce.

Gulf Bank's Chairman, Mr. Omar Kutayba Alghanim, gave a brief speech to welcome the Bank's guests and reiterated the importance of human capital investment. He further emphasized the Bank's policy of being a meritocracy and performance based organization and through the new training center being able to equip staff with the skills and competencies to help them advance in their careers.  He went on to thank the team for the work they are doing to support and advance the Kuwaiti workforce.

Through this new training center, current and new employees will receive new training modules and courses, all displayed on Smart Boards using Apple TV. In addition, the Bank has also replaced paper training material with iPads, giving trainees the latest in technological advances in their training. Gulf Bank is the first Bank in Kuwait to use Smart Boards to display its training modules and courses and the first Bank to provide iPads to all its trainees. The facility's computer lab has been equipped with the latest desktop computers in addition to equipping the training facilities with cameras to provide visual and audible tools to monitor progress from the Bank's Head Office.

Mrs. Salma Al-Hajjaj, General Manager – Human Resources at Gulf Bank said: "We are very proud to have this training center for our employees.  It's a great milestone for the Bank and the HR department and underlines how committed we are to ensuring we have the best qualified employees in the banking sector. Gulf Bank is known as an organization that is committed to nurturing Kuwaiti talent, as well as a financial institution that provides the best banking products and services in Kuwait. This is something we are very proud of and aim to build as we grow.

"At Gulf Bank we believe that our human capital is our most valuable asset and therefore we strive to create a culture that nurtures talent and creates career opportunities for our people. We value teamwork and empowerment and we will continue to focus on these aspects as we work with our employees in developing their knowledge and abilities."

The Bank also places great emphasis on training and development of its employees through its Learning and Development department, which produces a range of tailor-made packages and training programs as part of its policy of investing in encouraging staff expertise.  In 2013, Gulf Bank conducted 125 training courses, training 1377 newly recruited employees, as well as numerous courses at middle and senior management level focusing on both technical and leadership competencies with strong emphasis on corporate governance and compliance.

As one of Kuwait's leading employers and recruiters, Gulf Bank has always placed its human capital at the forefront, focusing on opening up opportunities to young Kuwaitis, creating meaningful roles and challenges for Kuwait's youth that allows them to build a career, and in doing so, to contribute to the country's economic progress.

To find out more about Gulf Bank's new training center, visit any one of Gulf Bank's 57 branches, or call the Customer Contact Center on 1805805.  Information is also available on the Bank's bilingual website at www.e-gulfbank.com.

Group photo of Mr. Omar Kutayba Alghanim, Gulf Bank's Chairman,

Mrs. Salma Al-Hajjaj, General Manager- Human Resources at Gulf

Bank, Mr. Fawzi Al-Majdali, Secretary General at MGRP, Dr. Yacoub

Al-Refaei- Director at IBS-Kuwait, Dr. Bassam Al-Feeli - Kuwait

Foundation of Advancement of Science (KFAS) and members of Gulf

Bank's management team during Gulf Bank's DURRAT ALKHALEEJ

training center inauguration ceremony in the Bank's Al Zahra branch