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• Salma Al-Hajjaj: Approximately 33% of leadership roles at Gulf Bank were held by women in 2023

In its continuous commitment to uphold sustainability principles, Gulf Bank, once again, hosted its monthly session of the Women's ‘WOW’ Diwaniya. This gathering serves as a steadfast platform for networking, sharing experiences, exchanging ideas, and addressing challenges faced by women.

During the gathering, Ms. Salma Al-Hajjaj, General Manager of Human Resources, highlighted, "The creation of Gulf Bank's Women's ‘WOW’ Diwaniya stands as a significant and continuous effort in the field of women's empowerment, not only within the bank, but also in the wider community. Its purpose is to assist women in their professional paths, especially as they strive for leadership positions."

Ms. Al-Hajjaj emphasized Gulf Bank's commitment to women's empowerment within both the organization and society. This commitment begins with the recruitment process, and continues through extensive high-level training and development programs. She pointed out that in 2023, women occupied around 33% of leadership positions in Gulf Bank, and accounted for 42% of the overall bank workforce.

She also outlined the bank's endeavors to empower women and cultivate a work environment characterized by fairness and equality. In 2021, Gulf Bank's Board of Directors took a landmark decision to eliminate all forms of discrimination between male and female employees, striving for complete equality in job benefits. This decision positioned Gulf Bank as a pioneering force in the private and banking industries, aligning seamlessly with the United Nations principles regarding women's empowerment. Additionally, it propelled the Bank's progress, in line with its 2025 strategy and Kuwait Vision 2035.

Ms. Al-Hajjaj emphasized that the implementation of gender equality principles fosters a healthy work environment, directly enhancing productivity and enabling the delivery of exceptional customer service. Numerous studies have affirmed that companies adhering to gender equality principles, tend to achieve higher profits and greater productivity.

Gulf Bank introduced the Women Of Wisdom (WOW) program as an internal employee initiative in 2017, driven by the bank's vision and commitment to empower and support women in the business world. The program provides female employees with networking opportunities through monthly gatherings, facilitating open discussions on various topics related to work-life balance.

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 robust developments in sustainability at environmental, social and governance levels through diverse sustainability initiatives, strategically selected to benefit the Bank both internally and externally. Gulf Bank supports Kuwait Vision 2035 “New Kuwait” and works with various parties to achieve it.