With the Participation of the Chair of the "European Women on Boards" and the Ambassador of the European Union to Kuwait

Salma Al-Hajjaj:

• We remain dedicated to fostering diversity within our workforce, particularly in support of women's leadership at the executive management and C-suite.
• At Gulf Bank, we are keen to select and provide the best training opportunities for our workforce, especially in refining leadership skills and professional development in various managerial and technical fields to enhance the capabilities of our employees
• We are honored at Gulf Bank to have Ms. Nuyens as a guest speaker where she shared her significant experiences with our potential women leaders at the Bank.

As part of its continuous efforts towards women's empowerment and promoting diversity and inclusion policies, Gulf Bank organized a podcast as part of the "Lead the Way" program titled "Own Your Career" for female executives at the Bank. The podcast guest speaker was Ms. Hedwige Nuyens, Head of the International Banking Federation and Chair of the European Women on Boards, a non-for-profit organization that supports women's empowerment and gender diversity in corporate boards. The podcast was moderated by Ms. May Al-Owaish, Chief Data and Innovation Officer at Gulf Bank, and hosted by Ms. Dalal Aldosari, Deputy General Manager of Investor Relations at Gulf Bank. Her Excellency Anne Karien, the Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Kuwait, also participated in the event, appreciating Gulf Bank's role in supporting and empowering women in leadership. This podcast marks the first collaboration between the Kuwaiti private sector and the European Union Delegation to Kuwait.

The discussion covered various topics, including women's empowerment, leadership, sustainability, increasing female participation in the financial sector, and ways to achieve greater diversity in senior leadership positions in companies and banks.

The guest speaker shared her significant experiences in promoting women's empowerment and sustainable leadership in the European Union countries, and the best global practices implemented in this context, commending Gulf Bank's achievements in empowering women

On this occasion, Salma Al-Hajjaj, General Manager of Human Resources at Gulf Bank, said: "As we continue our journey towards enhancing diversity, inclusion, and women's leadership, we are honored at Gulf Bank to have Ms. Nuyens as a guest speaker on the 'Lead the Way' podcast under the title: 'Own Your Career,' where Ms. Nuyens shared her significant experiences with our potential women leaders at the Bank. We are a firm believer in the power of sharing inspiring stories to derive the future for women empowerment in Kuwait. At Gulf Bank, we remain dedicated to fostering diversity within our workforce, particularly in support of women's leadership at the executive management and C-suite.”

She added: "We are also honored by the visit of Her Excellency Anne Karien, the Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Kuwait, where she shared with us her valuable insights about the European Union's efforts in promoting gender equality."

It is worth mentioning that Gulf Bank hosted a networking lunch for the founding members of the Kuwait Women Economic Empowerment Platform (KWEEP), welcoming Her Excellency Anne Karien, the Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Kuwait and Ms. Hedwige Nuyens. During the lunch, members exchanged experiences on various aspects related to women's empowerment in the private sector and how to create an inclusive and diverse working environment. Al-Hajjaj stated: " The networking lunch created a great opportunity to exchange experiences and explore opportunities on various aspects related to women’s empowerment in the private sector and creating an inclusive and diverse professional landscape in Kuwait.”

As part of the series of events organized by the European Union Delegation to Kuwait recently aimed at exchanging best experiences and practices on increasing women's participation in executive leadership positions in the private sector, a number of female leaders from Gulf Bank participated in a special mentoring workshop organized by the European Union Delegation to Kuwait for a group of Kuwaiti women leaders from various sectors to discuss the tools and knowledge necessary to excel in their professional careers, overcome challenges, and achieve their potential. Commenting on Gulf Banks female leaders’ participation in the workshop, Al-Hajjaj said: "At Gulf Bank, we are keen to select and provide the best training opportunities for our workforce, especially in refining leadership skills and professional development in various managerial and technical fields to enhance the capabilities of our employees."

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.