Manama : The Bahrain Bourse announced at the “Ring the Bell for Gender Equality” event the launch of the Board Mentorship Programme in collaboration with the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF), which aims to promote gender equality in capital markets.
The event was held in conjunction with 105 international exchanges and clearinghouses with a week of bell-ringing activities in partnership with UN Women, the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE).
This affirms Bahrain Bourse’s commitment to fostering female leadership within the financial sector, and comes as part of Bahrain Bourse’s sixth consecutive year of engagement in this global event.
The event was held for the 10th year globally in a succession, with the theme “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”.
Bahrain Bourse has worked collaboratively with the BIBF to establish a Board Mentorship Programme which aims to cultivate board-ready candidates through a specialised training program tailored for Board of Directors positions.
Its objective is to equip participants with the requisite knowledge and expertise necessary for leadership roles on corporate boards, foster governance excellence, and enable them to steer their respective organizations toward success and sustainability. This 5-week programme will include a rigorous screening process where 20 senior executive professionals will be selected based on specific eligibility criteria to participate.
Shaikh Khalifa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, CEO of Bahrain Bourse, said that this programme also aligns with recent decisions issued by the CBB and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, emphasising women’s representation in the formation of boards of directors of listed companies.
“Recognising the critical role exchanges play in advancing gender equality as part of SDG Goal 5 within the capital markets. This initiative aligns with our sustainability efforts and fuels an ecosystem of empowered women leading listed companies,” he added.
“It reflects our commitment to national directives for women’s progression led by the Supreme Council for Women,” Shaikh Khalifa bin Ebrahim added.
Mr. Abdulkarim Ahmed Bucheery, Chairman of Bahrain Bourse, Dr. Ahmed AlShaikh CEO of BIBF, expressed the institution’s pride to partner with Bahrain Bourse and launch this flagship programme that provides capacity-building opportunities for potential boards members.
“Enhancing the competencies of board members is an essential pillar for the sustainable success of any organisation, as achieving leadership excellence requires developing consulting and strategic decision-making skills,” he added.
Through this programme, we seek to empower existing directors and improve the skills of potential board of director members to keep pace with emerging challenges and opportunities in the fast-paced business world.”
In 2019, Bahrain Bourse announced its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative to further promote sustainable and transparent capital markets, as part of its sustainability journey. Bahrain Bourse’s endorsement of the UN WEP in 2023 is aimed to further strengthen its sustainability journey and roadmap on topics related to gender equality.
