BBK, Bahrain’s pioneer in retail & commercial banking, won first place in HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ebrahim Al-Khalifa Bahraini Woman Empowerment Award, in its fifth edition.

A ceremony was held on Wednesday 22nd November 2017 and the prestigious award was received by BBK’s Chief Executive, Mr. Reyadh Yousif Sater, in the presence of General Manager of Human Resources & Administration Group in BBK, Mr. Hassaan Burshaid.

BBK’s winning of this accolade is a significant milestone in the Bank’s history, and underscores the success of the Bank’s Woman Empowerment Policy, a general framework endorsed by the Board of Directors and designed to ensure equal opportunities for both men and women.
 
Commenting on this occasion, Mr. Reyadh Yousif Sater said: “I am delighted to receive this award on behalf of the Bank and would like to express our sincere gratitude to HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, whose significant efforts and contribution continue to ensure talented Bahraini women are well represented in the work force and the economic and social development of our country.”
 “This award reflects the Bank’s unwavering commitment to achieving gender equality by providing fair and equitable opportunities for all and creating a corporate culture that supports the development of our entire workforce. The Bahraini woman is an extremely valuable asset in our human resources, and plays a vital role in the elevation of our society. Facilitating gender equality is a significant component of our CSR ambitious program and is in harmony with Bahrain’s Vision 2030”, Mr. Sater added.
 
In addition to the Bank’s substantial support of various women empowerment projects and programmes, BBK received the award for integrating policies that support women in their careers. In particular, the Bank has modified their policies to ensure that women are not disadvantaged in their career when raising a family, especially during pregnancy and the first years of their children’s lives. Special policies were also created covering other leave, working hours and health insurance coverage. Other initiatives include an annual employee award for Women empowerment, the standardizing of retirement age, and the provision of optional early retirement. BBK has also launched the E-learning platform which enables employees to join a large number of training programmes through distant learning so that they can continue to develop skills that support career progression, anytime and from anywhere.
 
General Manager –Group Human Resources & Administration, Mr. Hassaan Burshaid said: “BBK is steadfast in its efforts to foster women empowerment. We seek to develop female employees and appoint them to senior positions in the Bank, and we heavily invest in training programmes to support their career development. Working women represent 38% of the total workforce in BBK, which has increased by 18% in the last five years. They occupy senior management positions in all departments of the Bank and are a key element in the continued progress and prosperity of the Bank.”​