NBK wraps up closing activities of the second ‘NBK RISE' cohort

Kuwait Times

19-05-2025

KUWAIT: In a special visit to its final training session at the IE Business School in Spain, National Bank of Kuwait successfully wrapped up the closing activities of the nine-month-long Global Women Leadership Initiative 'NBK RISE' in its second cohort. 'NBK RISE' is a first-of-its-kind initiative specifically designed to empower women and increase their representation in higher leadership roles, which reflects the bank's commitment to achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion as per the highest international standards, and ultimately elevate women leadership institutionally, locally, regionally and globally.
The second cohort is comprised of 25 female participants from diverse professional backgrounds, including local and international NBK employees, as well as representatives from NBK Wealth and representatives from prestigious regional companies such as Kuwait Petroleum Company, Ooredoo, Kuwait Banking Association, Abyat, Gulf Bank, Kuwait Financial Centre-Markaz, J's Bakery, and Intervest Capital Partner-New York.
The program is divided into several training modules that aim to develop leadership and strategic skills, communication, and interaction, in addition to a focus on preparing participants to obtain exceptional leading roles in the future. The fourth and final module, focused on behavioral and impact skills, was held in collaboration with IE Business School in Madrid. Various essential topics were explored, such as Leading Conflict, Conflict Resolution, Leading Strategically, Megatrends and Future of Work, Effective Decision Maing, Delegation & Empowerment, and overall Wellbeing.
Emad Al-Ablani is pictured during a discussion session at IE University.
Trainees of the NBK RISE program
(From left) Emad Ablani, Lee Newman, Dean of IE University Madrid and Anmar Darmi take a group photo.
Moreover, the participants had the ability to work with their executive coach from IE Business School, Madrid, to further develop their Capstone Projects in preparation for the presentations to Executive Management, reflecting the skills and knowledge gained throughout the program. In this cohort, not only did participants receive training for leadership skills, but they were also exposed to first-hand communication with global and diverse experiences, which contributed to enhancing overseas strategic collaboration and ultimately establishing a big network of women leaders across different sectors and locations.
Joined by Emad Al-Ablani, Group Chief Human Resources Officer, the visit included a dinner banquet to honor Ziyad Al-Anbai, the Ambassador of Kuwait to Spain along with several distinguished women leaders, with the attendance of Constantino De Zabala, the Director of Operations at IE Business School for the Middle East as well as the university leaders and Kuwaiti students.
On the sidelines of the program's closing activities, exclusive discussions were conducted covering Human Resources topics, by Emad Al-Ablani and moderated by Professor Kriti Jain from IE, where they explored visions and global insights on the latest leadership and human resources strategies. These activities posed a remarkable opportunity for the participants to be directly in touch with distinct diplomatic and academic figures, further widening their overseas professional network.
It should be noted that NBK is always keen on providing equal opportunities and promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace through various strategic initiatives and specialized programs that aim to develop women leadership, further contributing to increasing the representation of women in leadership roles. In fact, increasing women's participation and providing them with decision-making opportunities are integral parts of international institutional strategies, especially as women are more involved in social contexts, which contributes to establishing an environment that promotes sustainable development and a positive social impact in the long run.
Therefore, the 'NBK RISE' program aims to make a sustainable impact across different sectors where alumni guide ambitious future candidates, creating a sustainable cycle that enables the program to carry on and continue to make a positive impact. Moreover, it reflects NBK's commitment to enhancing gender diversity and women empowerment. It is also noteworthy that the program, which aims to enhance gender diversity and women empowerment, has earned prestigious recognition and received several awards, including MERIT's Special Recognition for 'Developing Women Leaders' and the Bronze Award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) as part of the 2023 MENA Awards.
NBK prides itself in following equality principles throughout its international locations, where women already occupy 43.2 percent of its workforce and females occupy 29.7 percent of national higher management roles and above. Moreover, NBK is proud that it does not implement a gender wage gap. NBK RISE is a testament to NBK Group's continuous efforts to be a global leader in corporate community advancement. In collaboration with the most prominent universities and training providers around the world, NBK is keen on providing specialized programs and workshops that aim to develop women leadership, raise awareness about gender inequality, and utilize them to increase productivity and innovation.
Moreover, NBK is committed to expanding the range of diversity and inclusion to include customers, as it launched several services and products especially for female customers and entrepreneurs. NBK is committed to instilling the principle of women empowerment in the Group's professional culture by providing mentorship, continuous career development opportunities, and adopting innovative strategic insights in the field of human resources, in line with the bank's future aspirations and goals.