Manama – May 9, 2021: Mentorship Forum Middle East (MFME) today announced the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) as the Forum’s Lead Partner for a second year. Following the successful launch of the Forum in 2019, the second edition is set to take place in November 2021 in the Kingdom of Bahrain as a hybrid event. With businesses and professionals having faced unprecedented challenges over the past year as a result of COVID-19, this year NBB will join the Forum’s “Think Tank” with the theme focus on “Prioritising Mentorship in a New World.”
As Lead Partners, and founders of an ongoing internal mentorship programme, NBB will join the Forum’s “Think Tank”, an advisory group soon to be announced, in charge of designing the agenda. Among the issues to be explored will be those relating to changes in the workplace as a result of the pandemic, gaps in training and development that have occurred and how organisations can harness the power of mentorship to ensure their human capital development goals stay or get back on track for uninterrupted and sustainable growth.
The Forum will once again feature participation from top regional and international speakers and attendees. This year’s hybrid event, taking place virtually and with limited in-person attendance; reflecting government protocols, expects a strong turnout with high-level public and private sector leaders taking part. The event aims to be as interactive and engaging as possible.
The Forum will include a series of keynote addresses, panel discussions, and practical workshops to promote knowledge sharing and hands-on learning that attendees can apply to the development of their own mentorship programs. A series of virtual roundtable events will also be organized introducing key themes and bringing together Forum partners and presenters. The agenda for the main event will soon be announced along with a calendar of supporting pre-forum activities.
Mr. Jean-Christophe Durand, NBB’s Chief Executive Officer commented: “We are delighted once again to announce NBB’s backing for the Mentorship Forum Middle East. Innovation in human capital development remains a core pillar of NBB’s strategy and we continue to look for ways to support programs and initiatives, such as this, which help foster the professional and personal growth of our staff and more broadly the next generation of leaders across industries that NBB serves.
The past year has seen us and other organizations work hard to ensure business continuity, including meeting the challenges of how to keep providing the most effective training and resources to help our staff progress in their careers. We look forward to gathering with peers and partners to discuss mentorship and how its prioritization, given our new working realities, can support talent development and ensure that our next generation of leaders get the access and time with senior executives they need to excel and reach their potential.”
Adding, Ms. Zahraa Taher, Managing Director of FinMark Communications, the Forum’s founder and organizer, shared: “We’re pleased to welcome NBB as the Forum’s Lead Partner for a second year. The Bank’s partnership was instrumental in making the first event such a great success.
NBB also continues to lead by example, having launched their own mentorship scheme in 2019, showing its strong belief in the value of mentorship and the important role such programs play in accelerating professional and leadership development. NBB’s input and experience will help shape the Forum’s agenda and direction for this year and we look forward to working with them and other regional business leaders to highlight the benefits of mentorship and, importantly, how it can and should be prioritized in the post-pandemic workplace.”
Mentorship has been proven to be one of the most effective ways to drive talent development globally, but its place is largely missing from the training agendas and development tools used by most GCC organizations. The Forum aims to build an understanding of mentorship and the value it can add for companies, their staff and other stakeholders across the board.