Press Release.
Manama, Bahrain—20 April 2021: The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) held a virtual graduation ceremony for the first batch of employees to successfully complete the Rise Training Programme, on the 14th of April. The graduation commemorated participants and highlighted their accomplishments upon completing the extensive training programme and meeting its challenging objectives.
The ceremony was attended by NBB & BisB Chairmen, Board Members Executive Management, the Risers themselves and all employees across the Group.
The Rise programme falls within NBB Group’s continuous efforts to train and develop their workforce beyond their immediate tasks, challenging them to surpass the limitations of their individual roles, as the Group aspires to be the Financial sector’s Employer of Choice. This cohort of graduates marks the first of many Risers who will constitute the future of the Group.
Jean-Christophe Durand, Chief Executive Officer of NBB, said: “We are delighted at the success of our Rise Programme, which was initiated in 2019, as part of our commitment to building a sustainable and responsible workforce. At NBB, we value long-term succession planning and the role it plays in supporting the Kingdom’s 2030 vision. We are constantly seeking to enrich the Kingdom’s socio-economic standing, and as part of our role as the leading national bank, we remain dedicated to developing and enhancing our Bahraini workforce.”
Dana Buheji, Group Chief Human Resources & Sustainability Officer at NBB, added: “NBB has always been committed to nurturing its workforce and we have elevated our commitment through the introduction of the Rise Programme. We are working diligently towards enhancing the organisation by equipping our employees with the necessary tools to elevate their skillsets within the market.
As an ACCA-approved Employer of Choice we demonstrate our commitment to the development of and investment in, our most valuable assets; our people. Across the Group we offer a multitude of internal training and development opportunities designed to challenge and recognise our people as we strive to create a sustainable impact on the learning and development experiences of our employees.
Ultimately, we are challenging ourselves to building a team of experts for the financial services sector in the Kingdom. We are proud of our Rise Programme and the profound effect it has had on both NBB and the Risers, and look forward to witnessing the developing careers of the Risers and celebrating their rewarding experiences within the Group.”
The Rise Programme, which was developed in partnership with international training consultants, seeks to develop the participants’ ability to become potential leaders by offering opportunities outside the scope of their regular job.
Employees were given the opportunity to participate and add value to the Bank by taking part in projects that were identified as having a potentially significant impact at work.
Examples of the projects included; the ESG project which aimed to integrate and align the Group’s overall efforts towards sustainability and has enabled the bank to improve its ranking from 22nd during 2018 to being ranked 2nd during 2019 across all sectors in the Kingdom; the SME Lending Programme, aimed to developing an underserved SME segment and create a structure to deal with micro and SME’s in a sustainable way for the future, and the Retail Customer Journey for Housing Loans project was created to optimise operational efficiency with the housing loans process in order to enhanced our customer experiences and overall satisfaction.