MANAMA: In line with the policy of Al Baraka Banking Group and its efforts to develop the skills of their employees, the Group celebrated the graduation of a group of officials and leaders in the financial departments of ABG and its banking units from Al Baraka Professional Development Program – Finance Stream. The program began in 2012 and was attended by 18 employees and leaders. The closing ceremony was attended by Mr. Adnan Ahmed Yousif, President & Chief Executive of Al Baraka Banking Group B.S.C. and Mr. Hamad Eqab, Executive Vice President Head of Finance of the Group as well as a number of officials.
“We in Al Baraka Banking Group place great emphasis on professional development programs to ensure that our staff’s capabilities keep pace with the current standards prevailing in the industry, and to make sure they have the knowledge and skills they need in order to perform their duties in a professional manner to their units, their customers and their community, to be sure also to maintain their knowledge up to date and in contact with last what has been reached, which in turn will be reflected on the value added of their role and its constancy with the goals and objectives of their unit and the Group as a whole,” Adnan Ahmed Yousif said.
The programme aims to develop the leadership skills of the staff of the financial departments and to prepare them to manage their departments, and to assume leadership positions in the future, where this reflects ABG’s belief in the importance of financial departments in light of developments witnessed by the world in this field and their role in achieving harmony and integration between the business strategies of units and coordinated them in one uniform strategy. The participants in the program were selected carefully and in accordance with the global managerial and technological standards and specifications.
The programme focused on several key themes, such as the acquisition of the participants of global recognized professional certificates in financial management, in addition to acquiring financial planning skills, preparation of specialized financial budgets, risk management, leadership, time management, communication skills and other skills and knowledge.
Adnan Ahmed Yousif and the executive management of the Group congratulated all graduates of the program and Adnan presented them with the graduation certificates and commemorative gifts. For their part, the participants in the program expressed their thanks and appreciation to the management of the Group for the great efforts being made in the development of human resources in the ABG and its units, and providing all the possibilities for the emergence of leaders take over key positions in all Group’s departments and banking units.
Al Baraka Banking Group (B.S.C) is licensed as an Islamic wholesale bank by the Central Bank of Bahrain, listed on Bahrain Bourse and Nasdaq Dubai stock exchanges. It is a leading international Islamic banking group providing its unique services in countries with a population totaling around one billion. It is jointly rated BBB+ (long term) / A3 (short term) on the international scale and A+ (bh) (long term) / A2 (bh) (short term) on the national by Islamic International Rating Agency & Dagong Global Credit Rating Company Limited, and by Standard & Poor’s at BB+ (long term) / B (short term).
Al Baraka offers retail, corporate, treasury and investment banking services, strictly in accordance with the principles of the Islamic Shari’a. The authorized capital of Al Baraka is US$ 1.5 billion, while total equity is at about US$ 2.2 billion. The Group has a wide geographical presence in the form of subsidiary banking units and representative offices in fifteen countries, which in turn provide their services through over 700 branches. Al Baraka currently has a strong presence in Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, Bahrain, Pakistan, South Africa, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, including two representative offices in Indonesia and Libya.