JEDDAH, 5 October 2004 — Taib Bank is set to host a unique seminar on women’s career and financial advancement as part of its silver jubilee celebrations next week. The event will highlight diverse topics affecting women and will be presented by seven distinguished Arab women and leaders from public service, business and academia in the GCC.
The seminar will be held on Oct. 10 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Conference Center, Manama, with opening remarks being presented by Shaikha Hussa Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah of Kuwait, according to Bahrain-based Taib Bank.
“Arab women are a formidable force in Gulf business and currently control some 38 percent of wealth in the region. Women are continuing to gain ground as major players and contributors to GCC economies and this seminar is a poignant tribute to this fact,” said Iqbal G. Mamdani, Taib vice chairman.
“Much of Taib Bank’s 25 years of successful business activity in the region can be attributed to focusing our efforts on serving the specific needs of this - and other - demographic market segments.”
With multi-dimensional business challenges and opportunities facing women in the Gulf today, the seminar will offer advice on how women can continue to succeed in business and will provide insight into how they can advance their careers, their own companies, as well as their personal wealth.
Six topics will be presented to the audience.
They are titled “Opportunities for Women Today”, “Challenges, Costs and Rewards for Today’s Businesswoman”, “The Impact of Education on Women’s Career Advancement”, “Starting your Own Business”, “Women and Investments” and “Equal Opportunity for Women”.
The distinguished speakers addressing these topics will discuss the role of women in business and the impact of laws and social customs.
Opportunities, challenges and obstacles will also be discussed along with issues relating to equality, the role of education and support services for women.
The event will also reveal insights into the unique requirements of women investors. An informal question and answer session will also be featured as part of the event.
In addition to Shaikha Hussa Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al Sabah, the chairperson heading the Kuwait Businesswomen’s Committee and the business leader recently named “Best Businesswomen in the Middle East”, the presenters will include Dr. Shaikha Al-Maskati, chairperson of the Tricon Group (Abu Dhabi), Dr. Nahed Taher, senior economist, National Commercial Bank (Saudi Arabia), Dr. Fatima Mohammed Yousif Al- Balooshi, University of Bahrain and member of the Shoura Council of Bahrain, Dr. Mona Al-Zayani, chairperson heading Gulf University (Bahrain), and Afnan Rashid Al- Zayani, president of Al-Zayani Commercial Services (Bahrain).
The moderator of the seminar will be Elham Hassan, a senior partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers and head of the Middle East for that group.
“Over the last quarter of a century, Taib Bank has gained a reputation as a trustworthy wealth management specialist with deep roots in the region,” said Jim Schlagheck, Taib executive vice president in charge of private banking. “Having demonstrated its robustness in both strong and weak economic periods, Taib is clearly a unique institution with attractive investment products as well as the commitment to serving the unique needs of our customers.”
“This seminar forms one in a series which looks at the factors that contribute to the continuing advancement of the regional economy and to successful business growth,” added Schlagheck.
