SABB Managing Director Richard Groves and other senior managers of the bank addressed about 30 of the 48 Saudi men and women graduates who have benefited from the initiative over the past 13 years.
The scheme, in association with the British Council, enables Saudi graduates to take post-graduate degrees at UK universities. Five more scholarships will be awarded this year.
The alumni were enthusiastic about the gathering. Issam Al-Sheikh, contract manager at a major Saudi oil company, added: “The SABB scheme changed my life. I was awarded the scholarship at a time when such gifts were very rare and difficult to get. Studying at a good university like the University of Surrey opened doors of opportunity which I had only dreamed about.”
Nasser bin Kadassa, who pursued his doctorate after gaining his MBA in the UK, said: “The SABB scholarship was the crucial factor in enabling me to get my PhD.”
Khalid Al-Ghadeer, manager, fraud control and investigation at SABB, said: “The scholarship changed my life and my career; it enabled me to acquire strategic thinking and develop my organizational skills.”
Ibrahim Abo-Mouti, head of corporate communications at SABB, said: “The MBA initiative started in 1997 and we are proud of the bank’s role in contributing to the creation of new generations of Saudi business and public sector leaders through our MBA initiative. We intend to take this event a step further by organizing a yearly alumni gathering in order to share with the graduates their experience and vision.”
