4 Mar 2018

Bahrain, 4 March 2018 – Investcorp, a leading global provider and manager of alternative investment products,  hosted the GCC Board Directors Institute (“GCC BDI”) “Foundations of Directorship Workshop” in their offices in Bahrain.

Attendees of the two day workshop consisted of 26 participants from leading Bahrain and Saudi Arabian companies that enjoyed the networking and the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skill sets. The workshop focused on board effectiveness, good corporate governance and best practices in directorship and was facilitated by senior faculty including Dr. Hans-Martin Stockmeier – senior partner, McKinsey & Company, Zeyad Khoshaim – managing partner from Khoshaim & Associates and Allen & Overy, Randa Bahsoun – partner from PwC and Peter Breen – senior partner of Heidrick & Struggles. 

Commenting on the event, Mr. Mohammed Al-Shroogi, Co-CEO of Investcorp, said: “As Chairman of the GCC Board Directors Institute, I am pleased to host the Foundations of Directorship workshop at our offices. Investcorp is one of the GCC BDI founders and their vision closely aligns with what we aim to do at the firm.

This event represents a valuable platform to share knowledge and discuss a range of issues and challenges facing our region. It is only through sharing real world experience that we can understand the importance of good governance, a crucial element that supports sustainability and investment appeal of companies,” he concluded.

As of December 2017, the GCC BDI has reached over a thousand members.  Sami Ahmed Abdullah Aljamea, Operations Head of National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), is the 1,000th member to join the largest and most influential network of board directors and senior business executives in the GCC.

Aljamea was awarded a Certificate of Recognition during the Foundations of Directorship workshop held at Investcorp House, Manama, Bahrain. Additionally, GCC BDI has also recognized Moayed Almoayed, Board Director of T.A. Almoayed & Sons, as the 1,001st member. 

GCC BDI is as a non-profit organization founded in 2007 by four leading corporations: Investcorp, Saudi Aramco, SABIC and Emirates NBD, and it is supported by four leading advisory firms: Allen & Overy, Heidrick & Struggles, McKinsey & Company and PwC as well as regional regulatory authorities such as the Emirates Security and Commodities Authority, the Capital Market Authorities of both Saudi Arabia and Oman and the Central Bank of Bahrain.

Furthermore, GCC BDI has been the forerunner in promoting corporate governance in the region for the past 10 years with a proven track record of program delivery, workshops and board evaluations. It is also committed to promoting professional directorship and raising the level of board effectiveness in the GCC.

Today, GCC BDI has grown exponentially and hosted more than one hundred workshops and events. It is the premier and only Directors Institute in the region to be recognized by the Global Network of Directors Institute (GNDI) and was recently the recipient of the 2017 ‘Outstanding Contribution to Corporate Governance – GCC’ Award by Capital Finance International.