Press Releases

The Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Banking Studies (IBS), Basel A. Al-Haroon, honored the graduates of the virtual executive education program delivered by Harvard Business School, titled “Leading in a World Transformed”. This program aims to develop executive leaders in the Kuwaiti banks and is a part of the Kafa’a initiative, which was launched by the CBK, sponsored by the Kuwaiti banks and organized and executed by IBS.

During the event, Governor Al-Haroon, the Chief Executive Officers of Kuwaiti banks and investment companies, and the graduates discussed this year’s theme, which addressed the digital transformation and technological revolution and the business challenges and opportunities they present.

In his opening speech, the Governor congratulated the graduates, and called on them to continue learning to keep pace with the ever-changing developments in the banking and financial industry and its various variables including customers’ behavior and needs. He added , that the CBK and IBS, in cooperation with banks, will continue to support education and training to to grow the talent pipeline to the benefit of the national economy, through the various IBS programs and the Kafa’a initiative.

The Director General of the Institute of Banking Studies, Prof. Yaqoub Al-Rifai, talked about the relationship between the Institute and Harvard Business School over a period of thirteen years, during which they cooperated to develop diverse and distinguished programs, and contributed to the development and qualification of dozens of executives and middle management in the State of Kuwait and the region. In addition, the Director General spoke about the great support IBS has received from the CBK and Kuwaiti banks in terms of developing these programs and partnerships.

A number of participants in the program also spoke about their rich experience in this program, the knowledge they obtained, and they expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the support of the CBK, IBS and their employers for investing in them.

The "Kafa'a" initiative has eight programs, covering a range of specializations and targeting different areas. The initiative aims to build up the financial and banking institutions cadres in the State of Kuwait with a strong national workforce capable of leading the industry.