Kuwait - May 2, 2021:  As part of its ongoing efforts to empower its employees and promote an innovative culture across its workplace, Burgan Bank announced that it has concluded its participation in the ‘KFAS Innovation Challenge 2020’, organized by Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) in collaboration with the Executive Education Center at Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania.

The Burgan Bank team, who were carefully nominated by the Learning and Development Department of the Human Resources Group, consisted of five members from “Ro2ya” training program program. The team members were  Mr. Omar Al-Halabi, Mr. Ahmed Al-Rbean, Ms. Shurrooq Al-Houly, Mr. Salem Al-Qenaei, and Mr. Mohammed Bualiyan. The team presented the idea of developing an “Innovation Lab” to serve as a hub for all staff to propose new ideas capable of creating an impact and adding value to the Bank. The project was presented through a Digital Platform to the Bank’s top senior executives in addition to representatives from KFAS top management. Following the presentation and discussion, the Innovation Challenge project was well received, approved by management, and will be implemented in the very near future.

Commenting on this program, Mrs. Ghada El-Kadi, Senior Manager – Learning & Development at Burgan Bank, said: “I am delighted and proud of the Bank’s team participation in the “Innovation Challenge 2020”. At Burgan Bank, we always strive to develop our human capital by providing the best training programs to enhance their skills, foster a culture of innovation and ideation in our workplace, and turn their innovative ideas into useful services. This program combined educational materials with practical application, leading to state-of-the-art technology solutions, which reflect the Bank’s focus and strategy to adopt the latest technologies. Burgan Bank will continue to invest in our people to build future leaders.”   

Mr. Bashar AlQattan, Manager-Learning & Development, said: “The level of resilience and commitment of our team in the latest Innovation Challenge program was exceptional, given the recent global health situation. The team overcame all obstacles faced and came up with a remarkable innovative solution that will add great value to Burgan Bank. As HR-L&D, we will provide them with our fullest support to implement their innovative solution and apply all skills learned from the program”.

KFAS Innovation Challenge, first launched in 2015, is an annual executive training program aimed at developing innovation capabilities in the private sector by exposing teams of professionals to the combined resources of world-class academic institutions, in order to develop their business capabilities. Topics and activities tackled this year included business model innovation, innovative delivery models, in addition to team coaching by trained Wharton coaches and faculty. Furthermore, the program offered participants the chance to attend remote learning workshops organized by University of California Los Angeles’ (UCLA) experts.

Aimed at elevating employee performance, Burgan Bank’s participation comes as part of its ongoing efforts to provide its employees with world-class training and development programs to help improve their knowledge and skills, and maintain the Bank’s position as a regional financial powerhouse.