Dear members,
Welcome to our latest quarterly newsletter. We at GCC BDI are as busy as we have ever been with a very full schedule for the rest of the year. We are looking forward to seeing more of you both online and in person as the year progresses. We hope you are all keeping well and that your families are staying safe.
GCC BDI 8th Chairman Summit - 16 September
We are delighted to report that after a hiatus last year, our landmark annual event, the 8th GCC BDI Chairman Summit, is back and set to take place on 16 September 2021. This is a high-level event and brings together influential chairpersons, board members and C-Suite executives from across the GCC region and beyond.
The theme of this year’s summit is ‘Sustainable Development and Investment’ and will be sponsored by The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), the Saudi Arabian developer behind one of the world’s most ambitious tourism initiatives. We are very grateful to TRSDC for their support for this event and we are delighted in this edition to host an interview with John Pagano, CEO of the TRSDC. Please click here to hear what he has to say.
During the summit, we will examine how we can develop the economy whilst setting new standards in sustainable development both regionally and globally, we will look at the growth and latest trends in sustainable investing, as well as new environmental, social and governance (ESG) insights and trends.
This summit will be a blended event – both physical and online. The physical places will be limited as per the prevailing Covid-19 regulations and physical bookings will be allocated on a first come first served basis. This event is by invitation only. Find more information here.
UAE Business Awards 2021 (MEA Markets)
We are very happy to announce that the GCC Board Directors Institute has been named Best Professional Business Organisation – Dubai, in the prestigious UAE Business Awards by @MEAMarkets. Since 2007 we have endeavoured to support board directors and business leaders, by providing them with the know-how and tools to adapt to the changing business landscape and promote good governance. We feel this award validates our efforts to continuously support our clients and uphold our standards in the process – endeavouring to offer a high-level of service to our clients and the wider business community. We thank all our partners, members and clients for all their support. Click here to learn more.
GCC BDI Board Effectiveness Survey 2021
We would like to invite you to take part in our 2021 Board Effectiveness Survey. Please take part by clicking on this link here.
Every 2 years the GCC Board Directors Institute undertakes a survey of board effectiveness in the region. This will be our 7th edition. The final report is intended to provide insights for board members, investors, advisers and governments into the changes and improvements made in corporate governance practices in the GCC in the two years since the last GCC BDI report was published, as well as forming an on-going process to track corporate governance and board effectiveness in the region with the aim to continuously enhance board standards.
The survey takes approximately 45 minutes to complete. All contributions are anonymous, unless you wish to take part in one of our supplementary interviews, in which case please do let us know where indicated in the survey. The deadline for completing the survey is 20 July 2021.
Membership update
This quarter we are highlighting our membership partners - Wehbe Insured and also launched a new benefit for Members and Fellows – the Ask the Expert series. This series will be led by some of the most respected professionals in their industries, who will provide insights on the latest thinking and trends, whilst providing attendees with the opportunity to ask questions. If you are a Member or Fellow and wish to register for the next Ask the Expert event, focusing on Enterprise Value Creation and being delivered by Mervyn King on 8 July 2021, then please click here.
50 Certified Directors!
GCC BDI continues to witness a sharp increase in demand for its corporate governance best practices and networking support for board directors, as the world swings into post COVID-19 recovery. In collaboration with the Financial Academy, we have lately welcomed the 50th Certified Board Director from the region into our fold and are delighted to be playing our part in enhancing director effectiveness across the GCC. Please click here to learn more.
Board Secretary Certification Programme – Recognition by HRDF
GCC BDI is pleased to announce that our Board Secretary Certification Programme is now recognised by the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Nationals who complete the full certification programme and become Certified Board Secretaries can apply for a partial refund from HRDF up to a value of SAR 5,400. Terms and Conditions apply. Please click here to learn more.
Events
We held a large number of events this quarter, including online workshops and webinars on topics such as ESG and the Future of Sustainability for Businesses, Strategic Thinking, The Effective Director, Improving Board Dynamics, The Art of Minute Taking, Diversity & Inclusion and Culture and Values and Director Duties and Liabilities.
Upcoming events which may be of interest include the following:
- Women in Governance Series, 29 July, 5 & 11 August (click here to register)
- Online Workshop Empowering Women Directors, 30-31 August (click here to register)
- Online Workshop Audit Committees, 5 September 2021 (click here to register)
Newsletter Theme: Board Composition & Diversity
The theme of this quarterly newsletter is board composition and diversity. Despite substantial data clearly demonstrating that diverse organizations and diverse boards enhance performance, progress is still slow on diversification both globally and regionally.
In this edition we welcome a number of articles, opinions and interviews on this topic. Jane Valls has delivered her thoughts in articles both here and here.
We also welcome the thoughts of Mrs. Hala Yateem, Board Member, National Bank of Bahrain, in our latest Voice of a GCC BDI member profile here, as well as those of Dr. Markus Wiesner, Regional Managing Partner, APACME & Emerging Markets at Heidrick & Struggles and Bernard Sykes, Engagement Leader at Heidrick & Struggles in their article on ‘Board Composition and Diversity: a push for greater gender diversity’ here.
Team news
We have recently expanded our team further and are delighted to welcome Riza Rabang as our new Operations & Events Manager and Mark Lamb Liwag as our new Programme Manager.
Eid Greetings
Finally, GCC BDI would like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy and peaceful Eid filled with wondrous blessings for you and your beloved ones.
Jane and the GCC BDI team