MANAMA, BAHRAIN: Mentorship Forum Middle East (MFME) 2021 announced Gulf International Bank (GIB) as a partner for its second annual forum taking place as a hybrid event (on-site and virtual) in the Kingdom of Bahrain on 11 November 2021 at the Gulf Hotel.

As a forum partner, Gulf International Bank (GIB) supports regional initiatives that help raise awareness about mentorship to accelerate career progression and professional growth for the next generation of business leaders in Bahrain and across the Middle East.

MFME 2021 will focus on the importance of “Prioritising Mentorship in a New World”. Given the talent development challenges businesses face as a result of COVID-19, the forum will look at how mentorship can play a role in ensuring the organisations’ talent development goals get back on track in today’s new working environment where in person, on-the-job-learning from peers and senior leaders have been severely curtailed.

Abdulaziz Al-Helaissi, GIB’s Group Chief Executive Officer said: “We are delighted to support the 2nd Annual Mentorship Forum Middle East. As a talent-driven financial organisation, we continue to be committed to train and develop our employees. Mentorship has proven to be a very effective way to help younger professionals gain exposure and fast track their learning and career progression. At GIB, we have seen the benefits first-hand and look forward to be part of this forum and share GIB’s experience.”

Ms. Zahraa Taher, Managing Director of FinMark Communications, the forum’s founder and organiser, added, “We are proud to announce Gulf International Bank (GIB) as a partner for this year’s forum. Having taken part in the inaugural event, GIB’s vote of confidence in the forum and the importance of mentorship is particularly gratifying. We look forward to working closely with GIB to maximise their use of mentorship internally as another key training and development tool.”

The forum is expected to attract strong participation from the leading regional and international speakers and attendees. The inaugural event in 2019 saw more than 250 senior HR and mentorship practitioners as well as C-suite leaders take part. Similar numbers are expected to attend this year’s forum, both virtually and in person, arranged in line with the government’s current regulations for events.

The event will be highly interactive and feature a series of keynote addresses, panel discussions and workshops to promote knowledge sharing and hands-on-learning. A key aim of the forum is to provide the attending HR managers and decision makers with practical insight and tips on how to evaluate effective mentorship schemes and develop tailored internal programmes to meet their goals.