Kuwait Finance House's (KFH) Human Resources and Transformation Department has successfully achieved its strategic goals and initiatives, contributing to various areas. The department has also supported other departments and encouraged employee career development by providing diverse training opportunities and fostering a positive work environment. This aligns with KFH's goals and strategy, which prioritizes employees as the most valuable asset, the cornerstone of success, and the primary driver of enhancing services and products.

KFH Group Chief Human Resources and Transformation Officer, Zeyad Abdullah AlOmar said that in 2024, the focus was on enhancing employee efficiency and performance quality, increasing competitive advantage, fostering expertise and skills among KFH staff, and providing opportunities for distinguished employees to assume leadership positions and actively contribute to KFH's successful journey. This would strengthen KFH's leadership position as the largest bank in Kuwait by market capitalization and the world's second-largest Islamic bank.

Largest Merger transaction

AlOmar added that the Group Human Resources and Transformation Department played a significant role in the successful completion of the KFH-AUBK merger, the largest in Kuwaiti banking history. The department facilitated a smooth transition for (formerly) Ahli United Bank - Kuwait employees, integrating them into KFH's payroll system and unifying security across (formerly) AUBK`s locations. A large, cross-functional team completed over 250 stages, including more than 2,000 tasks.

Talent acquisition

AlOmar highlighted KFH's ongoing commitment to supporting national cadres, recruiting top talent, empowering women, and advancing its digital strategy. As a result of these efforts, Kuwaitization reached 84% and women's representation increased to 25% at KFH in 2024.

He expressed pride in KFH's 2,838 national employees, the largest number of Kuwaitis among local banks and in the private sector. He added that KFH's high performance in all HR indicators confirms its excellence in human capital management.

Regional recognition

KFH was honored by the Council of Ministers of Labor and Social Affairs in GCC States for its outstanding performance in implementing manpower nationalization and qualification programs within the private sector in Kuwait. The recognition was bestowed during a special ceremony held in Doha, Qatar, under the patronage of the Ministers of Labor and Social Affairs in the GCC.

Global awards

AlOmar said that KFH received 13 prestigious global awards in Human Resources for 2024 from the renowned Brandon Hall Group, a company specializing in evaluating and assessing the performance of institutions worldwide. He highlighted that this number of awards is the highest locally and regionally, indicating that KFH is adopting and keeping pace with the best international practices to develop and provide cutting-edge solutions for its employees.

Happiness of employees

AlOmar explained that health insurance coverage benefits for employees and their families have been enhanced. Additionally, the KFH Happiness Team has organized various sports, social, and recreational activities for employees.

In recognition of its distinguished employees, KFH has honored 180 individuals so far in 2024 through its Qadha program, a globally recognized initiative by Brandon Hall. Furthermore, the Group's Human Resources and Transformation department prioritizes employee well-being, extending appreciation to the outstanding high school students of KFH employees. Additionally, the Arabic language initiative, now in its third year, has been organized for the children of employees, with approximately 140 participants.

15,000 training hours

AlOmar explained that KFH remains committed to significantly investing in the professional development of its human capital. He added that KFH's efforts to develop talent stem from its belief in the importance of human resources as essential assets and the true driving force behind the bank's success, increased performance, and continued growth. In this regard, KFH has successfully provided over 115,000 training hours to approximately 4,000 employees.

Leaders’ programs

AlOmar noted that the dynamic business landscape necessitates a growing demand for inspiring, innovative, and efficient leaders. To meet this need, it's crucial to equip employees with a diverse range of personal and professional experiences, challenging opportunities, and skill-building initiatives. These opportunities will help refine leadership qualities and broaden horizons.

As part of KFH's leadership development initiative, 26 managers participated in the Building Leadership Excellence program this year. In partnership with Headspring, a joint venture between IE Business School and the Financial Times, this program aims to enhance the efficiency and performance of managers and executives within the KFH Group.

To solidify KFH's global leadership position, AlOmar emphasized the critical role of the Leadership Excellence Program in realizing the KFH Group's strategic vision of becoming one of the world's top 100 banks. This program is not a standalone initiative but a continuous journey towards leadership excellence.

Forssah program

AlOmar said that KFH consistently supports its human capital and leverages all capabilities to develop them. He highlighted the Forssah program, comprising Forssah Tech and Forssah Business, as a crucial training initiative that adds value to both trainees and the bank. The program has successfully graduated 39 employees. "As part of its commitment to training and developing Kuwaiti human capital, KFH organized a business trip under the program, allowing trainee employees to visit major international companies. This trip aimed to expose them to the latest systems, work methodologies, and gain valuable experience," he added.

Scholarships

AlOmar revealed that a remarkable 19 employees were accepted under full sponsorship from KFH in the scholarship program. This is an exceptional number since the program's inception in 2014, during which dozens of employees seeking to complete their specialized and higher studies at Kuwait's top universities have been awarded scholarships.

Harvard Business School

AlOmar stated that KFH celebrated the graduation of several executive leaders who had successfully completed the Harvard Business School program. This program was designed to support and develop leaders in the banking and financial sector under the Kafa'a initiative launched by the Central Bank of Kuwait.

National Leadership Institute (NLI)

A significant number of KFH employees participated in the Breaking Barriers conference, hosted by the National Leadership Institute. This event offered employees a valuable opportunity to network, learn, grow, and further their leadership development. The event featured international speakers from diverse sectors and industry experts.

Digitization

AlOmar stated that KFH is continually striving to enhance its workforce's digital capabilities and deliver specialized, high-quality programs through the KFH Digital Academy. Moreover, the bank is offering remote training programs focused on digital transformation. To streamline processes and efficiently address employee needs, the HR Help Desk platform has been developed. This platform organizes the process of receiving and fulfilling employee requests, with over 2,500 requests already processed.

Sustainability

AlOmar emphasized KFH's substantial progress in promoting sustainability within its human resources. This is accomplished by fostering transparency, refining professional work policies, and aligning with ESG standards. These efforts aim to enhance employee culture and solidify work principles.

He explained that KFH remains committed to increasing women's representation in all departments. The bank also contributes to the market by providing exceptional banking and financing expertise from highly professional Kuwaiti women. These efforts not only add value to the national economy but also benefit Kuwaiti society.

KFH further demonstrated its commitment to social responsibility and women's empowerment by signing agreements with the United Nations Entity for the Empowerment of Women as part of the UN Global Compact. To provide a comfortable work environment for employees, many locations have been renovated to align with the latest developments and international standards.

"As part of its efforts to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace, KFH has effectively created various employment opportunities for individuals with special needs and successfully integrated them into the workforce,” AlOmar said.

Career fairs

AlOmar said that KFH participated in many career fairs in various colleges and universities with the aim of attracting national youth talents.

Agreements

KFH signed several cooperation and partnership agreements with both public and private universities and academic institutions. These agreements aim to support and develop young national talent, attract top talent, enhance training and education programs, exchange information and expertise, and stimulate scientific research between the two parties.

Workshops and lectures

In line with its commitment to supporting students, education, and youth, KFH organized a series of lectures and workshops for university students, aimed at preparing them for the job market and guiding them in planning their career paths.

Talent Management

AlOmar emphasized that KFH continues its strategy of focus on attracting and developing talents and equipping leaders with exceptional capabilities to keep pace with the growth and prosperity of KFH Group through integrated training and development programs in cooperation with international universities and educational institutions such as Harvard Business School, INSEAD, IMD, and IE School for business administration.

He highlighted that Talent Development team at KFH is keen on continuing efforts to enhance the development trajectory and updating its strategy with the latest insights and expand knowledge of the bank`s staff. KFH is proud to invest in its talents by allocating the largest budget to developing and training employees.

Social Responsibility

In collaboration with Kuwait Society for the Handicapped, KFH launched its fourth edition of a tailored training program designed for students with special needs to develop their skills and enhance their expertise.

Additionally, a podcast was produced, and workshops, seminars, and sessions were organized at universities and colleges to offer career guidance and advice to students.

KFH also signed a collaboration and partnership agreement with Kuwait Technical College (K-Tech). The agreement is part of KFH’s commitment to support education, youth, and society.

Additionally, KFH signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity (SACGC), a center affiliated to Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). The center is dedicated to facilitating the integration of creativity, technology and innovation. This MoU is the first of its kind in the banking sector, demonstrating KFH’s commitment to supporting social development through innovation and creativity.

KFH PR Academy

AlOmar said that KFH successfully concluded its inaugural PR Academy program. Designed to educate undergraduate students and recent graduates, the program focused on the foundational principles of public relations and media, as well as their practical application within KFH departments. This initiative aligns with KFH's commitment to training and developing young people's skills.

KFH Real Estate Evaluation Program

He noted the launch of KFH's Real Estate Evaluation Program, a first-of-its-kind initiative in Kuwait, in cooperation with GUST. The program is open to all those working in or interested in the real estate sector in Kuwait, providing specialized training on the latest technical and professional methods of real estate appraisal.

Internship program

As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting initiatives that develop national talent and enhance the capabilities of Kuwaiti youth, KFH completed its annual internship program with the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM). This program underscores KFH's dedication to nurturing Kuwaiti talent, both among young graduates and experienced professionals.

                  Milestones in numbers

• 84% Kuwaitization ratio
• More than 15,000 training hours for approximately 4000 employees
• Graduation of 26 KFH Group Leaders
• 19 employees joined KFH scholarships program
• 13 prestigious group-level awards from Brandon Hall
• 39 employees graduated from 2024 Forssah program