al khaliji

Doha, 24 May 2010: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Doha Chapter, hosted a professional seminar on the "Strategic Leadership and Strategic Business Outlook for Qatar" on Saturday 22nd May, 2010 at the Sharq Village & Spa. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India Doha Chapter Chairman CA Kurian Kuriakose Chairman expressed:

"We believe leadership means our actions should inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more and it is in this context that ICAI Doha Chapter has organized this seminar on Strategic Leadership”. He added, “Our members want to be the best in themselves so that they can give the best to others. The Indian Chartered Accountants offer tremendous support to the growth of Qatar economy through their active participation in business decision making."

Sponsored by al khaliji, the Gulf's 'next generation' bank, the seminar invited high profile speaker Dr. David Wall, an internationally acclaimed leadership expert. Dr. Wall has created a unique body of widely respected work including his 'Shaping the Future' and 'The Complete Leader' series.

Dr. David Wall was pleased that, al khaliji aligned with ICAI Doha Chapter to hold this discussion forum on strategic leadership, as he believes ICAI members play key roles in all types of organizations whether they are public, private, large, medium or small.

Representatives from Al Khalij Commercial Bank (al khaliji) including Group Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Christiaan De Beer, Group Head of Business Banking Mr. Satish Kumaraswami and Head of Group Benefits, Mr. Lee Shurey also addressed the ICAI members and customers.

"The financial crisis has changed the old world economic order fundamentally and we now have to operate in an economic world which has not yet reached its end state. Leadership excellence in this changing dynamic will require valuing, protecting and leveraging what you have and identifying and seizing those opportunities that will ensure both near-term robustness and provide medium-term sustainable earnings and shareholder value. al khaliji has been able to steer ahead through turbulent times by adopting a strategy which recognizes the new constraints, overlays the bank's strengths on the present realities and combines that with common sense and some innovation. Motivating and focusing our people became a top priority and it has enabled us to pursue a medium term strategy focusing on our preferred customer segments", Stated Mr. Christiaan DeBeer, al khaliji Group CFO.

"The seminar was a resounding success with almost 200 members of ICAI attending. We were privileged to have Dr. Wall present his expert views on strategic leadership and grateful to the ICAI for giving al khaliji the opportunity to present and highlight how we are supporting SMEs across the Qatar business community " said Satish Kumaraswami, Group Head of Business Banking at al khaliji.

During the Group Benefit presentation, al khaliji Head of Group Benefits, Mr. Lee Shurey highlighted the importance of increasing engagement between employers and employees by offering them benefits beyond the local country's mandatory requirements in order to attract and retain key skills within companies. al khaliji has uniquely tailored Group Benefit schemes created by a calibre of qualified experts with a track record of assisting companies with all of their Employee Benefit & Corporate Insurance requirements.

al khaliji sponsorship to this seminar contributes to the Bank's Corporate Citizenship strategy that aims to support education, enhance business knowledge and build awareness in the local business community.

"We constantly aim to support initiatives that contribute to the sustainability of businesses in Qatar, whether they are Small, Medium or Large, we see their growth and prosperity a contributing factor to our growth as a bank operating in this market." Said al khaliji Head of Public Relations and Communications, Mrs. Abeer Al Kalla.