Mentorship Forum Middle East(MFME) today announced National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) as the Forum’s Lead Partner for a second year.  Following the successful launch of the Forum in 2019, the second edition is set to take place in November 2021 in the Kingdom of Bahrain as a hybrid event. With businesses and professionals having faced unprecedented challenges over the past year as a result of Covid-19, this year’s theme will focus on “Prioritising Mentorship in a New World”.

As Lead Partners, and founders of an ongoing internal mentorship programme, NBB will join the Forum’s “Think Tank”, an advisory group soon to be announced, in charge of designing the  agenda . Among the issues to be explored will be those  relating to changes in the workplace as a result of the pandemic, gaps in training and development that have occurred  and how organisations can harness the power of mentorship to ensure their human capital development goals stay or get back on track for uninterrupted and sustainable growth.

The Forum will once again feature participation from top regional and international speakers and attendees. The inaugural  event in 2019 attracted more than 250 senior HR and mentorship experts as well as  C-suite leaders from across sectors. This year’s hybrid event, taking place virtually and with limited in-person attendance  reflecting government protocols, expects strong turn out with high level public and private sector leaders taking part. Aimed to be as interactive and engaging as possible, the Forum will comprise of a series of keynote addresses, panel discussions and practical workshops to promote knowledge sharing and hands on learning that attendees can apply to the development of their own mentorship programmes. In the run-up to the Forum , a series of virtual roundtable events will also be organised introducing  key themes and bringing together Forum partners and presenters. The agenda for the main event will soon be announced along with a calendar of supporting pre-forum activities.

Commenting, Mr. Jean-Christophe Durand, NBB’s Chief Executive Officer said, “We are delighted once again to announce NBB’s backing for the Mentorship Forum Middle East. Innovation in human capital development remains a core pillar of NBB’s strategy and we continue to look for ways to support programmes and initiatives, such as this, which help foster the professional and personal growth of our staff and more broadly the next generation of leaders across industries that NBB serves. The past year has seen us and other organisations work hard to ensure business continuity, including meeting the challenges of how to keep providing the most effective training and resources to help our staff progress in their careers. We look forward to gathering with peers and partners to discuss mentorship and how its prioritisation, given our new working realities, can support talent development and ensure that our next generation of leaders get the access and time with senior executives they need to excel and reach their potential.”

Adding, Ms. Zahraa Taher, Managing Director of FinMark Communications, the Forum’s founder and organiser, said, “We’re pleased to welcome NBB as the Forum’s Lead Partner for a second year. The Bank’s partnership was instrumental in making the first  event such a great success. NBB also continues to lead by example, having launched their own mentorship scheme in 2019, showing their strong belief in the  value of mentorship and the important role such programmes play in accelerating professional and leadership development. NBB’s input and experience will help shape the Forum’s agenda and direction for this year and we look forward to working with them and other regional business leaders  to highlight the benefits of mentorship and, importantly, how it can and should be prioritised  in the post-pandemic workplace.”

Mentorship has been proven to be one of the most effective ways to drive talent development globally, but its place is largely missing from the training agendas and development tools used by most GCC organisations. The Forum aims to build understanding of mentorship and the value it can add for companies, their staff and other stakeholders across the board.

To learn more about opportunities to join the Forum’s partners and sponsors or sign up to take part, please contact FinMark Communications on +973 17749759 or [email protected].