Kuwait Finance House – Bahrain (KFH-Bahrain) recently hosted a gathering attended by all the Bank’s employees under the theme “Bringing Banking to Life”. Along with the Chairman, Mr. Yaqoob Majed, Board Member, Mr. Mohammed Shaikh Ishaq and the MD & CEO, Mr. Abdulhakeem Alkhayyat more than 280 employees attended the gathering at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Spa. Mr. Yaqoob Majed, addressed the opening of the gathering with a speech, he said "I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the former Chairman and to all the members of the Board of Directors who have led the Bank from inception to where it is now, as a leading bank in providing innovative products and financial solutions. Thanks to their guidance and insights, the Bank was able to overcome obstacles and financial crises. We look forward to working with the new Board of Directors to continue creating new achievements that will support KFH-Bahrain as a pioneer in providing superior banking services." Following the Chairman’s speech, Mr. Abdulhakeem Alkhayyat also addressed the staff saying "We are here today to celebrate our journey of growth and development. Since our inception, Bahrain and the World have witnessed major developments and unprecedented events, be it political, economical, financial, technological or social. KFH-Bahrain was able to accept and accommodate these unpredictable changes and turn challenges into opportunities. KFH-Bahrain has not only embraced these challenges but has proved to be a real leader and a pioneer”. Mr. Abdulhakeem Alkhayyat extended his personal appreciation and gratitude towards every member of the KFH-Bahrain family for their dedication and hard work. "We thank Allah for what we have and for what we have achieved so far. All these accomplishments are the results of hard work and the efforts of our employees who were devoted and did their best during work. 2012 was a successful year by all measures where the Bank was able to achieve impressive results and we hope to see the Bank grow further during 2013". He added “We have become leaders in the banking arena and are constantly striving to build upon our product and service offerings, which would not have been possible without the Grace of Allah, the support of our shareholders and clients, the guidance of our Board Members and the hard work, effort and commitment of our employees.” he concluded. Mr. Sattam Algosaibi, Executive Manager and Head of Corporate Banking Group and HR gave a brief presentation about a new project organized by the HR department at the Bank. He said "The Human Resources Department is delighted to announce the launch of the new “Fursan Baytik” Employee Recognition Program to reward employees based on their achievements and their efforts inside and outside of work. 3 employees will be chosen on quarterly basis to be awarded for their achievements based on the following categories: Ambassadorship, Customer Service, Leadership, Teamwork, Smart Performance. We will also consider achievements of employee's within their own time, such as educational achievements and social responsibility". The highlight of the gathering was a series of recognition awards which was presented by Shaikh Ishaq, Mr. Majed and Mr. Alkhayyat. These included 89 long serving employees who have worked at the Bank for 10 years and 5 years, in addition to 3 outstanding recognition awards. This was followed by a dinner and raffle prizes which were drawn during the dinner.