13 September 2015
- Head of India's largest private sector bank to speak on women's leadership in banking and finance -

Manama - The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), in cooperation with the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), today announced senior banker Ms. Chanda Kochhar as a speaker for the upcoming "Women in the Financial and Banking Sector Conference" being held on 30 November 2015 at the Four Seasons Hotel - Bahrain Bay under the patronage of HRH Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the SCW.

Ms. Chanda Kochhar is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ICICI Bank Limited, India's largest private sector bank.  She is widely recognised for her role in shaping the retail banking sector in India and her role in numerous forums and organisations globally. She has more than 30 years of experience in the banking industry and began her career with ICICI in 1984.

Ms. Kochhar will take part in the conference by featuring as its special guest in an interview style discussion on "Leading the Transformation," where she will share her insights and experiences on pioneering advancement and change in the sector.

The conference marks the conclusion of a year-long campaign, being held as part of the 2015 Bahraini Women's Day celebrations, to showcase and promote the role of "Women in the Financial and Banking Sector". Over the past eight months, the CBB and the SCW have already hosted a series of events including roundtables and town hall sessions to highlight issues of importance relating to women's advancement in the sector.

Commenting, Executive Director - Corporate Services at the CBB, Dr. Huda H. Al Maskati, said, "We are delighted to announce Ms. Kochhar as a speaker for the "Women in the Financial and Banking Sector Conference." The presence of senior women pioneers and industry leaders will ensure that this gathering showcases the enormous contributions women have made to the sector globally and the tremendous potential that lies ahead for the next generation of women given the proper guidance, support and opportunities. We look forward to welcoming Ms. Kochhar and the vast experience and insight she brings to our conference and its attendees."

Adding Ms. Chanda Kochhar, said, "The world has made a great deal of progress in the area of representation of women in leadership across many areas - government, business and the social sector. Today, women are confident, ambitious and capable of leading from the front. I am delighted to be part of this conference which is a platform to motivate women to aspire for leadership, and to encourage them to work towards realising their dreams."

The conference is expected to bring together more than 250 members of the industry including senior members and heads of the Kingdom's top financial institutions, senior women in banking and finance and the next generation of women leaders.

Sponsors of the "Women in the Financial and Banking Sector" conference and year-long campaign are National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), KFH-Bahrain and BBK as lead sponsors as well as Al Baraka Banking Group (ABG) as the Women's Empowerment Partner for Islamic Banking.

-Ends-

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© Press Release 2015