Kuwait: Burgan Bank recently launched the Burgan Innovation Lab, which focuses on nurturing talents and promoting innovation amid the acceleration of the Bank’s digital transformation. The Innovation Lab aims at motivating the Bank’s employees to think up creative solutions to challenges, and to enhance further the Bank’s services, products, and operational frameworks.

Burgan Innovation Lab is a developmental project aligned with the Bank’s human capital development and training programs. It supports Burgan’s Strategic Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitments and its digital transformation plans. The project also reflects the Bank’s core corporate culture values of innovation, excellence, continuous progress and talent empowerment, considered as major pillars of sustainability and leadership.

The Lab was launched in two phases. The first included the revealing of the Lab premises consisting of a well-equipped modern space designed to foster employees’ creativity and innovation. The second phase involved the launch of the Lab’s digital platform on the Bank’s Learning and Talent Development portal. This platform enables all employees to easily and directly submit their innovative ideas and solutions and discuss the latest trends in the market.

The inauguration ceremony featured the participation of the Bank’s senior management, with an opening speech delivered by Mrs. Ghada El-Kadi, Unit Head- Learning and Talent Development at Burgan Bank, who addressed the project’s goals and strategic vision. The ceremony also hosted Mr. Ali Al Zankawi, the founder and CEO of Yahaal application, who presented Yahaal’s success story and his own experience in entrepreneurship and innovation through a discussion of the challenges he and his team faced and the innovative solutions they came up with.

Mrs. Halah El Sherbini, Group Chief Human Resources and Development Officer at Burgan Bank commented saying “This lab is one of the Bank’s most impressive and impactful projects because it supports our employees’ potential and talent and encourages them to share their original and creative ideas in response to our Burgan transformation and latest strategic objectives. We strategically invest in developing our human capital by providing the necessary infrastructure and operational environment that help turn ideas into viable solutions.”

She further added “This project builds on the vast knowledge base and strong industry know-how that Burgan employees have. As the Bank’s most important asset and the key drivers of success, they are the ones best suited to boost innovation and development from within. The Lab also supports our corporate culture’s main objective of strengthening the employees’ connection and loyalty to the Bank and improving synergy and collaboration within the teams. Burgan’s HRD is keen to support the platform’s needs in infrastructure to facilitate a seamless experience where innovation is encouraged and fostered. We are looking forward to celebrating our employees’ ingenuity and further growth of Burgan through them.”

During the ceremony, Mr Al Zankawi said “I thank Burgan Bank for supporting talents and highlighting the importance of innovation in an increasingly digitalized world. I commend their contribution to promoting initiative and innovation through the Innovation Lab program.

 “The Lab’s importance lies in the role it plays in refining skills and creating an attractive environment that encourages innovation through workshops and lectures focused on creative thinking and innovative solutions generation based on practical case studies and an in-depth analysis of challenges” added Al Zankawi.

The innovative ideas that will be submitted on the digital portal will be reviewed by the Lab’s specialized committee and given the necessary support for their implementation. Burgan Bank reaffirms through this project its commitment to empowering its employees and advancing innovation in support of its vision of sustainable development and meaningful growth. 

-Ends-

About Burgan Bank

Established in 1977, Burgan Bank is currently the third largest bank by assets in Kuwait. From its earliest days, the Bank has significantly focused on the corporate and financial institution sectors, in addition to diversifying its offering to cater to its growing retail and private banking customer base.

Burgan Bank has majority-owned subsidiaries, collectively known as the “Burgan Bank Group”,  in the MENAT region. This Group is supported by one of the largest branch networks across the region and includes: Gulf Bank Algeria – AGB (Algeria), Bank of Baghdad – BOB (Iraq & Lebanon), Tunis International Bank – TIB (Tunisia), and the fully owned Burgan Bank Turkey. Furthermore, Burgan Bank has a presence in the UAE through its corporate office, Burgan Financial Services Limited.

The Bank has continuously improved its performance over the years, through an expanded revenue structure, diversified funding sources, and a strong capital base. The adoption of state-of-the-art services and technology has positioned it as a trendsetter in the domestic market and within the MENA region. Moreover, Burgan Bank’s brand has been built on a foundation of real values – trust, commitment, excellence and progression – which serve as a reminder of the high standards to which the Bank always aspires. In fact, the Bank’s core philosophy of ‘Driven by You’ is the foundation on which its products and services are continuously developed.

The Bank obtained the ISO/IEC 27001: 2013 Information Security Management Systems certificate (ISMS) and was re-certified with the prestigious ISO 9001:2015, making it the one of the few banks in the GCC and  Kuwait to receive such a certification for five consecutive times. The Bank also has the distinction of being the only Bank in Kuwait to have  won the JP Morgan Chase Quality Recognition Award for twenty consecutives years.

Burgan Bank is a majority owned subsidiary of KIPCO (Kuwait Projects Company), one of the largest holding companies in the MENA region.