Manama:  Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty the King and the President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), delegated Her Highness Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, member of the Supreme Council for Women and Chairman of the Board of Directors of INJAZ Bahrain, to open the Mentorship Forum Middle East (MFME), which kicked off today in the Kingdom of Bahrain with attendance from more than 300 regional and international business leaders and HR and mentorship experts.

Opening the Forum, focusing on "Embedding Mentorship into Organizational Culture", Her Highness Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, Member of SCW and Chairman of Injaz Bahrain, delivered the event’s keynote address, where she shared her vast experience in human capital development with attendees from a diverse range of public and private sector institutions across industries. 

Her Highness shared her personal experience with mentorship and how her journey with this powerful tool began. "Mentorship and guidance provide valuable opportunities for everyone, especially those seeking to develop their skills, enabling them to recognize successful models in all fields, including entrepreneurship, which in turn broadens their insights, develops innovative aspect in their personalities, and helps them copes with any changes or transformations professionally," Sheikha Hessa said. 

The event continued with a dynamic programme of speeches, interactive panel sessions and workshops that saw participants engage in active exchange, sharing knowledge and discussing the best means and methods for developing, formalizing and professionalising the use of mentorship in their own organisations.

Key among the sessions was a presentation and fireside chat on “Embedding Mentorship into Organizational Culture” with H.E. Dr. Sheikha Rana bint Isa bin Duaij Al Khalifa, Secretary General of the Higher Education Council and Deputy Chairperson of its Board of Trustees and moderated by Fatema Ahmed Kamal, CEO of Britus Education, the Forum’s “Exclusive Education Partner”.

Other exciting sessions focused on a range of topics such as “Mentorship to Employability”, “Mentorship vs Coaching”, and “Mentorship for Entrepreneurs and SMEs”. Among the speakers addressing these topics were: Farah Foustok, CEO of Lazard Gulf Ltd, Elahm Hassan Business Strategy Advisor at Mumtalakat, Jamal Fakhro Managing Partner at KPMG, Dana Buheji, CEO of Human Resources and Sustainability at NBB Group, Ali Musa, CEO of JP Morgan Bahrain, and Layla Al Qassab, Chief Financial Officer at BENEFIT, among others.

A key feature of the annual Mentorship Forum Middle East is also the opportunity for practical hands-on learning. This year the event saw two important workshops. The first was delivered by Karina Chapa, Mentorship Program Manager at the Diversity and Inclusion Division at Saudi Aramco, and the other by Lamyse Ammar, Senior Key Accounts Director at LinkedIn, MENA. This year, a number of educational institutions also took part as part of the Forum’s efforts to encourage them to create mentorship programmes for their students. National Bank of Bahrain, the Forum’s Lead Partner, sponsored around 30 students and faculty from Bahrain University and Bahrain Polytechnic to attend the Forum and benefit from the workshops and the sessions.

The Forum, which ran into the evening, finished off by giving attendees the opportunity to receive actual speed mentoring from business leaders that participated in the Forum putting to use the vast knowledge and senior level expertise on hand at the Forum. 

Commenting, Ms. Zahraa Taher, Managing Director of FinMark Communications, the Forum’s Founder and Organiser, said, “Under the patronage of patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, and with the strong support of HH Sh. Hessa Bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, and our many partners, speakers and attendees, this year’s Mentorship Forum Middle East was hugely impactful in highlighting the power of mentorship and providing attendees with actual tools for embedding it into their broader talent development strategies and organisational culture. We are grateful to all of our supporters for their contributions to making the Forum such a success and we look forward to continuing to support and encourage organisations to develop mentorship schemes that will fast-track the growth of the next generation of business leaders in the region.”  

The Forum was held with the support of National Bank of Bahrain as Lead Partner for a third consecutive year, with other sponsors and supporters: LinkedIn, Tamkeen, GIB, Foulath, The Benefit Company, Dadabhai Travel, Britus Education, Solidarity, Reach, and Bahrain Association of Banks (BAB).

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About Mentorship Forum Middle East

The “Mentorship Forum Middle East”, now in its third year, is a first of its kind event in the GCC focusing on the central role that mentorship can play in accelerating the development of human capital across the region. The event, which was founded in 2019 by FinMark Communications, has been supported by a blue-chip roster of corporates from the GCC and international markets.

For further information please contact: 
Zahraa Taher
Managing Director
FinMark Communications
Email: ztaher@finmarkcoms.com