Diligence, innovation, patience — the way forward for Saudi women in the corporate sector, says AGM

JEDDAH — As Saudi female workforce’s contribution in the economic development gains headway, the probability of more women holding executive positions is high. In the financial sector, “through diligence, innovation and patience, every woman in the bank can be unique and capable of assuming a managerial position,” said Ms. Ishraq Al Thebiani, Assistant General Manager for Personal Banking at The Saudi Investment Bank.

In an interview, she said the bank has maintained every possible means for women to work at full capacity. They secured all requirements to ensure suitable working conditions that comply with the Saudi Labor Laws and with the culture, she noted.

Excerpts from the interview follow:

What tips would you like to convey to your female colleagues?

My advice to my colleagues is to plan for the goals smartly and to strive for it. Self improvement through training courses and programs is also essential. Furthermore, to keep up with what’s new in their fields and stay up to date with market trends both on local and global basis.

How can you describe the banks higher administration support for women in the workplace?

The bank cares for efforts and hard work at first place, irrespective of the genre. Nevertheless, we cannot ignore the great endeavors by the bank`s higher administration headed by the executive managers which greatly supports female staff in the bank. Today at SIB, women represent about 18% of total employees. Also, it is worth mentioning that there are many managerial and administrative positions occupied by women. This proves the limitless support of the bank`s administration for women, and reflects the prevailing opportunities which come from commitment and hard work.

How can you describe your career experience at SIB?

Successful experiments are always surrounded by many hardships. However, persistence to success and uniqueness has a good price. My experiment in SIB was, in general, a distinguished one, because there has always been a wider space to move in. consequently, your creativity reaches to all, and reflects your self-confidence. Hence, you can prove your eligibility to assume managing positions.

How did you reach the position of AGM?

I owe my position to my yield. Also, there were other factors that have helped me: educational degree, experience, innovation, undertaking the responsibility, and finally getting my job done in a perfect way. Moreover, I am always keen to improve and develop myself both personally and occupationally, and to work within the teamwork spirit. An ambitious woman should give work her full attention and devotion, then appreciation will be equivalent to her dedication.

How can you lead teamwork in the bank to achieve the targeted goals?

Leadership requires you to appreciate achievements of both individuals and the team as a group. In addition to laying down a clear vision for the team, supporting and encouraging them to innovate and create in order to achieve the bank’s goals and exceed management’s expectations. You should also reward them when goals are materialized. These are the most fundamental principles for leading a distinguished teamwork.

How do you feel the loyalty programs reflect on SIB customers?

The loyalty programs including “Aseel” which is a discount program, and “WooW” which is the rewards programs were developed to strengthen the relationship between the bank and its customers. The bank has managed to greatly succeed and has been awarded many prizes on a regional and global scale. In 2016 alone SIB was awarded 4 prizes for best loyalty programs.

Can you tell us about SIB’s CSR activities?

Sustainability at SIB revolves around the five pillars of our sustainability framework, anchored to the Islamic principles of takleef, nummow, re’aya, hifth, and awn. These pillars guide our long-term planning as well as our day-to-day decision-making. We fundamentally believe that our job is to help customers achieve something that’s important to them. The principles behind our sustainability framework keep us focused on this objective. We are convinced that an intense focus on sustainability practices is fundamental to business competitiveness. SIB is very active when it comes to corporate social responsibilities which lead to the bank earning many reputable awards. We are therefore particularly proud to have achieved Second Place Silver in the King Khalid Awards for Responsible Competitiveness in 2015, improving upon our third place position in 2014, a track record which recognizes our efforts and reinforces our solid sustainability commitment. We recently were the only bank to win the King Abdulaziz Quality Award – the award is presented to sectors which achieve the highest level of quality in there business.
In addition SIB takes the sustainability concept very seriously and is actually the first bank to issue a Sustainability Report in 2011, which we are very proud of.

What would you consider are the most prominent challenges in the marketing business?

Marketing is a corner stone in the field of service providing. The rapidly ever-changing global markets, technology, and social media are among the remarkable challenges. Smart merchandisers should coup with whatever challenges they may face, and should implement unique ideas and marketing campaigns as soon as they prevail in order to achieve the best results. — SG

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