BBK- Bahrain pioneer in retail and commercial Banking- has awarded Computershare Governance Services (CGS), part of the Computershare group of companies (ASX:CPU) based in Australia a prestigious contract to supply the organization with secure Board portal software. An official signing ceremony was held at BBK's Headquarters in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain on Monday 2 May in the presence of Mr. Abdulkarim Bucheery - Chief Executive of BBK and Tony Ford- Head of CGS .

BBK is the first company in the Middle East to invest in ‘Boardworks’, an online Board portal, to assist them in meeting their high standards in Corporate Governance, transparency and effectiveness.

The Bank adopts a Corporate Governance philosophy which helps it maintain its leading position within the local and regional banking sector, with continuous adherence to strong Corporate Governance practices, enhancing compliance levels according to international standards of best practices. Its commitment to Corporate Governance was recognized for 2 consecutive years in 2009 and 2010 by Hawkamah, the regional Institute for Corporate Governance practices, in conjunction with Union of Arab Banks. 

On the occasion of the contract signing, BBK’s Chairman Mr. Murad Ali Murad mentioned that “Having in place good Corporate Governance practices has always been the BBK Board of Directors’ prime concern. The efficiency of the process of sending Board meeting materials and other communications greatly affects the decision making process of the Board towards protecting and maximizing the benefit for the shareholders of the bank”

“ In its continuous endeavours to improve further the Corporate Governance practices at the Bank, BBK is always keen to invest in major initiatives in the area, such as this online Board portal, which we are proud to be the first company in the Middle East to introduce” added Mr. Abdulkarim Bucheery,  Chief Executive of BBK. 

The advanced Boardworks technology opens up more effective Board communication channels for BBK. It can be accessed via a number of devices, in multiple regions, both before and after meetings making it a highly accessible and effective way to create, collate and circulate Board materials.

Mr. Tony Ford, Head of CGS said: “It has been a pleasure working with BBK and we are proud to have been part of this industry first for the region. We will continue to work closely with BBK whilst the product is implemented – providing support and training – and we look forward to being able to develop our presence further in the Middle East.”