BHBNewsLetter June 2019

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Issue 20 - JUNE 2019
BAHRAIN BOURSE & MEIRA ESTABLISH A BAHRAIN CHAPTER TO FURTHER
ADVANCE INVESTOR RELATIONS LANDSCAPE IN THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
CERTIFIED INVESTOR RELATIONS PROGRAM ROLLED-OUT UNDER THE
INVESTMENT ACADEMY UMBRELLA
Bahrain Bourse and the Middle
East Investor Relations Association
(MEIRA) has officially launched
a new chapter in Bahrain, to
further develop and enhance best
practices in Investor Relations (IR)
across the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The MEIRA Bahrain Chapter
was formal ly inaugurated
yesterday at the signing ceremony
of founding members who have
recognised their commitment
to develop the IR function in
the local market. The founding
Middle East Investor Relations
Association (“MEIRA”) and the
Bahrain Institute of Banking &
Finance (“BIBF”) in the presence
of MEIRA Bahrain Chapter Head,
signed an agreement to roll-out
the Certified Investors Relations
Program (‘CIRO’) in the Kingdom
of Bahrain under the Investment
Academy umbrella. The CIRO
members include Aluminium
Bahrain (‘ALBA’) (represented
by Eline Hilal), Bank ABC (rep-
resented by Brendon Hopkins),
Bahrain Telecommunications
C o m p a n y ( ‘ B a t e l c o ’ )
(represented by Faisal Qamhiyah),
Ithmaar Holding (represented by
Sameh Mohamed Mahmandar),
National Bank of Bahrain
(represented by Russell Bennett),
and SICO BSC (c) (represented
by Fadhel Makhlooq). Bahrain
Bourse will also lead the Chapter
represented by MEIRA Bahrain
Chapter Head, Marwa AlMaskati.
The signing ceremony took place
at Bahrain Bourse premises and
it was followed by an IR seminar
attended by more than 30
representatives from local listed
companies who had the opportunity
to discuss the importance of the
IR function from the investment
community perspective. This
initiative is part of the MOU
signed between MEIRA and
Bahrain Bourse in order support for
the development of international
standards in IR and corporate
governance across the Kingdom.
Members of the MEIRA Bahrain
Chapter will now have access to
a wealth of IR knowledge from
global leaders in the profession in
the form of specific educational
initiatives and will be able to
benefit from engaging local
events aimed at uniting and
advancing the IR community.
program has been launched
as a joint initiative between
B a h r a i n B o u r s e ( BHB ) ,
ME I RA , a n d t h e B I BF.
The signing ceremony took place
at Bahrain Bourse premises and
it was followed by a seminar
attended by representatives
from local listed companies
who had the opportunity to
d i s c u s s t h e i mp o r t a n c e
of the CIRO certification
within their line of work.
The CIRO program aims to
offer professional talent a unique
o p p o r t u n i t y t o a c q u i r e
certification within IR, which is
increasingly becoming an important
function within listed companies.
The CIRO program will be
fully supported by Tamkeen
(Labour Fund) under their
Training &Wage Support program.
The CIRO program is an interna-
tionally recognised certification
program for the investor relations
profession. In the Middle East, the
program is organised by the Middle
East Investor Relations Association
(MEIRA), in partnership with
the UK IR Society (UKIRS) and
delivered by the Bahrain Institute
of Banking and Finance (BIBF)
in the Kingdom of Bahrain. A
three-day intensive training
course of a total of 20 hours, is
followed by a 60-minute exam.
The Certificate in Investor
Relations is regarded as a valuable
benchmark for IR professions.
Obtaining the Certificate in
IR would enable delegates to
obtain international recognition as
a qualified IR practitioner, demon-
strates expertise and competence
in IR field, and enhances
career development within IR.
The program focuses on six key
topics: principles & practices
of investor relations, global
financial markets, companies &
regulation,regulatory environment,
accounting, valuation & investment
principles, effective IR in practice.