BHB holds workshop on Key Investor Relations Themes in 2020 under MEIRA Bahrain Chapter Bahrain

February 25, 2020 Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

Bahrain Bourse today held a workshop on Key Investor Relation (IR) Themes in 2020, as part of its efforts to encourage engagement of best IR practices across listed companies. The workshop was attended by more than 30 representatives from listed companies along with Middle East Investor Relations Association “MEIRA” Bahrain Chapter members.

The workshop highlighted the key IR themes in 2020 which include shareholder activism, the growing importance of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) integration, gender equality and compensation, rapid digitalization, and passive investment. The workshop was followed by a panel session titled “Challenges and Opportunities for Bahrain Investor Relations Officers” which was moderated by John Gollifer, General Manager at MEIRA. Panelists include Sh. Abdulla Al-Khalifa, Director of Communications & Investor Relations at Zain Bahrain and Leena Al Olaimy, Co-founder & Executive Chairperson at 3BL Associates. The workshop was concluded by an open discussion addressing questions from the attendees.

Marwa AlMaskati, Director of Marketing & Business Development and MEIRA – Bahrain Chapter Head said: “As the Investor Relations function is becoming increasingly important, we are glad to hold a workshop to bring together leaders in the IR field to discuss key topics that can benefit our listed companies and address emerging themes in IR particularly in relation to ESG and sustainability.”

John Gollifer, General Manager of MEIRA said, “It is always a pleasure to support the tremendous efforts of our Bahrain Chapter to promote investor relations, a key ingredient in successful capital market development. At a time when we face new trends, it is instructive to share the main themes that IR can address. MEIRA, the region’s professional body for IR, is most grateful for the positive response we continue to receive in Bahrain.”

It is worth noting that Bahrain Bourse and the Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA) has officially launched the MEIRA chapter in Bahrain during April 2019 with the aim of developing and enhancing best practices in Investor Relations (IR) across the Kingdom of Bahrain. The founding members of MEIRA chapter in Bahrain include Aluminium Bahrain (‘ALBA’), Bank ABC, Bahrain Telecommunications Company (‘Batelco’), Bahrain Bourse, Ithmaar Holding, National Bank of Bahrain, and SICO BSC (c).