Sheikha al bahar biography

Kuwaiti businesswoman.

She has been the Deputy CEO of the National Bank of Kuwait Group since March 2014, and the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Kuwait - Lebanon, the National Bank of Kuwait - France, and the National Bank of Kuwait - Egypt , representing the National Bank of Kuwait, since June 26, 2019.

She has been a member of the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Kuwait in the United Kingdom, and a member of the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development in Kuwait since 2017.

She held the position of Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of “ National Investment Company ”, and CEO of “National Bank of Kuwait ”, and was a member of: the Investment Committee of the same bank, the Board of Directors of “Credential Information Network”, “Intra Investment Company” in Lebanon, and “International Bank of Qatar”.

She participated in many businesses and supported a number of important and complex development projects, including the “EQUATE Petrochemical Project”, the “EQUATE Petroleum Project”, the “Wastewater Treatment Project” in 2002, and the project to finance 9 aircraft for the Kuwait Airways Corporation “KAC” .

Forbes magazine ranked her among the “100 Most Powerful Businesswomen in the Middle East” for 2023, and she was ranked 85th among the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World for 2012 according to the same magazine. She also won the “Distinguished Contributions Award” in the Arab Banking Sector for 2022 from the “Arab Bankers Association” for her efforts in developing the banking sector in the region.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Marketing from Kuwait University .

Kuwaiti CEO

Shaikha Al-Bahar (Arabic: شيخة البحر) is the Deputy Group CEO of the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK)

Education

Al-Bahar received a Bachelor of Science degree in International Marketing from Kuwait University, additionally, she attended specialized management programs at different institutions, including Harvard Business School, Stanford University, Wharton School, and Duke University.

Career

Prior to serving as the Deputy Group CEO of the National Bank of Kuwait in 2014, the largest financial institution in Kuwait and one of the largest banks in the Middle East, she was the CEO of NBK-Kuwait, and held multiple executive positions at the group, playing a noted role in the group's expansion. In the early 1990s, she was involved in the Kuwait Investment Authority privatization deals.

Al-Bahar also serves as director of Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, vice chairman of Watani Investment Company KSCC. She is also on the board of the International Bank of Qatar. She is a member of Kuwait's Supreme Council for Planning and Development. Al-Bahar was the Chairman of Al Asima Real Estate.

Recognition

Al-Bahar was ranked the 85th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2012, the same year Forbes Middle East listed her in the first place in their Top 100 Most Powerful Arab Business Women in Listed Companies. Al-Bahar was ranked as the 8th most powerful Arab woman of 2012 by Arabian Business.

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