Shaikha Al Bahar

Deputy group CEO, National Bank of Kuwait

Shaikha Al-Bahar, the deputy CEO of National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) Group is one of the most respected names in the region’s banking industry. With her valuable experience in institutional finance, including privatisation, project finance, bond issues, advisory services and IPOs, she is a strong voice in Kuwait’s financial community. She has been spearheading the bank’s digital transformation over the years, with NBK launching Kuwait’s first digital bank, Weyay, in November 2021 to appeal to the younger generation of tech savvy customers. The bank also posted strong net profits for 2021 of $1.2bn, compared to $814.4m in 2020, improving by 47.1 per cent year-on-year. At the end of December 2021, NBK’s total assets grew by 11.9 per cent on annual basis, to reach $109.9bn.