In line with its commitment to adopting the best governance practices and establishing a diverse work environment, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) launched the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, with the aim of setting a sustainable institutional framework to incorporate these values โโinto all human resources practices, ensuring equal opportunities under a fair work environment that transforms diversity into a source of strength and creativity.
This step reflects NBKโs continued commitment to building a more balanced and inclusive work environment for all its employees across the different departments and job levels within the Bank. Moreover, creating this Council is a step that is clearly consistent with NBKโs direction towards promoting a corporate culture that embraces. diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences, strengthens the organization, drives innovation, and allows the Bank, together with its international branches and subsidiaries, to better serve the community and all its stakeholders.
In December 2024, NBK launched its official DEI Commitment Statement announcing its commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion and affirming that it holds these values โโas fundamental pillars on which its corporate culture stands. The commitment statement embodies the Bank’s dedication to establishing a work environment based on justice and equal opportunities, rejecting all forms of discrimination, and aligning its policies with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), specifically SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.
These SDGs focus on promoting gender equality, reducing inequalities, and supporting decent work and economic growth, as well as incorporating these principles into the practices of Talent Management to ensure a productive, fair, and sustainable work environment that supports the Bankโs long-term vision for institutional development.
Moreover, the DEI Council is a part of NBKโs leading journey in adopting the best human resources practices at the regional and global level, and an important shift in promoting the active participation of employees, ensuring fair opportunities, and developing policies and initiatives that support the inclusion of all groups within the work environment.
The Council held its first meeting on January 27, 2026, where it began working on developing clear measurement mechanisms and accurate performance indicators to monitor and disclose progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, thereby enhancing transparency and highlighting the Bankโs commitment to achieving tangible results in this area.
The Council is comprised of 11 members from NBK Groupโs officials across its various markets in which it operates, including Kuwait, Singapore, Bahrain, KSA and London, reflecting the inclusiveness of representation and the diversity of expertise within the group.
Additionally, this Council will enable employees to express their opinions and actively participate in developing the work environment, and it will also focus on supporting women in leadership, empowering national talent, creating safe spaces for dialogue and the exchange of ideas, and adopting initiatives that promote openness and diversity in the workplace.
The council will also come up with new policies and advanced training programs, as well as launching awareness and cultural initiatives aimed at raising awareness of diversity and inclusion. Moreover, it will support work teams in building an environment based on respect for difference and stimulating creativity. In this way, the Council will enhance the role of employees in shaping the future of the Bankโs internal culture, through specialized working committees that include representatives from various departments.
On this occasion, Najla Al-Sager, Head of Talent Management and Learning at NBK, commented: โThe establishment of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council comes within the framework of our strategy aimed at promoting a work environment based on justice and equal opportunities, to serve as a compass that guides our policies and decisions related to employment, development and recognitionโ.
Al-Sager emphasized that NBK made significant progress in diversity and inclusion over the past years, whether in empowering women, supporting national talents, or developing training programs aimed at promoting a culture of inclusive leadership, highlighting some of the indicators recorded by the Bank during 2025, where the percentage of women in the total workforce reached 42.5%, while women in leadership roles reached 27.4%, and new recruitments of women reached 34.5% of the total workforce.
Finally, she added: โIn recent years, we introduced many innovative initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion, most notably the NBK Rise program, which is the first initiative of its kind in Kuwait, specifically designed to support and empower women leaders to reach the highest leadership positions, which has won many regional and international awardsโ.
It is worth noting that NBK is strongly committed to empowering women across the entire Group and increasing their presence in leadership positions by providing appropriate guidance and opportunities for career development. The Bank also collaborates with leading universities and training centers around the world to provide specialized programs and workshops aimed at developing female leaders and equipping them with tools and techniques that help them in the field of leadership.
