RIYADH – The GCC “Board Directors Institute” (BDI) will be held in Riyadh on Sept. 12 for the second meeting of their GCC Roadshow program which highlights the importance of corporate governance and the effectiveness of Board of directors, which kicked off in May in Manama. The event is being hosted by The Savola Group, a diverse enterprise specializing in foods, consumer retail, and packaging. The theme is “Celebrating 5 Years of Corporate Governance Excellence in the GCC”. Attendees will be addressed by Taha A. Al-Kuwaiz, Chairman of Saudi Capital Market (Tadawul). Talking about the scope of the road show, Dr. Abdullah Al Abdulgader, BDI Founding Executive Director, said: “The ultimate aim of the roadshow is to promote an ongoing dialogue with our members to share ideas and best practices while highlighting their engagement in supporting better corporate governance, Board of Directors effectiveness and professional development in the GCC. With over 70 percent of our members from Saudi Arabia, we have many success stories in the Kingdom and we are looking forward to sharing them with our members.” He also concluded that “We had an excellent meeting in Bahrain, earlier this year, Members benefited greatly from the broad range of views expressed by the attendees and the speakers and engaged in a lively debate on prospects for regional Corporate Governance practice and the future of BDI. We are delighted to have The Savola Group hosting our second meeting and facilitating further the exchange of views on the major Corporate Governance developments and challenges affecting our region,”. On hosting the BDI Riyadh road show, Dr. Abdulraouf Mannaa, the Savola Group Managing Director, said: “The Savola Group is dedicated to implementing the highest ethical and governance standards in all aspects of the company's business to create solid and attractive work environment culture based on our four ethics of Honesty (Amanah), Conscientiousness (Taqwa), Caring Justice (Birr), and Personal Control (Mujahadah), and how effectively to implement these values in reality (in a balanced way) to help us to protect shareholders, employees and other stakeholders rights. He emphasized that we are proud to host the BDI Roadshow in Riyadh, and supporting the BDI efforts in bringing to its members, in the Kingdom in specific and the GCC in general, the international standards and best practices in the area of Corporate Governance.” Since its inception in 2007, BDI has connected with over 300 members of GCC senior board directors, and has made tremendous efforts to develop, share and introduce the latest knowledge and best practices on corporate governance to the region. The event will feature a strong line-up of participants from different areas in the Kingdom and members will have the opportunity to hear dialogues on the development of corporate governance culture in the region and take part in roundtable discussions on board effectiveness and the future of corporate governance in the region. – SG
