CEOs and board members of companies in member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, recently attended a Workshop in Ras Tanura conducted for the Council"s Board of Directors Institute's (BDI). The workshop was hosted by Saudi Aramco under the sponsorship of Finance senior vice president Abdullatif A. Al-Othman, a founding member of the BDI and a member of the organization's Board of Governors. The GCC BDI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making a positive impact on the economies and societies of the region by promoting professional directorship and raising the level of board effectiveness. “The role of the BDI is to promote governance and enhance board effectiveness by providing current board members with the tools necessary to evaluate and affect board performance,” Al-Othman said. Workshop modules were facilitated by experts in board performance from leading consulting, law and executive-search firms who comprise BDI's faculty. Participants were welcomed by BDI alumnus, former Saudi Aramco executive and current chairman of Ma'aden, Abd Allah S. Al-Saif, who emphasized that board membership is not a passive activity. “Board members should be carefully selected and held to a high standard of accountability with regard to their preparation for, and contributions to, board meetings, to ensure board effectiveness,” Al-Saif said. --MORE
