Bahrain Bourse and the Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA) has officially launched a new chapter in Bahrain, to further develop and enhance best practices in Investor Relations (IR) across the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The MEIRA Bahrain Chapter was formally inaugurated yesterday at the signing ceremony of founding members who have recognised their commitment to develop the IR function in the local market. The founding members include Aluminium Bahrain (‘ALBA’) (represented by Eline Hilal), Bank ABC (represented by Brendon Hopkins), Bahrain Telecommunications Company (‘Batelco’) (represented by Faisal Qamhiyah), Ithmaar Holding (represented by Sameh Mohamed Mahmandar), National Bank of Bahrain (represented by Russell Bennett), and SICO BSC (c) (represented by Fadhel Makhlooq). Bahrain Bourse will also lead the Chapter represented by MEIRA Bahrain Chapter Head, Marwa AlMaskati.
On this occasion, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain Bourse, commented: “The establishment of the Bahrain MEIRA Chapter sets the ground for establishing a solid network of IR professionals in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and will certainly help in advancing the IR function and promoting international best practices among listed companies in the capital market.”
“Bahrain Bourse will play a major role in this initiative to promote best practices in IR. Further, the roll-out of the chapter will also signal to the international investment community our commitment and enhance possibility of inclusion in emerging markets indices.” Sh. Khalifa added.
Commenting on the new chapter, Andrew Tarbuck, MEIRA Chairman said: “Since MEIRA signed the MOU with Bahrain Bourse in November, we have been working very closely with the exchange to develop a dynamic and committed Chapter in the Kingdom. This is a great milestone for MEIRA and the Bahraini capital markets and represents a unique opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of IR in the Kingdom. We look forward to collaborating with our Chapter Members and with Bahrain Bourse as the Chapter Head to increase the effectiveness and quality of the IR function among the organisations in the Kingdom through our wide range of activities and training programmes.”
The signing ceremony took place at Bahrain Bourse premises and it was followed by an IR seminar attended by more than 30 representatives from local listed companies who had the opportunity
to discuss the importance of the IR function from the investment community perspective. This initiative is part of the MOU signed between MEIRA and Bahrain Bourse in order support for the development of international standards in IR and corporate governance across the Kingdom.
Members of the MEIRA Bahrain Chapter will now have access to a wealth of IR knowledge from global leaders in the profession in the form of specific educational initiatives and will be able to benefit from engaging local events aimed at uniting and advancing the IR community.