ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

32BUSINESS

Al-Moussawi at KFH aftersigning the partnership

agreement.

Event gathers representatives from all operating cos to align Group’s enterprise strategy

Zain Group hosts inaugural B2B Forum in BahrainMANAMA/KUWAIT CITY, Sept 29:Zain Group, a leading mobile telecominnovator in eight markets across theMiddle East and Africa, announces thesuccessful conclusion of a two-dayB2B (Business to Business)-EnterpriseForum held in Bahrain earlier thismonth.

The event, which drew senior execu-tives from all of Zain Group’s operat-ing companies and VodafoneEnterprise, focused on the future serv-ice requirements of enterprises, and theportfolio of products and solutions thatZain Group offers and will continue tobuild upon in order to meet the needs ofthis important market segment.

Enterprise users typically requiresolutions that offer greater flexibility,connectivity, scalability, security, andprocessing power, as well as an abilityto be accessed from locations aroundthe world. Accordingly, Zain Groupbenefits from its Partner Market agree-ment with Vodafone Group, which is aworld leader in the provision of enter-prise solutions, via its successful offer-ings to some of the largest corporatesglobally.

The two companies have alreadyclosely collaborated in the area of SalesTraining, machine-to-machine (M2M)

solutions, as well as in VodafoneGlobal Enterprise, Office 365, interna-tional roaming, and the areas of inno-vation are expected to grow further.

Commenting on the successful con-

clusion of the inaugural Zain B2BForum, Zain Group CEO, ScottGegenheimer said, “Zain is evolving tobecome an integrated digital servicesprovider, and the Enterprise sector is a

significant part of achieving this vision.We are placing a great deal of impor-tance and focus in this area recognizingthat as service providers we need toaddress very specific and tailored

requirements in order to capture theenormous opportunities fromEnterprise related business.”

Gegenheimer continued, “Zain isalready the market leader in six out of

eight of its countries of operation, andwhat this provides us with is the abilityto demonstrate scale and experiencethat appeals to enterprise users. We alsopartner with some of the finest entitiesin the world to bring the best-in-classsolutions to our customers.”

Zain’s B2B and enterprise solu-tions are targeted at organizations ofall sizes, ranging from small andmedium size enterprises (SME)through to the largest corporates, pro-viding support to businesses throughthe delivery of the latest solutionsand partnerships.

One of the main themes of the ZainB2B Forum was the alignment of theGroup’s enterprise portfolio roadmapwith those of individual operatingentities, as well as sharing experi-ences from Vodafone Group’s exten-sive enterprise segment engage-ments.

The Zain B2B Forum was a mile-stone event as it brought together rep-resentatives from Zain operating com-panies as well as the company’s techni-cal partners to exchange views andideas on how best to meet the demandsof enterprise customers and grow theirmarkets share of the segment accord-ingly.

Bank ABC,as the Initial MandatedLead Arranger and Bookrunner,has successfully closed a US$125million Syndicated Term LoanFacility on behalf of United ArabBank PJSC.

In addition to Bank ABC, thefinancing is supported by the StateBank of India, National Bank ofBahrain BSC, Abu DhabiCommercial Bank PJSC, DohaBank QSC and Oberbank AG Bank

ABC is acting as the Facility Agent. United Arab Bank was estab-

lished in 1975 and is a publiccompany listed on Abu DhabiSecurities Exchange (“ADX”) andis regulated by the Central Bankof the United Arab Emirates.

Based in Sharjah and operatingwith 30 branches throughout theUAE, the Bank offers its clientstailor-made financial services inboth corporate and retail banking.

UAB secures $125m loan

Kuwait Finance House (KFH) renewedthe strategic partnership with the dis-abled Kuwaiti diver Faisal Al-Mousawifor the third consecutive year. Al-Mousawi, who is the first diver frompeople with kinetic disability at the levelof Kuwait, will conduct sessions andpresentations for school studentsunder the sponsorship of KFH in anattempt to motivate and encouragethem to beat the odds and love sports.

This step comes as part of KFH’s

social responsibility and interest inyouths and in various sports, whichcontributes to allowing athletes to winprestigious titles and represent Kuwaitin the international championships.

KFH support to Al-Mousawireflects its efforts in encouraging thissegment of the society to overcometheir disability and live normally. KFHconsiders people with disabilities asimportant pillars that need supportand care from the Kuwaiti society.

KFH sponsors Al-Mousawi

Representatives from Zain’s operating companies during the forum.

New HINO300 series light duty truck

Hashim Gillani with the winning team and judges.

Super long chassis light duty model

BTC launches HINO300 series truckKUWAIT CITY, Sept 29: After suc-cessful re-launch of HINO brand inKuwait, Bahrah Trading Co (BTC),exclusive distributors of HINO trucksin the Kuwait, Shall be launching theSuper long Chassis from the new gen-eration of HINO300 Series light-dutytruck, was displayed recently at the Big5 exhibition Sept 13-15, 2015, MishrefFair Grounds.

Mubarak Naser Al Sayer, CEO AlSayer Group Holding said “HINOwill be the first and only Japanesetruck in LDT class to offer a superlong chassis with powerful environ-mentally friendly Euro 3 engine inMiddle East market. This new featureis appreciated by our customers andwill definitely reflect positively onthe demand.”

The Super long chassis light duty

truck which will go on sale on Sept2015, is the first in Kuwait to offer thesuper long chassis offer the best loadspan area up to 6 meter long, besides inimproved drivability, aerodynamics,vision, cabin ergonomics, comfort,convenience, ease of maintenance andvehicle safety.

The new HINO300 Series features afull-model-change after 12 years of itsdevelopment. The new series is devel-oped as a “Global model” designed tobe a “Perfect Fit” for all Middle Eastmarkets.

According to Melakandy Hamza,General Manager BTC “The newHINO300 Series introduced isdesigned to reflect quality, durabilityand reliability, same as medium andheavy duty trucks, and will satisfy theneeds of demanding customers in this

country.’’BTC has introduced the Hino Eco-

driving training for light-duty truckcustomers, in conjunction with HinoMotors Ltd — Japan, as a part of HinoTotal Support concept. The objective ofthe initiative is to spread awareness ofeconomical driving measures, helpingcustomers optimize their total cost oftruck ownership and enhance the bot-tom line for their business with an out-come of customer retention.

HINO Motors Ltd, which is now asubsidiary of TOYOTA MotorCorporation, was founded in 1910,established as a separate company in1942 and entered in alliance withToyota Group in 1966. Under theHINO brand, HINO Motors Ltd repre-sents the Toyota Group in the globalmarket for trucks and buses.

Company invests over half a million dinars on road safety promotion

Dwaliya posts impressive 92% sales growthKUWAIT CITY, Sept 29: Dwaliya, aleading car technical inspection provider,has announced that the company posted aremarkable 92 percent sales growth fromJuly 2014 to date. The Company servicedmore than 17,950 cars during this periodwhich contributed to this growth.

The company also announced that ithas invested over half a million KuwaitiDinars on its new location at the HassanBen Ali Al-Roumi Street of Al Rai dis-trict. With a huge portion of the invest-ment being spent on its infrastructure andstate-of-the-art equipment, the primaryobjectives of this investment is to assistthe General Department of Traffic inKuwait with its efforts of protecting andsaving the environment as well as keep-ing the roads of Kuwait safe.

“At Dwaliya, the needs and require-ments of customers always comes first,”said Sami Al-Mutawaa — GeneralManager of Dwaliya TechnicalInspection. “Accordingly, we havefocused our investment on providing astate-of-the-art facility that provides anunparalleled overall customer experi-ence. This includes the acquisition of cut-ting-edge technology and equipment thatdelivers the most accurate readings on

every car’s condition”. “We likewise ensure that all of our

staff is highly trained and skilled toenable them to certify that each and everycar complies with the strict road worthi-ness, safety and environmental protectionstandards and policies of Kuwait,” headded.

As one of the first private companies tobe officially licensed and authorised bythe General Department of Traffic inKuwait, Dwaliya provides wide range of

products and services that cater to allneeds. The services include full automo-bile inspection, payment and settlementof fines and tickets, car insurance and carregistration.

“To expand our reach and providemore car owners with Dwaliya’s brand ofunmatched service excellence, we areplanning to expand to other locations inthe near future,” Al-Mutawaa concluded.

‘Islamic Finance — Global Developments and Strategic Insights’

CIBAFI, IIF launch Executive ProgrammeMANAMA, Sept 29: The GeneralCouncil for Islamic Banks and FinancialInstitutions (CIBAFI), the global umbrel-la of Islamic financial institutions in col-laboration with the Institute ofInternational Finance (IIF), the leadingglobal association of financial institu-tions, launched their inaugural ExecutiveProgramme themed “Islamic Finance —Global Developments and StrategicInsights”, which will continue till todaySept 30, 2015, at Four Seasons Hotel,Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.

It is the second in a series of ExecutiveProgrammes that have been organised byCIBAFI in response to members’ feed-back calling for Executive Programmeson strategic issues in the Islamic financialservices industry. It has been specificallydesigned for Board members and C - suitexecutives in the Islamic FinancialServices Industry (IFSI).

This program provided the participantsthe opportunity to gain insights fromrenowned international experts on keyglobal regulatory developments andmacroeconomic outlook for the regionand beyond, benchmark best practices ongovernance & consider leading anti-?nancial crime strategies, discuss emerg-ing risks facing Islamic financial institu-tions and how to manage them, as well asexamine strategic approaches toInvestment and product innovation anddevelopment.

Commenting on the programme,Abdelilah Belatik, Secretary General ofCIBAFI, said: “CIBAFI is very delightedto see this morning launch of theExecutive Programme with the support ofour partners Washington based theInstitute of International Finance (IIF) aswell as support of our members who arehere today attending the programme thathas been specifically designed upon theirrequest. “

Commenting on the programme, Kate

Hudson, Director of Global Training atthe IIF, said: “We are extremely pleasedto be working in collaboration withCIBAFI on our first joint ExecutiveTraining Program. Although the IIF havehistorically focused on the topic ofIslamic Finance in its membership meet-ings and financial summits, this launchcommemorates the first ExecutiveTraining Program dedicated to IslamicFinance. We are excited to partner withCIBAFI to bring a successful trainingprogramme that focuses on key topics inIslamic Finance. The launch of this rela-tionship is particularly important andtimely as it is in direct response to therecent requests of our mutual members.”

The programme is set to feature adiverse array of executive industry prac-titioners and expert speakers who aresharing this morning their insights andexperiences with one another whiledeveloping best practice approaches tothe topics:

Speakers:Abdelilah Belatik, Secretary General,

General Council for Islamic Banks andFinancial Institutions (CIBAFI); KhalidHamad Abdulrahman, Executive Directorof Banking Supervision, Central Bank ofBahrain Session; Evolving GlobalRegulatory Environment and Outlook;Wolfgang Engel, General Manager &Chief Representative, Middle East andAfrica, Regional Office, Institute ofInternational Finance (IIF); Nadim Khan,Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP,Middle East; Session: StrategicConsiderations And Risks For IslamicFinance Moving Forward (PanelDiscussion); Giyas Gokkent, SeniorEconomist, Middle East and AfricaRegional Office, Institute of InternationalFinance; Session: Economic AndFinancial Markets - A GlobalMacroeconomic Perspective; Dr SamiIbrahim Al-Suwailem, Head of FinancialProduct Development Centre, IslamicDevelopment Bank; Session: ProductDevelopment - The Way Forward; DrHatim El-Tahir, Director, FinancialServices Practice, Deloitte and Touche(ME), Kingdom of Bahrain; Session:Corporate Governance - Leadership AndOwnership Accountability; RobertStephen, Senior Disputes Associate,Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, MiddleEast, United Arab Emirates; Session:Reputation Risk - Responsibilities OfExecutives And Senior Management; DrDominic Selwood. Partner, ArabesqueAsset Management, United Kingdom;Session: Islamic Investment.

Finally, participants will receive a jointCertificate from CIBAFI & IIF and theprogramme is eligible for CPD/CE cred-its through the Chartered Institute forSecurities & Investment (CISI), the CFAInstitute, and the Global Association ofRisk Professionals (GARP). CIBAFI iscommitted to continue its series ofExecutive Programmes in 2016 to meetmember’s needs and expectations.

Alghanim Industries names winners of ‘Startup Weekend’KUWAIT CITY, Sept 29: AlghanimIndustries announced today the winningteams from the “Startup Weekend —Kuwait”, an event which the company hassponsored for the past three years. StartupWeekend attracted 135 young participantsfrom Kuwait’s designers, developers, entre-preneurs, and experts from all domains topitch business ideas, build prototypes andget feedback from peers and judges.

Participants announced their ideas onthe first day, and then developed themover a 54-hour period from businessmodel creation, to coding and designing,followed by market validation. At the endof the weekend, teams presented their pro-

totypes to a panel of expert judges forvaluable feedback. The judges’ panel con-sisted of local experts from different back-grounds who have experience and knowl-edge in entrepreneurship, particularly insmall and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The team that won first place pitched abusiness called “Mukankom”, whichoffered a creative solution for unusedoffice space, making them available on aper-hour basis via online booking.Companies could continue profiting fromtheir space after closing hours by rentingout to students, entrepreneurs and thosethat need a temporary meeting space.Alghanim Industries’ Vice President of

Corporate Strategy, Business Developmentand M&A, Hashim Gillani, presented themwith a check for KD 1,000.

Second place took home KD 650 for theirbusiness called “Care and Compare”, which-lists and reviews pre-schools while provid-ing the option for parents to enroll their chil-dren via the app. In third place, winning KD400, is a business called “Rozter” whichallows users to create soccer teams and booksoccer fields in Kuwait digitally. All theideas developed during Startup Weekend aretech related and revolved around building aweb or mobile platform.

At the conclusion of the event, HashimGillani, Vice-President of Corporate

Strategy, Business Development and M&A— Alghanim Industries, gave the closingspeech, saying “It’s a pleasure to be hereagain and to speak to a group of proactiveyoung entrepreneurs. After seeing all yourpresentations, I am impressed with many ofthe business ideas and the way they are exe-cuted. Ideas like yours and events likeStartup Weekend-Kuwait is what our econ-omy needs at this time, and I hope to seeyour businesses start operating soon, andsee more great ideas like yours in futureevents.” Gillani currently sits on theAdvisory Board of Directors of ArzanVenture Capital, and is also a member of theHarvard Business School Alumni Board.

A photo from the event