ع
Training, mentorship and the responsibility to make decisions should shape the next chapter of women’s advancement in banking, KFH’s Shaikha AlMugahwi tells Diwaniya Media at Kuwait’s Women & the Economy conference.
Women’s growing contribution to Kuwait’s financial sector should be matched by investment in their development and opportunities to take on leadership responsibilities, according to Shaikha AlMugahwi, Executive Manager of Premium Sales at Kuwait Finance House.
Speaking to Diwaniya Media at Lei Wa Lakom’s Women & the Economy conference, AlMugahwi outlined an approach that connects professional training with practical experience: giving women projects to lead, decisions to make and the support to develop into senior roles.
Her comments also extended beyond careers inside banks. Financial institutions, she said, have a responsibility to support female entrepreneurs, helping women translate business ideas into viable enterprises. Together, these priorities place banks in two influential positions within women’s economic advancement: as employers developing talent and as financial partners supporting business ownership.
Building confidence through responsibility
AlMugahwi’s argument draws on her experience at KFH, where she said she had seen women develop as they were entrusted with greater responsibility.
“Throughout my career at KFH, I have seen how giving women the right opportunities, responsibilities, and support can help them grow into confident leaders and decision-makers,” she said.
That emphasis on responsibility runs through her view of professional development. Equal access to employment provides a starting point, while progression depends on what employees are subsequently trusted to do. Leading an assignment, exercising judgement and being accountable for its outcome give future managers experience they can carry into more senior positions.
“At KFH, we believe that empowering women is not only about providing equal opportunities, but also about investing in their professional development and preparing them for leadership positions,” she said.
AlMugahwi joined the conference’s first panel, which examined women’s economic participation. The two-day event, held on October 17–18, brought together business leaders, policymakers and academics around questions of employment, finance and economic contribution.
Her remarks gave that wider discussion a practical focus: how institutions prepare women already working within them to become the people making decisions.
Connecting training with leadership experience
“I believe the next step is to focus on developing future female leaders through training, mentorship, and real opportunities to lead projects and make decisions,” AlMugahwi said.
KFH’s recent leadership initiatives provide context for that emphasis. In July 2026, the bank announced ONE VISION, a six-month programme involving 75 high-potential employees and senior leaders across the group.
The initiative uses reverse mentorship, with experienced leaders sharing their knowledge while employees contribute perspectives and ideas of their own. KFH said participants would take part in six structured sessions intended to strengthen professional relationships, knowledge-sharing and readiness for future leadership opportunities.
ONE VISION is a broader talent-development programme, rather than a women-only initiative. Its structure nevertheless illustrates how mentoring can connect employees with senior decision-makers over a sustained period.
Alongside this, KFH’s fourth Leadership Academy cohort, announced in July 2025, brought together 52 leaders from across the group, including participants from Turkey, Bahrain and Egypt. Developed with Headspring, the programme included separate tracks for executive managers and senior managers.
KFH also incorporated artificial intelligence in banking into the curriculum. That detail places leadership development within the changing demands of the industry: preparing managers involves both strengthening their judgement and helping them understand technologies affecting the businesses they oversee.
AlMugahwi’s contribution to this discussion is the emphasis on applying that preparation. In her account, professional development is closely connected to being given the authority to act.
Why advancement matters to the business
The relationship between women’s leadership and organisational performance has also been examined internationally.
A 2019 International Labour Organization study, based on a survey of almost 13,000 enterprises across 70 countries, found that more than 57% of respondents agreed gender-diversity initiatives improved business outcomes. Almost 57% also reported that these initiatives made attracting and retaining talent easier.
These were reported findings from a global survey, rather than measurements of KFH or Kuwait’s banking sector. They nevertheless provide a wider business context for AlMugahwi’s emphasis on developing women into decision-makers.
The study also highlighted the importance of women progressing into strategic areas of a business. That connects directly with her call for opportunities to lead projects: the nature of an employee’s experience matters alongside access to training.
For a bank, developing future leaders is also a question of succession. The people entrusted with responsibility today gain experience that can prepare them to manage teams, respond to change and take on larger decisions in the years ahead.
Supporting women as business owners
AlMugahwi also identified a second responsibility for financial institutions: supporting women who are building businesses of their own.
“We also have an important role as financial institutions supporting female entrepreneurs by providing financial solutions and helping them turn their ideas into successful businesses,” she said.
Her comments linked women’s advancement inside financial institutions with the contribution those institutions can make outside their own workforce. One concerns career progression; the other concerns access to the financial support needed to develop an enterprise.
She did not announce a new financing product or programme in the interview. Instead, she set out a broader view of what women’s economic empowerment should achieve, encompassing professional growth, leadership and business ownership.
“For me, true women empowerment is not just about having women in the workplace; it’s about giving them the opportunity to grow, lead, and make a real impact on the economy.”
