MSB's Leading Change conference a resounding success
Bahrain's first "Leading Change" conference, organized by MSB Consultancy, was acclaimed an overwhelming success by all who attended.
The conference, which was opened by His Excellency, The British Ambassador to The Kingdom of Bahrain, Jamie Bowden, brought together a unique blend of world-class speakers from the aviation, telecommunications, education and finance sectors to share their insights into modern leadership and the importance of change, was warmly received by Bahrain's leading captains of industry and commerce.
Keynote speakers included Samer Majali, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Gulf Air, Peter Kaliaropoulos, Group CEO, Batelco and Gordon Dewar, CEO, Bahrain Airport Company (BAC). International speakers included the Chief Operating Officer of Barclays Wealth, Andrew Tinney, the Senior Vice-President of Cabin Crew Training at Emirates Airline, Catherine Baird, and the Pro Vice Chancellor of Lancaster University, Professor Trevor McMillan.
Focusing on the need for change in the wake of the economic downturn, the speakers identified prime elements within their own organizations that have contributed to the success of their businesses. Areas highlighted included customer service, the importance of management and employee development, client satisfaction and employee engagement. In his talk, "Leading in Turbulent Times", Mr. Kaliaropoulos (Batelco) emphasized the importance for business leaders to maintain a presence and remaining involved in all levels of business operations, from the employees to both shareholders and customers. This belief was further supported in the talk given by Mr. Tinney (Barclays Wealth) on "Leading Transformational Change". Mr. Tinney outlined an 8-step process for creating lasting change both within an organization and on a personal level. Emphasizing the communications imperative, Mr. Majali (Gulf Air) outlined the importance of effective two-way communication and on-going employee engagement as a crucial success factor in the implementation of the airline's new strategy.
Covering the areas of customer service and client satisfaction were Gordon Dewar (BAC) and Catherine Baird (Emirates). Discussing the importance of maximizing the customer experience in order to create and retain customer loyalty, Ms. Baird stressed the need for building a strong training and people platform in order to sustain the clients' positive experience and provide a significant contributory factor towards achieving unprecedented growth. Mr. Dewar further supported the argument by advising organizational leaders to really focus on partnership within their businesses in order to create a "customer experience culture" and to this end maximize the organizations gain.
Speaking about the benefits of the economic impact of academic research, Professor Trevor McMillan illustrated the opportunity to create new businesses, attract R&D investment from the global arena and deliver highly skilled people to the employment market, all of which are vital to the delivery of Bahrain's 2030 Vision.
Commenting on the outcome of the event, Don Porter, Joint Managing Director of MSB, said, "We are extremely pleased with the outcome of the conference. The capacity audience further demonstrates the high level of interest and importance in the subject of leadership development in Bahrain. We were keen to offer an event that would bring together industry experts and provide an opportunity for like-minded men and women from a variety of sectors to compare experiences and exchange views. I would like to thank our speakers for their participation; their contribution has been paramount in the success of the conference''.
Brian Hamill, Joint Managing Director, MSB, commented:
"The conference speakers have helped attendees to better understand the approach which their senior managers can adopt in the context of their leadership processes. In turn, this will help their businesses to adapt and profitably grow in an ever changing economic environment. On behalf of the MSB team, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the British Ambassador and our speakers for taking the time and effort to contribute to the conference. MSB now looks forward to further developing our client base in Bahrain and to partnering with organizations who understand the benefits of a professional approach to leadership and customer service."
MSB is currently working with Batelco, Delta Airlines, the London Eye and Barclays Wealth amongst others.
