Kuwait Finance House (KFH) underwent fundamental transformations in 2025, starting with the Group's integration and the launch of its new visual identity. KFH Acting Group Chief Human Resources and Transformation Officer, Ahmad Alhammad, stated that KFH believes human talent investment is the key to excellence and sustainability, making talent development and empowerment central to its innovation and transformation strategy.

He explained that this pioneering approach has made the bank a role model in fostering a stimulating work environment, supporting creativity, and keeping pace with global developments in Islamic banking.

9 global awards

KFH continues to raise its standards of excellence in the work environment and leadership development, driven by a unique focus on human capital, Alhammad noted. "This strategy resulted in KFH winning 9 prestigious awards in 2025 from the Brandon Hall Group, a highly prominent honor in human resources and organizational development. Notably, KFH-Egypt participated for the first time and successfully claimed an award."

Qadha Program

The internationally acclaimed Qadha program recognized 232 employees at its 2024 annual ceremony and 155 employees at its 2025 semi-annual ceremony. Additionally, KFH honored 64 children of employees who excelled in high school, marking the fifth consecutive year of this recognition.

Kuwaitization

KFH has achieved significant success in national cadre employment, reporting a Kuwaitization rate of 83% and 24% female representation, Alhammad stated. He confirmed that these high rates, reflected across all human resources performance indicators, underscore the bank's excellence and focus on human capital investment.

Career fairs

KFH engaged in extensive outreach to attract young national talent and qualify graduates, participating in numerous career fairs. Key events included those at the Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait University's College of Business Administration, K-Tech (With you all the way), and the American International University (Join us in building the future). 

90,000 training hours

Offering around 90,000 training hours, KFH demonstrated its leadership in talent development and its commitment to making significant investments in the professional growth of its human capital.

Graduation of over 50 leaders

Demonstrating its commitment to human capital investment, KFH graduated a new batch of more than 50 leaders from its distinguished Leadership Academy program in Madrid. This program, focused on preparing leaders for excellence and innovation in banking, was delivered in collaboration with Headspring, the joint venture between the IE Business School and the Financial Times.

Harvard Program

KFH also celebrated the graduation of a new cohort of its employees from Harvard Executive Leadership Development Program, part of the "Kafa'a" initiative, a collaboration between the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) and Kuwaiti banks. KFH topped the banking sector with the highest number of participants (11 employees), underscoring its dedication to human capital development and enrolling them in advanced and internationally recognized programs. The program, launched in 2010 in collaboration with Harvard Business School, is the first of its kind in the Gulf region.

Scholarship program

KFH honored 60 scholarship graduates in 2024 who achieved master's/bachelor’s degrees and professional certificates. It also sustained its investment in employee development by continuing the program throughout 2025, supporting specialized and higher studies at the country's leading universities.

KFH Academy

KFH supports students and graduates through training and educational workshops, notably KFH Academy program. This program prepares young Kuwaitis in a practical banking environment, combining theoretical and practical study to provide diverse field experience in key areas like public relations and media, digital transformation, innovation, and engineering projects.

Employee Engagement Survey

Demonstrating the HR Department’s commitment to empowering staff and enhancing the workplace, KFH continued its long-established practice (in place since 2014) of prioritizing employee feedback. Alhammad pointed out that the 2025 employee engagement survey saw exceptional participation, with rates reaching 90% at both the Kuwait and Group level, clearly indicating the strong involvement of the bank's staff.

Communication channels

KFH prioritized fostering a culture of transparency and open dialogue by enhancing positive, direct communication between senior management and employees. This initiative included hosting more than eight open meetings with the GCEO. Additionally, KFH launched a quarterly communication program with middle management to further expand and enhance communication channels across the bank.

22 Internal Awareness Campaigns

KFH Group's Human Resources and Transformation Department launched over 22 internal awareness campaigns, circulating more than 250 innovative media content ideas to employees. These campaigns were designed to enhance internal communication, spread knowledge, and raise overall awareness by addressing various aspects related to both the HR and other departments across the Group.

Training program with KSH

KFH launched the fifth edition of its training program for people with disabilities in cooperation with the Kuwait Society for the Handicapped (KSH). This program assigned participants to various departments, reaffirming KFH's commitment to supporting their development and workplace integration.

Partners in Employing Them

In collaboration with the Public Authority for Disability Affairs (PADA), KFH took part in the 2024/2025 graduation ceremony for the sixth group of the "Partners in Employing Them" national initiative.

Employee support

KFH handled over 3,000 employee requests via the HR platform in 2025 and revised personal permissions for flexibility. Additional personal permissions were granted in September (school start) and October/November (Cancer Awareness Month).

Innovation Challenge Competition

KFH honored the winners of the ninth annual Group-level Innovation Challenge competition. Organized across Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkey, the UK, and Egypt, the competition aims to motivate employees to invest their innovative ideas in developing systems and enhancing the customer experience.

Security and Safety

In 2025, Security and Safety Department enhanced preparedness by conducting a crisis simulation and activating the automated control room in Shuwaikh for business continuity. Comprehensive security plans were adopted across all KFH locations to ensure maximum protection and the highest standards of stability.

Health and well-being

Demonstrating its commitment to employee health and well-being, KFH implemented several targeted campaigns. For women, the "You Are Stronger" campaign featured a lecture for 25 female employees, focusing on the importance of early breast cancer detection, prevention methods, and symptom recognition. Concurrently, Movember campaign was organized for male employees to raise awareness about men's health and preventative measures. Furthermore, Albokour program engaged 20 employees to promote physical and mental well-being through a balanced and sustainable morning routine.

Health insurance

KFH successfully developed and restructured group health insurance coverage to more effectively meet employee needs and enhance overall staff well-being.

Achievements

KFH demonstrated commitment to the highest international standards by securing three ISO certifications: Quality Management, Facilities Management, and ISO 22301 for Business Continuity Management (BCMS). This achievement confirms excellence in operational discipline, service delivery, and robust readiness to ensure the continuity of vital operations.

Productivity and efficiency

Alhammad explained that KFH's HR achievements directly impacted operational and financial performance, subsequently leading to higher productivity, enhanced service innovation, and an improved customer experience driven by highly motivated work teams.

Key achievements:

• 83% Kuwaitization rate
• 90,000 training hours
• Over 50 employees graduated from the Leadership Academy
• 11 employees graduated from the Harvard Program under "Kafa'a" Initiative (The largest number among participating banks)
• 60 Graduates honored from the scholarship program for achieving master’s and bachelor’s degrees
• 90% participation rate in the Employee Engagement Survey
• 9 prestigious awards secured from the Brandon Hall Group
• 232 employees honored at the 2024 annual Qadha Ceremony; 155 honored at the 2025 semi-annual ceremony.
• 64 Children of employees recognized for high achievement in high school