The Council of Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs in GCC States honored Kuwait Finance House (KFH) during a special ceremony held under the patronage of the GCC Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs in Manama, Bahrain. This honor is in recognition of the Bank’s excellence in nationalizing its manpower, its training programs, and its pioneering efforts in attracting and developing national talent across Kuwait’s private sector.

KFH was recognized at the 12th Meeting of the GCC Committee of Ministers of Social Affairs and Social Development, held in the presence of senior regional officials and decision-makers, led by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, alongside the Secretary-General of the GCC, Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi; Minister of Social Affairs, Family and Childhood Affairs, Dr. Amthal Al-Huwaila; and Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Jassim Ibrahim Al-Najem. This recognition underscores the Bank’s leading position in advancing national employment and human capital development.

Following receiving the honorary plaque, KFH Acting Group Chief Human Resources Officer, Ahmad Alhammad expressed his pride in the recognition. He noted that it serves as an official acknowledgment of the bank’s pioneering efforts in developing national human capital and advancing nationalization programs. He further affirmed KFH’s commitment to ongoing collaboration with relevant authorities to expand training and qualification opportunities for national talent, raising their academic and professional capabilities in line with global best practices.

Top private sector institution for manpower nationalization

Alhammad explained that KFH’s selection as Kuwait’s top private-sector institution for manpower nationalization followed precise criteria and advanced performance indicators. According to official data and classifications, these benchmarks reflected the bank’s outstanding achievements in Kuwaitization ratios as well as its training and development programs.

He pointed out that KFH takes pride in being the top employer of national talent across Kuwait’s banking sector and the broader private sector. Over recent years, Kuwaitis have accounted for 98% to 100% of all new hires, driving KFH`s overall Kuwaitization ratio to 83%.

Alhammad reiterated that KFH will maintain its efforts to further elevate Kuwaitization ratios in line with regulatory guidelines, with a strong focus on increasing national talent in executive and leadership roles. He noted that Kuwaitis currently hold approximately 76% of the bank's leadership positions.

Meanwhile, Alhammad noted that KFH continues to make tangible progress toward its sustainability goals related to human resources. This is being achieved by embedding principles of transparency, developing professional policies, and strengthening adherence to Environmental, Social, and Governance standards, contributing to building a sophisticated corporate culture and reinforcing the bank’s core values.

He added that KFH is committed to empower women across all departments and job levels, reflecting the bank’s belief in their role in driving economic and social development. Women hold numerous senior executive roles at the bank, demonstrating exceptional expertise in managing different roles and responsibilities. Currently, women make up roughly 32% of KFH's branch workforce.

Recognition criteria

Recognition was based on several criteria. Each GCC member state nominates private-sector institutions that have recorded high and advancing ratios of nationalization, employ a significant number of national staff, and offer suitable training and development opportunities for the national workforce. The quality and availability of benefits and incentives that support the retention of national employees are also considered.

As part of the selection process, a specialized committee is established under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the chambers of commerce and industry and other relevant bodies. The committee assesses each nominated organization against statistics and specified eligibility standards.

Awards and recognitions

Group has earned widespread recognition and awards for its leadership and excellence in human resources and talent development. In 2026, The Group won seven prestigious awards, including five recognitions in the 23rd edition of the Stevie Global Awards, along with two awards from the Association for Talent Development (ATD). This achievement reflects KFH’s success in creating a progressive workplace culture, driving HR innovation, enhancing the employee experience, and committing to continuous learning, development, and growth. The awards include:

KFH Kuwait – 2026 Stevie Awards for International Business Awards:

• People Data & Analytics at Scale
• Achievement in Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG)
• Data‑Driven Candidate & Internal Mobility Experience

Kuveyt Türk – 2026 Stevie Awards for Great Employers:

• Talent Acquisition Ecosystem
• AI Powered English Skills Development Platform

Kuveyt Türk – 2026 ATD Middle East Excellence Awards:

• Competency Development Centre
• AI‑Driven Learning Transformation

This international recognition highlights KFH Group's leadership in human resources development and underscores its ongoing commitment to investing in human capital as the foundation for sustainable growth and organizational excellence.

Key Figures:

• 98% to 100% of new hires in recent years were Kuwaiti nationals.
• 83% overall Kuwaitisation ratio.
• 76% national representation in leadership positions.
• 32% female representation across KFH branches.