DOHA: The stability of a country’s economy relies on three main pillars namely: strength of its civil society, education, and women empowerment, said Ouided Bouchamaoui, a Nobel laureate and Tunisian leader, during her address at an event organised by International Bank of Qatar (ibq).
Bouchamaoui, the winner of 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, was here at the invitation of ibq to participate as honorary guest speaker at the first edition of the Bank’s ‘Speaker Series’, which was held here at the Four Seasons Hotel under the auspices of Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, Chairman of ibq.
The event attracted more than a hundred high profile ibq clients from local and regional business circles in Qatar.
“I would like to warmly thank ibq and ibq’s board of directors for this opportunity to address influential members of Qatar’s business community” said Bouchamaoui on her second visit to Doha.
In her keynote speech, she took the audience through her personal journey from successful CEO to co-founder of “The National Dialogue Quartet.” This initiative, for which she was awarded the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, was instrumental in laying the building blocks for a peaceful transition in Tunisia.
Bouchamaoui, who is also the President of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (Confederation of Private employers), she shared valuable insights and key learning from her experience in conflict resolution and business negotiations in a lively debate moderated by Ahmed Hafez, Director of Government Business at Thomson Reuters.
The ‘ibq Speaker Series’ seeks to offer the Bank’s privilege customers the opportunity to interact with the most influential and inspirational leaders from around the world.
“We are honoured to welcome such an inspirational speaker and one of the treasures of the Arab world to the inaugural session of the ibq Speaker Series,” commented Omar Bouhadiba, Managing Director of ibq. “Her experiences are a reminder that true leadership has no boundaries, and that with the same skills a person can go from being a business leader, to a commander of a community, to a regional pioneer, helping to steer an entire country to safety and stability in turbulent times.”
Bouchamaoui’s business accomplishments and initiatives were recognised worldwide. She was awarded the “Arab Woman of Achievement” award in 2013 under the auspices of the G8 Deauville Partnerships and received the “Legion d’Honneur” from the French President, François Hollande. In January 2015, the Tunisian President, Beji Caid Essebsi made her Grand Officer of the Order of the Republic, and His Majesty, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, decorated her with the Royal Order of the Polar Star in November 2015. She is a member of the Oslo Business for Peace Award Committee since January 2016.
Bouhadiba said: “Building meaningful relationships with customers is of utmost importance to ibq and it goes beyond providing top banking services. This first ‘ibq Speaker Series’ is part of the bank’s commitment to nurture our partnerships with our customers, by providing them with innovative platforms for thought leadership.”
The Peninsula
