KUWAIT CITY, June 17: Alghanim Industries, one of the largest private companies in the region, organized a Diversity Awareness Session for its Finance Management Team on May 22, 2017 held at the Radisson Blu Hotel.  The session, entitled “Passport to the World” was designed to raise awareness and promote the significance of diversity and inclusion within the Finance Management Department at Alghanim Industries. The session was facilitated by Dr Alanoud Al Sharekh, one of the most accomplished advocates for women’s rights in Kuwait and the region, who is currently a Consulting Partner for Ibtkar, a boutique Strategic and Public Relations Consultancy firm.Dr Alanoud facilitated the workshop by introducing multiple topics, including the different types of biases, the importance of communication, and how to leverage differences when building a successful team. The event also included interactive team building activities which were well-received by the audience.George Lambros, Chief Human Resources Officer commented saying, “At Alghanim Industries, ‘Diversity and Respect’ is one of our core values. We believe in creating an empowering work environment for our employees — one that gives them the confidence to share their thoughts and ideas. Alghanim Industries employees come from many nationalities and backgrounds, and our diversity provides an important source of creativity and innovation in the workplace. We look forward to organizing similar events in the near future”.The session concluded with a panel discussion facilitated by Dr Al Sharekh that included Henning Schlutt, Corporate Controller at Alghanim Industries, and Robert Etman, Chief Financial Officer, where they shared their perspective on diversity and addressed questions from the audience.Henning Schlutt, highlighted the key benefits of having a more diverse culture and its positive effect on financial return and performance within the organization. He said: “We see ‘Diversity’ as a leadership challenge to create an environment of respect, transparency and open feedback in the workplace. Diversity helps create high performance teams and will improve engagement and empowerment of our employees.”On a different note, the company also participated in a recent panel forum, titled “Women in the Economy” organized by Kuwait University’s Women’s Research and Studies Center (WRSC). Where Alghanim Industries was invited to speak at the ‘Private Sector and its Role in Supporting Women’s Economic Participation’ session, discussing the company’s initiatives towards gender diversity.Alghanim Industries has actively prioritized gender diversity at the company, and worked on multiple fronts to address issues related to recruiting and retaining female talent. The company introduced improved maternity leave policies, including extending the paid maternity leave up to 90 days. Alghanim Industries also co-organized a gender diversity conference that hosted local and international guest speakers, along with CEO Omar Alghanim who highlighted the company’s commitment to female talent during his keynote speech.Alghanim Industries is one of the oldest and largest, privately-owned companies in the MENA region. Founded at the turn of the century, in Kuwait, the company today employs more than 14,000 people in 30 businesses across 40 countries in the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia.Alghanim Industries is a market leader in almost every major sector of its operations, which include: engineering, retail, automotive sales and service, insulation and pre-engineered steel building structures, logistics and warehousing, fast moving consumer goods, food & beverage, oil & gas, office automation, advertising, insurance, consumer credit and travel. The company is actively growing its brand portfolio, with a focus on top-tier global partners. Among them: Avis, British Airways, British Petroleum, Cathay Pacific, Daewoo, Honda, Saint-Gobain and Toshiba. Additionally, Alghanim Industries has created a number of successful regional businesses, including X-cite (consumer electronics), and Safat Home (lifestyle and home furniture).