Bapco rolled out the red carpet for its female employees at the Bapco Club in Awali on Thursday, December 10, 2009, at a luncheon ceremony to honour their many achievements.

The event, held for the second year to recognise the pivotal role Bahraini women play in the development of the Company and as part of Bahraini Woman’s Day celebrations in the Kingdom of Bahrain, was hosted by Acting Chief Executive Faisal Al-Mahroos and was attended by senior Company executives.

In a speech to mark the occasion, Mr. Al-Mahroos pledged that Bapco would continue to support the full development of its female workforce.

“It gives me pleasure to welcome you today and express my deep gratitude to each one of you for your dedicated efforts and remarkable contributions in promoting Bapco’s goals and aspirations at various work sites. I also extend good wishes to each and every Bahraini woman who takes part in building the future of Bahrain and assumes her role in the community to achieve national goals. I call upon all of you to double your efforts and enhance your productivity to enable us to confront the growing challenges of the future at all levels,” Mr. Al-Mahroos said.

“Our celebration today is one of many events witnessed by the Kingdom in several ministries, establishments and companies, in recognition of the dedicated efforts of the Bahraini woman during the prosperous era of H.M. King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, with kind blessings of H.R.H. Princess Sabeeka bint Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, wife of H.M. the King and chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Women, towards further progress and prosperity of the Bahraini woman. H.R.H. Princess Sabeeka’s initiative of naming December 1 of each year Bahraini Woman’s Day is a genuine reflection of Bahrain’s real advancement in all domains, making us more determined and committed to providing every possible support for such efforts,” he further said.

“The theme of this year’s celebrations is: “Woman and Health Security: Midwife, Technician, Physician, Minister”, vividly reflecting the profound sense of contribution by the Bahraini woman represented in these four examples of professions which underline her strong determination and enthusiasm to gain knowledge and employment, and imparting this knowledge to her community, stemming from her unshakeable commitment towards community ethics. We in Bapco have also witnessed great achievements and contributions made by the Bahraini woman, who has successfully proven to be efficient and reliable at various technical and administrative levels in the Company,” he added.  

“Once again, congratulations on this great occasion and best wishes of success in fostering the status of the Bahraini woman to emphasise her key role in bolstering the progress and welfare of our beloved Kingdom towards a brighter and more promising future”, concluded Mr. Al-Mahroos. 

During the luncheon, Julie Sprakel, a nurse at Awali Hospital and founding member of the ‘Think Pink’ breast cancer awareness movement in Bahrain, gave a presentation on volunteering and making a change to society. She described the various activities involved in the Think Pink campaign.

More than 250 female employees, both Bahraini and expatriate, attended the event and received special gifts in recognition of their role in the Company. The speeches and presentations were followed by a raffle and lunch.

Bahraini women have played a pivotal role at Bapco since female scholarships were introduced in the 1960s and the first intake started working at Awali Hospital in 1966. To commemorate this, the event also honoured and recognised the efforts of Ameena Meftah, one of the pioneering nurses in Bapco’s history. The Acting Chief Executive thanked her and praised her dedication and loyalty throughout her long service to the Company.

Bapco currently employs almost 300 women, who occupy a wide variety of jobs across the Company’s diverse range of disciplines. Several women hold key management and technical positions. As of 2009, 254 of the 411 students receiving Bapco educational scholarships are female. The Company is also, for the first time, considering training women for ‘craft positions’ to equip them to flourish in technical disciplines.

In May 2009, Bapco received H.R.H. Shaikha Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al-Khalifa. Her Royal Highness’ visit served to inspire Bapco’s female Bahraini employees to strive for greater career achievement at the Company and empower them to achieve their career and life goals.