Managing Director and CEO of Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) Mubashar Khokhar, was recently awarded ‘CEO of the Year’ by renowned international business magazine CEO Monthly.
He said, “Personally, I think it is not an individual award but a recognition for the entire BIBD team.”
The latest accolade for BIBD comes on the back of it being conferred with the highly coveted ‘Bank of the Year’ award by The Banker.
Recipients of this award this year was handpicked by CEO Monthly based on the comprehensive analysis and extensive research undertaken by its in-house research team – which assessed all information gathered from various publicly accessible sources, alongside materials supplied by a nominating party of the nominee themselves.
Winners were chosen based on various criteria such as: business performance while the CEO has been in the position, any dramatic or positive change within the business since the CEO took helm, feedback from any stakeholders, and new innovations within the timeframe of the assessment.
Mubashar Khokhar said, “Alhamdulillah, it is my honour and privilege to accept this award for the entire BIBD workforce. Furthermore, we would not have been able to achieve this wonderful recognition without the guidance of our esteemed board, the support of our regulator and most importantly, the trust and loyalty of our customers.”
He added that this year was particularly challenging due to the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19.
“In my career, which spans close to four decades, I have led and manoeuvred banks through several economic downturns, deep recessions and the 2008 financial crisis.
“However, there is no denying that COVID-19 has been one of the biggest challenges across all industries of recent times – a once in a lifetime pandemic, as it’s being called.
“But in the face of these challenges, I was heartened to witness that our values, our ethos and our commitment never wavered. Through everything that we did to navigate the crisis, the safety and well-being of our staff and of our customers was our number one priority,” he added.
BIBD will continue breaking new grounds in its bid to become the region’s best in the area of Islamic finance.
With S&P Global reaffirming BIBD’s rating at A- in the middle of the challenging global economy, this has further motivated the bank and its group of subsidiaries to deliver on its aspirations and forge ahead in the local and international arena.