Bushra AlWazzan

Highlights:
• Establish and Revamp the Entire Internal Control Framework.
• Map & Automate Enterprise Cross-Functional Bank Processes.
• Design policies, procedures and processes that promote strategic culture and vision.
Key Responsibilities:
• Lead the internal Control Department, Review bank-wide functions and operations performed by stakeholders
• Develop and update Internal Control Policies Procedures and processes to adapt regulatory changes influenced by the Board or the regulatory agencies and report results to the Board and to the Board’s Committee.
• Establish the organizational structure, roles, and responsibilities, team performance targets and goals.
• Work closely with key stakeholders: strategic customers, customs, audit companies, regulatory bodies, etc.
• Ensure sustainability of the annual business plan is met, including revenue, cash flow, profit, and service levels
• Determine tactical plans, aligned with the group strategy, to achieve strategic goals
• Ensure market share growth through development and contribution to the strategic direction, ensuring that local environmental factors are taken into consideration in the setting of strategies and policies.
• Actively monitor the market, ensuring full awareness of competitor strategies and actions and to continually review and improve business processes to improve productivity and add value to the Bank’s services.
• Gain a thorough understanding of the bank’s governance and regulatory set-up, organizational structures, policy framework, and operational procedures.
• Compile a comprehensive Audit Universe and use it to develop an annual or multi-annual risk-based internal control programme.
• Perform financial, operational, compliance and other types of Internal Control audits in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and all Three-LOD frameworks while considering the development of lean control techniques to enhance efficiency.
• Assist the Board’s Committees in the fulfilment of their duties and responsibilities through meeting with the Three-LOD Committees on a regular basis to review and discuss findings and other relevant matters.
• Review the Bank practices and records for compliance with established internal policies, procedures, and processes to ensure that these are benchmarked in reference to international best practice.
• Develop recommendations for improving governance, risk management, internal controls, operating efficiency, and the adequacy of Bank records and record-keeping.
• Report findings and recommendations to the three-LOD Committees and to the Board based on the results of regularly scheduled audits, non-scheduled audits, and at any time when issues need to be addressed by management.
• Conduct and record follow-up reviews of financial, operational, or regulatory compliance deficiencies noted during audits & conduct investigations of irregularities.
• Evaluate internal controls suitability, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and internal controls’ effectiveness and implement an ongoing quality development and improvement programme.
• Evaluate comprehensive business processes and transactions to analyze productiveness of controls and risk alleviation.
• Examine validity and reliability of financial, accounting and other data and report any deviations.
• Provide internal consultancy by either undertaking specific engagements including the review of documents, or actively participating in committees, working groups, task forces, and new projects as required.
• Perform other duties as required, consistent with the goals, objectives, and responsibilities of the Internal Control Department Head.

Highlights:
• Revamp of the entire IT Contracts Management framework.
• Budget savings through License Management controls.
Key Responsibilities:
• Lead, monitor and implement scope of the COBIT and industry best practices based on approved assessment priorities and plans and process target states.
• Monitor and review compliance with Risk management strategies and ensure that IT-related activities are meeting minimum standards.
• Lead, monitor and report the activities with individuals in IT to comply with regulator IT requirement.
• Identify risks, review the potential threats and vulnerabilities and Implement risk responses and assist in developing the action plans to address the risk factors identified.
• Identify, collect and monitor the Key Risk Indicators.
• Engaging with CISO, Risk and Audit activities
• Lead and supervises the coordination between concerned areas in Group Operations & IT for any Internal/External audits.
• Define procedures and guidelines for owned key processes as per best practices including Project Management for IT internal projects, Vendor management and License Management, keep them up to
• date and ensure compliant with them.
• Monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of owned key processes and implement reporting mechanisms and KPIs for governance, security and risk practices to support compliance and highlight areas of
• exposure.
• Oversee the performance of vendors and software licensing contracts and perform cost and spend analysis to identify cost effective solutions and opportunities to negotiate with vendors.
• Manage, maintain and update all vendor management portfolio.
• Provide direction to subordinates towards the achievement of goals and objectives, guide and motivate them to enhance performance and produce quality work and ensure that they are continuously
• developed for higher level roles.
• Prepares and conducts workshops & presentations to articulates the impacts and appropriate corrective actions to Management in Group Operations & IT on quality and compliance-related matters.

Highlights:
• Revamp of the entire Quality and Compliance Department.
• Emphasis on the Cross-functional collaboration amongst the teams.
Key Responsibilities:
• Develop and Lead the compliance activities to ensure it is in full synchrony with the current and future compliance, regulatory and risk controls.
• Establish a mechanism for reporting on compliance to the executive management and the appropriate committees.
• Lead the Top Management Reports on Risk, Audit, Gaps and opportunity of improvement.
• Lead and execute the COBIT/ITIL assessment for selected IT processes and report findings to top management.
• Collaborate with stakeholders at all levels to identify best practices for performance challenges and support improvement efforts.
• Lead and coordinate with any External Audits (CBK and ICR’s) that may be required. This includes providing feedback and input into final reports submitted to the external auditors and the facilitation of realistic target dates for any issues raised.
• Validate and ensure that the communication with internal audit is accurate. This includes providing feedback and input into final reports and the facilitation of realistic target dates for any issues raised.
• Lead and overlook the Business Continuity Management (BCM) and Disaster Recovery (DR) test Coordination between Group Operations, IBG locations, GRM, and IT
• Monitor the preparation/updates on the BCM documentations: Business Impact Analysis (BIA), Business Recovery Plan (BRP) and Call trees.
• Liaise and consult with the Process Optimization team to ensure that process quality is embedded into IT and Business processes.
• Lead and manage the defining and operating of quality control gateways for IT. This includes ensuring that quality control gateways are in place for each stage of the System Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
• Ensure that periodic reviews and SLAs are defined and aligned to mitigate risks and ensure control.
• Follow and adopt IT Governance Frameworks for Kuwait and 12 IBG locations where applicable.
• Lead the effort of continuous improvements and identify strategies to ensure compliance, quality and excellence in the QA & Compliance Unit, this includes reviewing performance reports to ensure they meet strategic targets.
• Develop action plans to assess and improve the quality assurance of the services and products offered to internal and external customers.
• Assist in identifying optimization opportunities and cost control by analyzing and comparing results obtained from monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.
• Ensure the Group Budget is under control and targets are being achieved
• Coordinate with partners on Staff’s Career Development, training, knowledge transfer and other skills
• Review Business frameworks and ensure compliance to internal and external rules and regulations
• Manage and report the Production Defects Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
• Support, follow-up and validate the Key Risk Indicators (KRI) validations and reporting (monthly, quarterly, and yearly)

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinating with all areas of the bank to ensure quality service standards are maintained.

• Liaising with IT in order to design IT programs capable of service quality measurement and analysis.

• Providing feedback to executive management on performance management appraisal of service standards.

• Following up with suggestions to improve service standards where possible and to reward employees as appropriate.

• Delegating responsibilities and designing time schedules, managing resources in accordance with project schedules.

• Tracking project developments to ensure overall quality of deliverables, its adherence to project time lines.

• Ensuring accurate and timely reporting of projects status and financial reporting in conjunction with EPMO & Finance department.

• Reporting to senior management periodically on project advancement, requisitioning additional resources as per requirement. Justifying overheads, implementing cost reduction strategies, and optimizing employee throughput.

• Undertaking responsibility for all contracts, SLA’s and licensing agreements as well as handling all vendors & suppliers on behalf of the Bank.

• Devising divisional budgets, coordinating with banking teams, procurement and finance department, thus ensuring all procurement activities are in conformance with banking governance guidelines.

• Evaluating staff training needs to plan and execute training sessions to maintain a skilled and motivated work force.

• Managing the responsibility for all functions of the department pertaining to divisional performance management, reward & recognition and talent development programs to enhance team member retention.

• Devising, implementing and overseeing project performance statistics and portfolio level and escalated non-confirmative actions to the higher authorities as needed.

• Ensuring timely/ accurate reporting encompassing service, risk & people metrics to the management for implementing corrective actions.

• Accountable for documenting the allied risk and audit action logs, whilst meeting the completion dates.

• Fostering clear channel of communication with Project Managers for developing business projects and feasibility studies for proposed projects, along with directed the business cases to appropriate authorities for support and endorsement.

• Managing and overseeing the whole spectrum of project management information system for better workflow.

• Creating and maintaining procurement templates; supporting procurement functions, and liaising with finance and project managers in order to enhance project procurement processes.

Key Responsibilities:
• Planned, controlled, monitored, and managed assigned project resources to best meet project objectives and adhere to project scope, time, cost and quality constraints.
• Efficiently maintained files, documents and records for project risks, issues and change requests, cost & quality.
• Actively involved in achieving the bank’s goals reflected in the balance score cards & KPIs, auditory/ risk related reports.
• Supported in the vendor selection process as well as ensured the documentation & procurement is fulfilled as and when needed.
• Served as a vocal resource and vocal role-player in the development of Strategic Performance Management system and annual Business Plans in line with the Corporate & Management Strategy for the better understanding of work.
• Monitored adherence to master plans/schedules, and published regular progress updates and stressing key concerns, issues and risks for smooth functioning of day to day activities of the bank.
• Consistently follow up and dealt with various Divisions/Team members to attain knowledge on the business plans & collaborated as partners in transforming into deliverable goals.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contributed in the development of customer related strategies, business plan and budget, while ensuring compliance with corporate strategies.

• Maintained, enhanced awareness of principles, policies, procedures, and internal processes regarding customer relations management.

• Monitored compliance with banking policies, procedures, ethical practices and guidelines of accrediting organizations.

• Designed several SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for the revenue and support Groups thus ensuring procedural adherence.

• Analyzed performance against key indicators for group operating functions. Oversaw delivery of action items allocate by the GCOO to different Groups for execution.

• Analyzed and identified risk areas and effected corrective & preventive measures to resolve the same.

• Regularly conducted customer satisfaction surveys, & coordinated the survey results prevention's/predictions with the business groups.

• Instrumental in developing performance by implementing Ghost shopper strategies and provided comparative analysis.

• Ensured that products and services meet the customer needs via reviewing customer feedback.

Key Responsibilities:

• Established, implemented and maintained quality management systems in line with relevant parameters set by the bank.

• Coordinated in devising KPI’s for customer care department in consonance with corporate strategies.

• Developed full understanding of customer behaviour including analysis of customer satisfaction & loyalty reviews in order to meet specific customer requirements.

• Executed customer base programs that deliver customer retention reports and submitted the same to the senior management.

• Liaised with internal/ external auditors for conducting quality audits while assured strict adherence to ISO 9001:2000 standards.

• Established electronic customer feedback tracking system in coordination with IT & Call Center groups.

• Planned, developed public relation strategies for the clients & regularly coordinated with the media as well as efficiently handled the development / modification process of the damage control.

• Managed the website and applications and updating them regularly to consistently chart out long term goals and objectives.

• Performed quality control checks on bank data and eliminated erroneous information in accordance with established procedures.

• Kept abreast of new developments, changes in policies/procedures to enhance the quality of customer service provided.

• Attained acquaintance in evaluating latest/most innovative technologies, to help organization achieve established goals in an efficient and effective manner.