Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) is on track to meet its growth targets despite low LME prices, says Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji, chairman of the company’s board of directors.

Al Kooheji also said the company had made a significant improvement in the overall safety performance and commended the entire work team.

"We believe that a strong safety programme and the successful financial performance of the company are closely linked. Alba is well-positioned to meet its production targets for the remainder of 2013 thanks to a combination of focused leadership of the executive team and the commitment of its dedicated workforce," said the chairman.

As part of the regular review, the board of directors observed matters arising from the previous board meeting as well as discussed various strategic and operational matters. The board’s strategic committee gave a progress update on the Line 6 Bankable Feasibility Study.

In addition, the board examined the reports of the management, the board audit committee and the human resources committee while updates were also given on the AP30 Benchmarking and Capital Expenditure Plan.

The board confirmed the appointment of Abdul Aziz Al Humaid as chairman of the human resources committee.

Alba’s board of directors comprises six directors appointed by Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, which in addition to Al-Kooheji, includes Fawzi Ahmed Kanoo, Yusuf Abdulla Taqi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Osama Mohammed Al Arrayedh, and David Meen. The two directors appointed by Sabic Industrial Investments Company are Mutlaq Hamad Al Murished and Dr Talaat Dhafer Al Qahtani. The independent director is Abdul Aziz Al Humaid.

Separately, Alba’s board of directors and the GCC Board Directors Institute (BDI) held a workshop on effective board practices in Bahrain.

A finance training session in progress

The programme brought the directors through a series of modules on board composition and directors’ capabilities, core roles of the board, as well as directors’ duties and responsibilities. A Certificate of Appreciation was awarded to Al Kooheji and Alba’s Board in recognition of their leadership and commitment to enhancing board effectiveness.

Commenting on the workshop, Al Kooheji said: "Alba’s operations have been guided by a commitment to increasingly strengthen transparency and corporate governance across all levels of the organisation. The workshop for the board of directors proved to be an effective vehicle in promoting these values and in supporting members of the Board to deliver on performance and leadership."

The executive director of the BDI, Nathalie Potvin, added: "We are honoured to be working with Alba on this programme which demonstrates their strong leadership and commitment to nurturing a culture of effective corporate governance practices."

Alba presented a new focus on staff safety and finance skills with the launch of a campaign to establish a zero accident work environment and a finance training programme.

The company also took part in an aluminium conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, and appointed new managers in key departments.

About the safety campaign, Alba said its main thrust is that safety must envelope every aspect of an employee’s life in order for it to be effective. The message highlights four stages in an average day when a focus on safety can give a positive outcome to any situation: Come to Work Safely; Work Safely; Go Home Safely; and, Be Safe at Home.

Large billboards and posters with the message have been set up all over the plant to reinforce this message. In addition, the points are also discussed during the weekly Monday safety hours and five-minute safety talks before each shift.

Commenting on the new safety campaign, Alba’s CEO, Tim Murray, said: "It must be realised that safety does not operate according to fixed working hours nor does it take any break on weekends. It is not something that one does only at work and then quickly neglected when one goes home. Safety is a behaviour whose impact is felt not only by colleagues at work but also by one’s family. Hence, our campaign focuses on bringing an attitudinal shift in seeing safety as an essential aspect of living responsibly."

Alba continues to make safety a key priority in its day-to-day operations in its quest to achieve a zero accident work environment. During the summer months, a "Keep the Safety Momentum Alive in Alba" campaign was launched to further reinforce the safety principles amongst both employees and contractors.

The company also renewed its commitment to expand learning opportunities among its staff with Finance101 – a series of half-day training sessions organised as part of its executive education series for the year.

The training programme was part of an initiative to capitalise on the company’s in-house expertise in developing and conducting course programmes for employees. Finance101 was conducted by Alba’s chief financial officer Ali Al Baqali, corporate finance manager Mansoor Afzal and financial accountant
CP Krishnan.

Specially designed for management grade employees, the programme was held over six batches during 2013.

"Alba recognises the need to empower employees with technical skills as well as boost their knowledge base with course programmes that further enhance their capabilities. The success of Finance101 proved once more the learning opportunities made possible with our in-house expertise along with the prospects for professional growth for our employees," said Baqali.

Senior Alba officials were present at the three-day 28th International Aluminium Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, where they networked with industry peers, shared information about their portfolio of high-grade aluminium products and highlighted the company’s competiveness.

The conference, organised by Metal Bulletin Events with Alba as one of the sponsors, provided one of the most influential platforms for forging closer interactions with members of the aluminium industry and providing better understanding of trends, developments and challenges facing the industry worldwide, an Alba statement said.

The Alba delegation was led by chief operations officer Isa Al Ansari and included chief financial officer Ali Al Baqali, chief marketing officer Jean Baptiste Lucas, marketing managers and other senior officials.

Commenting on Alba’s sponsorship, Al Ansari said it was an important platform to discuss challenges facing the aluminium industry and highlight prospects for growth. "Our support for this prestigious event reflects our confidence in the industry’s long term success and determination to play a pro-active role in its growth," he said.

More than 500 delegates comprising diverse segments of the aluminium industry attended the event.

NEW MANAGERS
Amal Abdul Rahman Ahmed will be the new marketing manager for the GCC region, Middle East and North Africa; Fadhel A Nabi will be the manager for procurement and warehousing, and Waleed Tamimi will be the manager for operational excellence.

"Alba remains committed to providing opportunities for growth to talented employees in the organisation, and in empowering them with greater responsibilities. Amal, Fadhel and Waleed have each demonstrated excellence in their performance and am confident they will continue to show similar success in their new positions," said chief executive Murray.

A marketing graduate from the University of Bahrain, Amal has worked with Alba for over 15 years and has extensive experience in sales and marketing having worked with local, regional and international clients. Nabi has been with Alba for over 20 years and has worked in various positions in the procurement and warehousing department. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS), UK, and has also been an ISO 9001 internal auditor and coordinator.

Tamimi brings with him nearly 17 years’ experience as a business and management consultant with vast exposure in steering companies through business and process excellence programmes and transformations. He has also worked in customising Six Sigma solutions for companies and has been the Lean Six Sigma Programme head for Alba.