Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), a leading international aluminium smelter, officially launched Tim’s Academy, an in-house initiative, in the presence of executive management, directors and managers.

Launched via the company’s training department, Tim’s Academy was established with the aim to continue the people development initiatives launched by Alba’s chief executive officer Tim Murray, since his appointment in 2012, said a statement from the company.

Tim’s Academy includes the following – MBA Alumni: To impart the knowledge of the company’s MBA graduates to Alba employees at different levels through short training workshops; Tim’s Book Club: The CEO’s initiative to promote reading culture amongst Alba employees; Executive Education Series: workshops and short courses delivered by the CEO, executive team, expert consultants and academic professors; and SAS Mini MBA: One week of intensive training led by company’s MBA Alumni under the guidance of Alba’s CEO to develop managerial and leadership skills of potential MBA candidates, it added.

Waleed Tamimi, director of administration, said: “Education is a key driver of an economy. At our company we believe that education is the foundation of everything we do. Through Tim’s Academy, we intend to share all that we have learnt through the various initiatives to our employees in order to create a pool of talent and leaders who will continue to drive the Company on a successful path,” he added.

$80M DIVIDEND

Earlier, the annual general meeting (AGM) of Alba, approved the distribution of cash dividends amounting to BD29.6 million ($80 million) for the fiscal year 2016.

The dividend is equivalent to 21 per cent of the nominal value of the company’s shares (excluding treasury shares) –which is 21 fils per share and will be payable from April 2 to Alba’s shareholders of record as of March  21, a statement said. 

Approval was also given to the directors’ remuneration for the fiscal year 2016 as well as the transfer of BD48.4 million to retained earnings. It was also agreed to absolve the directors from any liability in connection to the transactions related to the business and activities of the company recorded in the 2016 financial statements.

The shareholders also approved the re-appointment of Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa as the chairman of the board of directors.