Hala Al Safadi

Vice President — Company Secretary and Head of Investor Relations, Commercial Bank International

“Often women are expected to prioritize caregiving over professional ambitions — which can create unconscious biases”

My Leadership style.

There are four main traits required for someone to be a well-rounded leader, regardless of changing leadership styles: integrity, emotional intelligence, vision, and adaptability. Integrity builds trust through transparency; emotional intelligence fosters collaboration and loyalty; vision inspires and guides teams with a clear direction; and adaptability ensures leaders to stay relevant by embracing change without compromising their principles.

Continuous learning is essential, and a significant part of that is focusing on self-management skills and self-awareness. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses is key to improving your leadership style and adapting to different situations. Reinventing your style can be challenging at times, but it becomes easier when you prioritize self-reflection and make time for yourself.

An Useful Tip

My tip is to schedule regular moments for introspection by simply taking a step back to evaluate your performance. Recognize what you do well and where you can improve to enhance self-awareness and remain balanced and adaptable in your leadership approach.

Women need to break stereotypes

However, traditional role expectations and stereotypes remain significant barriers for women in leadership and there is a need to advocate creating a workplace culture that values performance and results over outdated gender norms. Women are often expected to prioritize certain roles, such as caregiving, over professional ambitions, which can create unconscious bias about their commitment or capability. I have also noticed that stereotypes about women being less assertive or risk-averse can also undermine their credibility in decision-making roles.

Personal Branding .

For me, personal branding reflects who I am and how I am perceived as a professional. It’s about staying authentic and true to myself, rooted in values like integrity, professionalism, and transparency, which align with my company’s mission. I strive to embody these values in all I do, whether representing the company publicly, collaborating with stakeholders, or working with my team.

My domain-specific challenges and how I address them

In banking, the regulatory environment is a critical focus, requiring a balance between compliance with Central Bank and SCA requirements and maintaining business agility. This demands a strong understanding of governance frameworks while ensuring alignment with the company’s mission, vision, and strategy. A unique challenge is managing stakeholder expectations, and delivering transparency while safeguarding sensitive information. Compared to other industries, banking operates under heightened scrutiny with a strong emphasis on ethical governance.