Citation:
Healy, Paul M., and Marshal Herrmann. "Mira's Microbrewery Inc." Harvard Business School Case 120-126, July 2020. (Revised July 2020.) View Details|
Case HBS Case Collection April 2020 The Board's Role in Refocusing Bahrain Development Bank |
Abstract
In March 2016, Bahrain Development Bank’s (BDB) existing board term came to an end and Khalid Al Rumaihi was appointed the new chairman. Determining a need for change, he immediately overhauled the board and replaced BDB’s long-standing CEO. The new board quickly concluded that BDB needed to refocus on its core business of lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and selected an experienced Bahraini corporate banker to implement this strategy. However, within six months, the new CEO resigned and the board had to once again look for a replacement. Expanding their search globally, they found Sanjeev Paul, a Singaporean with immense experience in SME lending, who was appointed CEO of BDB in May 2018. Over the next 20 months, with the board’s support, Paul headed an organization-wide revamp aimed at enabling the bank to refocus and achieve its mandate of supporting SMEs. By December 2019, the changes started to pay off; after three years of losses, BDB turned its first profit. However, Paul and the board recognized their work was far from over. BDB’s cost structure was higher than that of competition, they paid below-market salaries, and had an outdated core banking system. As Al Rumaihi looked ahead to his second term as chair, he wondered how the board could help Paul and his management team in addressing these challenges.
Keywords: board of directors; Governing and Advisory Boards; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Banking Industry; Bahrain;
Citation:
Healy, Paul M., and Alpana Thapar. "The Board's Role in Refocusing Bahrain Development Bank." Harvard Business School Case 120-099, April 2020.
