Who we are

Our mission

Our Vision

Membership

Regional presence

Our Goals

Governance

Who We Are

The Gulf Insurance Institute is a joint venture set up by leading insurance corporations across the MENA region who share a commitment towards the development of human resources for the insurance and risk management industry.

We aim to become the leading professional centre for insurance, financial planning and risk management academia in the Middle East.

We provide a qualification framework that is region specific and internationally accredited, and we promote the highest standards of professional conduct in the industry across the Middle East.

Membership is open to all individuals pursuing an insurance or related fincancial services career in the region. 

In the short space of two years, over 500 members have been undertaking studies at the various levels that we offer and are on the way to becoming proud holders of our designations.

GII takes the form of a Bahraini closed joint stock company and it was officially incorporated in June 2007 in Bahrain and licensed as a Management and Business Training Institute by the Directorate of Training Institutes Affairs. The paid up share capital is almost BHD 1,000,000 (USD2,650,000).

Insurance companies and organisations sharing the same commitment and vision as the founding members, and who believe they can add value and help GII reach its strategic objectives in the interests of all its stakeholders, are invited to express their interest to participate.

Our Mission

We aim to become the leading organisation to provide learning, sustain development and reward achievement for professionals engaged in conventional and Islamic insurance, risk management and financial planning services in the Middle East.

Our Vision

The vision of our founders is to enrich the insurance industry in the region with the creation of an indigenous, professional organisation for career professionals that truly reflects the regional focus and supported by international partners as in other regions of the world.  They came together from all GCC and other interested countries and have put the capital and resources on the table to realize their vision.

We seek to raise the bar further in insurance and risk management education, and foreseeing the opportunities that the GCC countries have to develop their insurance market into a major global market, we desire to contribute to the development of the human resources that it requires today and in the future. 

We aim to become an institute whose standards and professionalism will be driven and guarded by the career professionals themselves through membership and participation on its academic governance.

Above all we pursue higher standards of competence and integrity in the insurance industry in the region through the provision of relevant qualifications and continued professional development for employees at all levels. 

Whilst our home is Bahrain, our village is the GCC and the wider Middle East our oyster. 

We seek to collaborate with vocational institutes in the region, leading international institutes, regulators and educational authorities to realize this vision.

We are confident that this vision is shared by many in the GCC and wider Middle East and we welcome any vocational institute, industry association, company or other organization who shares this view to participate in this regional initiative.

Membership

Membership is open to all individuals who wish to pursue a career in insurance or related financial and risk management services. The Institute’s relations with its members is regulated by the Members’ Charter which includes:-

• Classes of membership to be awarded on qualification (Associate, Fellow, Affiliate)

• Services to be provided by the Institute to the members,

• A code of professional conduct to be followed by the members,

• The right to attend the Annual General Meeting for members and influence decisions on academic and professional standards and affairs that affect the member’s interests.

• The right to sit on or appoint members on the Qualifications and Standards Council

• Membership fees.

Regional Presence

In Eighteen months since we started operations, we have delivered over 2000 hours of training in

Our Goals

We work towards..

Promoting Learning

• We develop region-specific insurance qualification programmes in Arabic and English and accredited by international institutes. (CII, AICPCU)

• We develop e-learning programmes  to support our courses and qualifications.

• We develop license-driven qualifications for recognition of holders by supervisory authorities as a standard of competency in insurance and financial services.

• We develop training programmes pursuant to national economic agendas such as Emiratisation, Omanisation Saudisation, Bahrainisation, Kuwaitisation etc.

• We assist our clients with skills gap analyses and consultation for training needs.

• We develop graduate, trainee and apprenticeship schemes to fulfill future employment opportunities in the insurance markets.

Developing Learning Opportunities

• We provide international accrediting bodies and professional institutes with facilities, administrative support, trainers and examination services

• We provide national, regional and international opportunities and fora for the Continued Professional Development of our members

• We provide training for competencies ancillary to the industry such as management, marketing and information technology.

• We promote professional ethics, best practice, corporate governance, and codes of conduct among our members.

Sustaining career development

Rewarding Achievement

• We reward our members with designations (AGII and FGII) which demonstrate to their employers and peers their level of commitment to learning and qualification.

• We award quality Certificates upon successful completion of examinations.

• International partner institutes (CII & AICPCU) award prior learning credits for certificates completed with us.

• We maintain Continued Professional Development records

Governance

Guiding Principles

GII's mission is to become the leading organization to provide learning, sustain development and reward achievement for professionals engaged in conventional and Islamic insurance and risk management in the Middle East and Arab countries.

It does this by providing accredited, quality certificate courses and awarding tiered qualifications to those of its members who achieve the required number of certificates and awarding designations of Associate and Fellow of the Institute so that they can demonstrate their commitment to their profession to their employers, their peers and their customers.

Such qualifications are supplemented by training and development in financial and management disciplines ancillary to the insurance and risk management industry.

Members rightfully expect that the designations that they earn shall be promoted by GII throughout the region as benchmarks of professional and academic achievement by the holders and shall reflect the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct

Since GII is a commercial entity, it must also seek to provide a fair return on investment to its shareholders and increase share value to ensure its sustainability.

The board of directors of GII recognizes that in order to maintain these values, there must be strong corporate governance to ensure the highest levels of protection of the interests of all stakeholders.

Board of Directors

The highest authority in GII is the Board of directors that is composed of representatives from each of the shareholding companies and an independent director.

The board of directors appoints the Chief Executive Officer and two committees who oversee the work of the executive management in two distinct areas. The separation of the powers of these two committees is important in that whilst the executive committee monitors business performance, the quality and standards council monitors the quality and standards of the academic delivery and performance as well as the protection of the members’ interests.

Executive Management

The Executive management is composed of the CEO and heads of departments. The management of the institute is organized into three distinct departments to ensure efficient operations, professional standards and a high quality of customer service.

• Training Department that is responsible to provide the training and delivery of GII courses as well as courses from our international partners. The training department includes the faculty, the registrar’s office. The training department is also responsible for advising corporate clients on development of human capital as well as individual members on their career and professional development.

• Qualifications and membership services. This department is responsible for the development of the Institute’s qualifications and programmes, the examination processes, accreditation from other institutes, development of educational resources and e learning. This department also handles the development and provision of members’ services

• Office of the CEO that handles finance and accounts, administrative support, marketing, management information systems, corporate affairs and human resources.

The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is delegated with powers from the board to monitor the execution of the business plan of the Institute as approved by the board of directors, maintain oversight of the company’s finances, and to review policies such as the human resources policy, procurement policy, and remuneration and bonuses policy among others.

The committee is made up of up to six members, at least two of whom are directors of the board. The other members may be persons nominated by the board and who are employed by the shareholders, representing a geographical spread, and who possess the necessary professional background, skills and expertise in senior management, the development and management of human resources and training within the insurance or financial services industry.

The chair of the executive committee is appointed by the board of directors from among themselves.

The Quality and Standards Council

The Quality and Standards Council is delegated with the powers to oversee the quality and standards of the academic services and to promote the member’s interests as defined under the Members’ Charter.

This committee is composed of six members, three of whom are elected at the members’ annual general meeting, two appointed by the board of directors, and the CEO of the Institute.

An important feature of this committee is the appointment of the three members elected at the Members’ Annual General Meeting. This ensures that the members have a degree of representation in the Institute’s affairs and ownership and influence on decisions of an academic nature or decisions that affect the members’ interests.