Areije Al Shakar

Areije Al Shakar is Senior Vice President, Head of Development Services at Bahrain Development Bank (BDB). After over 6 years at BDB, her role and involvement at the bank includes training, coaching, business guidance, and business development. She established the Rowad Program at BDB, a holistic entrepreneur support platform focused on creating a regional entrepreneurship eco-system through its partners and network. Areije helped set up Bahrain’s first home grown accelerator SeedFuel-Rowad, a program that is managed and run out of BDB. Areije works closely with entrepreneurs on a daily basis, coaching and mentoring them at various stages of the entrepreneurship business cycle beginning with start-up through to growth, expansion, and even turnaround management. Her role also involves the development of programs, products, and services to support entrepreneurship in the country which include the establishment of incubators, clusters, and other associated initiatives. Areije’s work also involves close interaction with network organizations with the aim of building awareness and fostering an entrepreneurial culture. She is Editor in Chief of Rowad Magazine and represents BDB on the board of Rukn.me and Tenmou. Areije Al Shakar has over 12 years of experience in banking and advisory. She has worked in reputable organizations such as BNP Paribas and Lehman Brothers on the Investment Management and Advisory side. She holds a Master’s of Science in Public Policy and Management, from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and is a Certified Business Coach and Mentor, from the Chartered Management Institute, UK.