BBAC s.a.l. (Bank of Beirut and the Arab Countries) held its annual gathering ceremony on the occasion of New Year and in honor of its staff at the Emirates Hall in Habtoor Grand Hotel – Beirut. The celebration was attended by the Chairman General Manager of BBAC, Sheikh Ghassan Assaf, the members of the board of directors, senior managers and heads of sections and branches, the Bank’s staff in Lebanon and abroad, and representatives of its subsidiaries.

This gathering has become an annual tradition at BBAC aiming at consolidating the social relations and promoting the family spirit within the Bank.
In a speech at the opening of the ceremony, Sheikh Ghassan Assaf welcomed the employees and praised their tremendous efforts, contributions and unwavering commitment to BBAC. Sheikh Assaf said: “What differentiates BBAC’s family is their team spirit which contributes effectively to the progress and the success of the Bank and leads to its prosperity. The human power at BBAC generated by more than 750 employees gets sincere care from the Bank’s management in terms of training, development and incentives. On this occasion, I would like to remind you all of the promise we made to our customers through our media campaign that “genuine care comes through right actions and not through words” and I have full faith and confidence that we will keep this promise".

In his speech, Sheikh Assaf also addressed the subject of BBAC’s development and growth by reviewing the financial results achieved in 2010, which reflected positive growth thus consolidating the position of the Bank in the banking industry. Furthermore, Sheikh Assaf announced BBAC's objectives for the year 2011, among which were the following: proceed with the development and the expansion of BBAC’s branches in Lebanon and abroad, launch new products and services, complete the hard work of developing the cadre and the staff of the Bank and further enhance the technological progress that characterizes the Bank.

Afterwards, a short documentary film was played to share with the audience the results of the fundraising campaign that the Bank has organized for the benefit of the elderly and children and in which the employees have actively participated. The campaign was carried out in line with the Bank’s commitment to social responsibility and on the occasion of the holidays.

During the ceremony, the Bank distributed cash amount and valuable prizes to the winners of the staff lottery and paid tribute to a number of employees who have served BBAC for many years in recognition of their professional efforts and dedication.