Staff Reporter, Dhaka : BRAC Bank has organized its Annual Risk Conference 2023 to create awareness among its co-workers about risks in day-to-day banking operations and to find ways to overcome them effectively.

The conference was organized in line with Bangladesh Bank Risk Management Guidelines for Banks 2018 to teach co-workers about risk management framework and help them tackle operational and other risks facing the bank.

More than 700 co-workers, including Branch Managers, Branch Operations Managers and other senior officials, participated in the daylong conference in person and on a virtual platform.

Md. Zabdul Islam, Director, Department of Off-site Supervision, Bangladesh Bank, attended the inaugural ceremony as the chief guest at Dhaka’s head office on December 2, 2023. Salek Ahmed Abul Masrur, Independent Director and Chairperson of the Board Risk Management Committee, BRAC Bank, delivered closing remarks.

Faruq Mayeenuddin Ahmed, Vice Chairperson; and Salek Ahmed Abul Masrur, Independent Director and Chairman of the Board Risk Management Committee, BRAC Bank PLC, took part in a panel discussion on “Macroeconomic Volatility and its Impact on Credit & Market Risk” moderated by Ahmed Rashid Joy, Deputy Managing Director & Head of Credit Risk Management, BRAC Bank. Syed Abdul Momen, Deputy Managing Director & Head of SME Banking, BRAC Bank, and senior management committee members attended the daylong conference.

Dr. Kazi Arif Uz Zaman, Additional Director; S.M. Khaled Abdullah, Joint Director, Department of Off-site Supervision, Bangladesh Bank, and Khandhaker Tanveer Shamsul Islam, Independent Director, Midland Bank and Former Head of Facilities Restructuring and Recovery, Commercial Bank of Dubai, conducted separate sessions covering various aspects of risk management in the bank.

Commenting on the conference, Faruq Mayeenuddin Ahmed, Vice Chairperson, BRAC Bank, said: “Banks often come across many risks in day-to-day banking operations. We must upskill our people in risk management to handle them effectively and efficiently. We think capacity building through such a knowledge-sharing conference is essential to face the risks. We have organized this conference, particularly for the frontline co-workers who directly come across the risks. We hope our people will return from the conference with ample knowledge on risk management and utilize it in their respective workplaces.”

Salek Ahmed Abul Masrur, Independent Director and Chairman of the Board Risk Management Committee, BRAC Bank, said: “As a values-based organization, BRAC Bank inculcates in its co-workers the knowledge of risk management to ensure good governance. We thank Bangladesh Bank for continuous policy support and guidance regarding risk management. We will continue to organize the knowledge-sharing session to augment the co-workers’ risk management capability under Bangladesh Bank’s guidance. With continuous awareness initiatives, we aim to become a role model in risk management and compliance in the banking industry”.