22 October 2019, New York : Mr. Farouk A Bastaki, the Managing Director of the Kuwait Investment Authority, was awarded the prestigious ABANA Achievement Award for 2019 at a dinner last night attended by over 500 guests including 100 CEOs of major financial institutions.
The award recognizes an individual who exemplifies outstanding leadership in banking and finance, and who has displayed a proven commitment to positive professional cooperation between the US and the Middle East and North Africa.
The ABANA Award ceremony started with opening remarks by Mr. Mahmoud Mamdani, the Chair or ABANA and Mr. David Rubenstein, the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman of The Carlyle Group whom showcased KIA’s evolving mandate under the leadership of Mr. Farouk Bastaki.
In his acceptance speech Mr. Bastaki thanked ABANA for the recognition stating “It is a great honor and privilege for me to be here today to receive the 2019 ABANA Achievement Award. I stand before you tonight to accept this award humbly amongst many of my friends and colleagues. It is a great honor and privilege to be recognized amongst my peers and to follow so many great financial leaders. It is also a recognition of all of my colleagues at the KIA who work around the clock to make KIA a success.
I would also like to congratulate ABANA on its 35th anniversary. ABANA, in its
35-year history, has been a bridge between the financial sector in North America and the MENA region. The people present at this event tonight is the best example that ABANA accomplished its task successfully.”
Mr. Bastaki, KIA’s managing director since 2017, joins a long list of accomplished recipients of the Award including David M. Rubenstein, Laurence Fink, Hutham S. Olayan, Mohammed Alabbar, Bader Al Sa’ad, Muhammed Al-Jasser, Mohammed El-Erian, Faisal Al-Ayyar, Lubna Olayan,Richard Debs, and Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal.
ABANA is the preeminent US organization for finance professionals and institutions with an interest in the Middle East and North Africa.
