About

Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company is an investment arm of the Kingdom of Bahrain, with the stated goal of managing and expanding an ever expanding portfolio of diverse assets internationally. Rima Al Masri, general counsel and corporate secretary of the group, takes pride in her role in supporting an organisation that aims to secure the future financial stability of Bahrain. She speaks of the changing internal legal apparatus of Bahrain Mumtalakat during her time there: ‘Mumtalakat has evolved considerably over the last four years, and we went from a company that was managing its legacy assets and restructuring them for better performance to an investment company that was actively investing internationally, to grow its portfolio and improve its profits. This in turn, required the dynamics and expertise of the legal team to change, so we expanded the team ensuring the appropriate expertise was available’. With the new legal procedures in place and the team operating at maximum efficiency, Al Masri is confident in the abilities of Mumtalakat to weather any storm that might arise externally. ‘Regardless of any economic or political factors that may impact one’s business’, she explains, ’a company with sound governance, appropriate business practices and proactive forward looking management will always endure any challenges with success. Mumtalakat has certainly been tried and tested in this and has come out a cut above the rest’. This is in no small part to the close cooperation between Al Masri, her team and senior management of the business. Al Masri explains that this is a relationship that she has cultivated over time: ‘I am proud to say that I have built a strong relationship with the CEO and members of senior management. It is imperative for a general counsel to gain the trust and respect of executive and senior management, if they are to lead an effective legal team that plays an operational role in the company and is not merely a last stop to meet a requirement. It is due to the trust and faith between the CEO, senior management and the legal team that we are able to ensure that Mumtalakat meets the requirements of stakeholders and is a respected and leading entity in its field without ever compromising its legal position’.