“I realised that it was exactly the company ethos and approach I’d always looked for, so when the opportunity came up to join, I snapped it up. I’m really excited and proud to be part of such a talented team.”

Kate Gibson recently joined Innervate as their Regional Director for The Gulf. We sat down with Kate to understand a bit more about her, her experience, and how she’s going to be helping Innervate to build a Bahraini business.

Originally from the UK, Kate has been living in Bahrain for over 10 years now and will celebrate 11 years on the island in March 2020.

“If someone had told me when I was younger I’d be living and working in Bahrain when I grew up and then also told me I’d be doing so as the Regional Director for a rapidly-growing tech
company, I probably would have raised my eyebrows in surprise – but also secretly hoped it would come true.”

“I’ve always had a head for business development and have come to my role at Innervate via some different sectors. I’ve worked across property, food and beverage, event management, and prior to Innervate in the Department for International Trade (DIT) within the British Embassy in Bahrain.”

“I owe a lot of gratitude to the organizations that I’ve worked alongside with for the amazing experiences, (both good and bad) that I’ve benefited from. They’ve all helped shape my personal and professional development. I’ve been offered some very cool opportunities, met exceptional people, been exposed to fascinating projects, and learned about the importance of diversity, inclusion and cultural understanding.”

Making the Move

Kate explains how her and Innervate’s paths crossed:

“I’d worked with Innervate for over a year whilst I was at the Department for International Trade and I always loved seeing the team. The enthusiasm they have for Bahrain and their view of the opportunity here, plus the amazing sense of teamwork and collaboration they have was always very inspiring to me.”

“I realised that it was exactly the company ethos and approach I’d always looked for, so when the opportunity came to join, I snapped it up. I’m really excited and proud to be part of such a talented team”.

“And the timing couldn’t be better either.”

“There are so many businesses in Bahrain and across the region, especially across the Financial Services and Higher Education sectors that we’re poised to be able to help with our digital transformation projects as their digital productivity partner.”

Understanding customers fully

“Forward-thinking companies are now realising that understanding their customers fully is key to maximizing their business potential. This is particularly key in the banking sector where in the last two years we’ve seen a lot of innovation and disruption, particularly with the advent of Open Banking.”

“It’s so important that businesses continue to progress but they also need to ensure they don’t lose sight of the customer – who is at the heart of all our businesses. It’s about having the right
technology in place to support your ambitions and strategy, rather than thinking that having the technology is the strategy.”

“We’re watching with interest how this plays out in Bahrain, how the digital transformation agenda develops, and how our solutions, services and support can help customers across all sectors.”

“We’re not just sitting back though. Our plan is to create a local hub for Innervate that will service the region and beyond and allow us to train a new generation of digital gurus. The Bahraini nationals that we upskill and develop will enable us to continue to offer market leading solutions to the organizations and businesses in need of our expertise.”

“It’s a truly amazing opportunity, and one that we wouldn’t be able to seize without the help of some close partnerships.”

Nothing without a network

“We’ve been really lucky to have the support of Bahrain Fintech Bay and the Economic Development Board from the beginning, and these partnerships have been instrumental in our journey so far.”

“From helping us to build our network, to facilitating, attending and co-hosting events, even being involved in Bahrain Tech Week
– all of these have helped Innervate to lay the foundations for our Middle East venture.”

“We’ve met some fantastic people that have allowed us to understand the market here and how to adapt our working practices to suit this exciting region.”

“Of course, our relationship with Microsoft is also key in helping us to drive the business forward and I am really pleased to be working with a motivated local Microsoft team, helping us get the Innervate message out to customers.”

“The support and partnership ecosystem that has developed in Bahrain over the last few years is something that we feel privileged to be a part of. We like to think that our success is testament to how well that support network works.”

Resilience and self-belief

“If my time in Bahrain has taught me anything, it’s about the importance of resilience and having some self-belief.”

“There aren’t many places in the world that offer such a varied and exciting working life – but I had to keep pushing myself towards those roles with challenges and opportunities that made me look forward to starting work in the morning, and feel rewarded at the end of the day.”

“And now taking all those great experiences, everything I’ve learned and channelling them into making a success of Innervate in Bahrain and across the region – that makes every day pretty exciting, as far as I’m concerned.”

For more information:

innervate.uk.com