Welcome, Hala! As part of Session 2.0 of the Bi-Monthly Cover Story Interviews with International Industry Experts, The Insurance Times is honoured and privileged to feature Ms. Hala Naseeb, BSc (LSE), FLMI, FCII—a distinguished insurance professional, educator, researcher, and respected thought leader in the global insurance community. With a career spanning nearly two decades, she has earned an outstanding reputation for her commitment to professional excellence, lifelong learning, and the advancement of the insurance profession.
A graduate of the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and a Fellow of both the Chartered Insurance Institute (FCII) and the Life Management Institute (FLMI), Ms. Naseeb has successfully combined practical industry experience with academic distinction. As Senior Lecturer at the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF), she is playing a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of insurance professionals across the GCC while contributing to research and thought leadership on emerging issues such as climate resilience and sustainable insurance.
Her extensive experience, profound industry insights, and passion for education make her an ideal guest for this exclusive cover-story feature. It is our privilege to present this enlightening interview, in which Ms. Naseeb shares her professional journey, her perspectives on the rapidly evolving insurance landscape, and her vision for the future of the profession. We are confident that her valuable insights will enrich our readers and further strengthen the dialogue on the opportunities and challenges shaping the global insurance industry.
1. G Afzal Biya Bani (Our Resident Editor): Drawing on your experience as both an insurance practitioner and educator, how would you assess the current state and future direction of the insurance industry in Bahrain and across the wider GCC region?
Ms. Hala Naseeb: Currently, despite the geopolitical conditions, the sector is rapidly growing albeit at a slower pace than projected. Some GCC countries are paving better than others due to their resilience.
2. G Afzal Biya Bani: In your view, what are the most significant technical, professional and leadership skill gaps among insurance practitioners today in GCC, and how can insurers and education providers work together to address them?
Ms. Hala Naseeb: We see a strong demand for middle management courses as this is a growing segment with many organizations working on developing this segment for future positions. Most of the focus is on technical usually but currently we see a growing trend looking at soft skills for Insurance Managers and AI driven courses.
3. G Afzal Biya Bani: BIBF plays an important role in developing insurance talent in Bahrain and the GCC region. How does the Insurance Centre collaborate with insurers, regulators and professional bodies to ensure that its programmes remain aligned with evolving industry needs?
Ms. Hala Naseeb: BIBF engages on a regular basis with industry HRs, regulators and organizations to ensure that their training needs are met. BIBF also conducts a yearly meeting with the industry to discuss all future learning needs and skillsets that they are looking to develop for the upcoming year.
4. G Afzal Biya Bani: As learner expectations and workplace requirements continue to evolve, how is BIBF adapting its teaching methods and programme delivery, including applied case studies, simulations and digital learning, to strengthen professional competence and workplace readiness?
Ms. Hala Naseeb: BIBF praises itself as being on the forefront of the most recent methods, technology and techniques in teaching and programme delivery. Our faculty come from various backgrounds with extensive experience in delivering information for applied work-place scenarios.
5. G Afzal Biya Bani: Drawing on your experience in life insurance and family takaful, what are the most significant developments in product design, underwriting, regulation and customer expectations within these segments?
Ms. Hala Naseeb: There has been a lot of discussion on the development of life insurance sector from a regulatory perspective with regards to claims mainly. However, many insurance companies are looking towards integrating AI in their workplace for automating the underwriting process.
6. G Afzal Biya Bani: How are digitalization, automation and biometric underwriting reshaping risk assessment in life insurance, and which technical, analytical and ethical competencies will future underwriters require?
Ms. Hala Naseeb: Insurers will still need to have core underwriting prudence when doing risk assessments. However, life insurers will need to have skills in integrating client communication in their processes to better manage client expectations.
7. G Afzal Biya Bani: Your research has examined climate-related insurance exposures and cyber risks associated with outsourcing. How should insurers strengthen their resilience and preparedness for these increasingly interconnected risks?
Ms. Hala Naseeb: Insurers need to look at their risk management controls in place and also to refer to best practices as these risks cannot ever be managed away. More insurers are focusing on these but we still see some organizations lagging behind on the same. Failing to plan is planning to fail!
8. G Afzal Biya Bani: How can BIBF’s Insurance Centre further leverage applied research and industry partnerships to translate insights on emerging risks into practical solutions for insurers, regulators and insurance professionals across the GCC?
Ms. Hala Naseeb: BIBF engages regularly with industry leaders to discuss solutions and emerging risks and current issues. We recently hosted a panel of experts from the Bahrain market comprised of Reinsurer, Direct Insurer and Broker as speakers across all lines of business. The purpose is to discuss the current geopolitical situation and changes in the cover that resulted as a consequence, concluding with practical solutions for the whole industry and specifically for clients.
9. G Afzal Biya Bani: What steps has your company taken to ensure a customer-centric approach, including tailored insurance solutions, improved claims processes, and customer feedback integration?
Ms. Hala Naseeb: As a Training provider, we recently conducted a series of courses on advanced customer service skills for major insurers in the GCC and how to embed the same within the work culture. We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of this thinking as our courses always look at the customer and also a the latest trends. We also engage with experts to deliver high level courses across the whole levels of the organization.
10. G Afzal Biya Bani: How do you expect insurance education and professional qualifications to evolve in response to changing industry needs, and what advice would you offer young professionals seeking to build sustainable and rewarding careers in insurance?
Ms. Hala Naseeb: Our qualifications are always being reviewed to ensure they are aligned with industry standards and our external benchmarks. We engage with our internal Quality Assurance department to conduct a review on the course outcomes to ensure any changes are embedded in the qualifications. We also conduct regular meetings with HRs and candidates to assist in their qualifications study plans and career planning.
11. G Afzal Biya Bani: Looking ahead, what are the primary opportunities and challenges that you foresee for the insurance industry in GCC and especially Bahrain, and how is your BIBF institute preparing for them?
Ms. Hala Naseeb: Right now the main focus will be on recovering from the geo-political situation and Bahrain is proving to be resilient a these times as we are navigating our new normal. We provide all solutions regardless of the situation as we are ready to deliver training from anywhere at anytime. Other than that, we are primarily focusing on integrating the latest AI trends into our training to ensure that candidates have a full and engaging experience whenever we deliver our training.
G Afzal Biya Bani: On behalf of The Insurance Times, I extend my sincere gratitude to Ms. Hala Naseeb for graciously sharing her valuable time, remarkable professional journey, and insightful perspectives with our readers. Her unwavering commitment to advancing insurance education, fostering professional excellence, and promoting innovation serves as an inspiration to insurance practitioners across the region.
Throughout this enlightening conversation, Ms. Naseeb has underscored the importance of continuous learning, adaptability, and strong leadership in navigating an increasingly complex and evolving risk landscape. Her reflections remind us that the future of the insurance industry will be shaped not only by technological advancement and regulatory evolution but also by the quality of its people and their commitment to lifelong professional development.
As The Insurance Times continues its Bi-Monthly Cover Story Interviews with International Industry Experts, we remain committed to bringing our readers the experiences and perspectives of distinguished professionals whose achievements are helping shape the future of the global insurance industry. We are confident that Ms. Naseeb’s insights will encourage meaningful dialogue, inspire the next generation of insurance leaders, and reinforce the critical role of education and knowledge-sharing in building a resilient and sustainable insurance sector.
Once again, we express our heartfelt appreciation to Ms. Hala Naseeb for her generous participation and wish her continued success in all her professional endeavors. We look forward to witnessing her ongoing contributions to the advancement of the insurance profession, both within the GCC and on the international stage.
