Milestone achievement reflects SAB’s world-class procurement practices and leadership
Dubai, UAE; May 15, 2025: Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB), one of the Kingdom’s leading financial institutions, has become the first Saudi entity and the 11th worldwide to be awarded the Gold Certification from the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) under itsglobal Procurement Excellence Programme (PEP).
This recognition highlights SAB’s leadership and ongoing commitment to embedding global standards in procurement and supply chain practices. It reflects the bank’s strategic focus on governance, ethical sourcing and sustainable procurement, all central to SAB’s broader vision of operational excellence and innovation.
The Gold Award is one of the highest levels of certification offered by CIPS and is awarded to organisations that demonstrate robust procurement leadership, effective integration across the business, and strong performance management aligned with global best practices.
Ben Farrell, CIPS CEO, commented: “This is a proud moment for SAB and a milestone for the wider procurement profession in the Kingdom. SAB’s achievement of the CIPS Gold Award is a clear indication of its commitment to placing procurement at the centre of business strategy and transformation. This award recognises SAB’s excellence in governance, strategic alignment, and operational delivery.”
Ghada Al Jarbou, Chief Operating Officer at SAB, added: “The CIPS Advanced Gold Certification validates the strength of our procurement transformation. It reflects our focus on building robust governance, enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring our procurement function supports long-term innovation and resilience. This achievement demonstrates SAB’s commitment to operational excellence and strategic growth, which in turn strengthens our ability to deliver sustainable value to our employees, customers and shareholders.”
The CIPS Procurement Excellence Programme is an internationally recognised framework used by public and private sector organisations worldwide to benchmark, assess and enhance their procurement functions. It evaluates performance across leadership, strategy, people, process, and systems – providing a roadmap for continuous improvement.
For more information about CIPS and the Procurement Excellence Programme, visit www.cips.org.
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About CIPS
We are CIPS, the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply. A global membership organisation driving positive change across our profession. We are the voice and standard, defining and amplifying best practice across all our worlds.
As the awarding body for the profession, we lead in education and training. Helping professionals advance their ambition. We provide insights, information, and tools. Enabling members to develop their own best practice. We help build capability within organisations. Interrogating, troubleshooting, and training. Through all our work, we build a community.
A global network of professionals powering procurement and supply so our societies can thrive.
Find out more at: www.cips.org
About SAB
Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB) is one of the largest banks in the Kingdom, with a history in Saudi Arabia spanning over 90 years. Over the past nine decades, it has been an active partner in supporting the Kingdom’s economic growth and social development.
SAB is a leading corporate and institutional international bank in the Kingdom with a top Wealth & Personal Banking proposition. SAB is also a leader in in trade finance, foreign exchange, debt wholesale banking, digital service innovation, and ESG, in Saudi Arabia and the broader region.
SAB offers integrated financial and banking services, including corporate banking, investment, private banking, and treasury. The bank’s paid-up capital is SAR 20.5 billion, following its legal merger with Alawwal Bank on 14th March 2021, when it was formerly known as the Saudi British Bank (SABB). SAB operates under the supervision and regulation of the Saudi Central Bank, and is a partner of the HSBC Group.
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