Banking
Group communications for two Bahrain banks
Leading corporate communications at Bank ABC and GIB: results, media, regulators and sensitive issues.
Strategic communication consultants · Manama, Bahrain
When the moment matters, say it right.
Senior communications counsel for Gulf banks, investment firms and family businesses, delivered faster with AI agents that work under human supervision.
35+ yearsin Gulf financial-services communications
Two banksled group corporate communications at Bank ABC and GIB
Two languagesArabic and English, written natively, not translated
AI agentswork fast; a person checks every word
The moments we are built for
We don't sell a menu of services. We help organisations through the moments when everyone is watching.
Mergers and ownership change
Clients, staff and regulators hear it from you first.
Learn moreA new CEO's first 100 days
A clear voice from day one, inside and out.
Learn moreResults and investor relations
Numbers people understand on first reading, every quarter.
Learn moreCrisis and issues
Ready before it happens, calm when it does.
Learn moreA brand relaunch
A new name or story that people understand and remember.
Learn moreAlways-on, with AI agents
Posts, replies, daily monitoring and a weekly benchmark against your peers, all checked by a person before they go out.
Learn moreThrough the window: how we work
"Ventana" means window. Our job is to help you see the situation clearly, then help others see it the way you do.
STEP 1
See clearly
We listen to leadership, clients and media, and pin down what is really at stake.
STEP 2
Say it right
One clear message, in Arabic and English, shaped for each audience.
STEP 3
Get it out
Media, social, staff and partners, in the right order and at the right time.
STEP 4
Prove it
We measure outcomes, not output: conversations, trust and new business.
AI agents
Senior judgement, at machine speed.
Our agents monitor and draft through the working day. We do the judging and checking. You get the speed of a large team at the cost of a senior adviser.
- No customer or account data goes into AI tools
- A person checks everything before it is published
- Native Arabic, checked by an Arabic writer
Daily brief · 8:00 a.m.Sample
- UrgentYour website links to an old Instagram handle that now belongs to someone else. Fix and takedown steps attached.
- CompetitorA peer bank's award post drew twice its usual response. What it did well, in two lines.
- CoverageYour roundtable announcement ran in 4 outlets, 2 Arabic and 2 English. Links attached.
- Drafts3 posts for next week, in Arabic and English, waiting for approval.
Based on findings from a real week of monitoring Bahrain banks; names removed.
Selected work
All workPublishing
GCC Tender News
A B2B publication on GCC government procurement, with a free weekly Saudi tender newsletter, produced with AI.
Crisis readiness
Crisis leadership programme for banks
For boards and senior management, including a scenario of a cyber breach, a media leak and a regulator inquiry at once.
From the founder
"For 35 years I have been in the room when banks had something difficult to say. I started Ventana so that every organisation facing that moment has someone beside it who has been there before."
Abdulla AlnaneeshFounder and Managing Director
Read his story
Have a moment coming up? Let's talk before it arrives.
Book a confidential callMOMENT 1
Mergers and ownership change
A deal is announced, a new owner arrives, and everyone has questions: will my team, my data, my job change? Whoever hears first shapes the story.
From 6 weeks before to 90 days afterWhat we do
- Audience map and announcement sequence
- Core message and Q&A
- Holding statements in Arabic and English
- Key-client calls and staff town hall
- Daily monitoring after the news
What you get
- No client or employee learns the news from a newspaper
- One story across every channel
- A clear brand decision after the deal
MOMENT 2
A new CEO's first 100 days
Staff, markets and media listen closely to a new leader for a short time. That window decides how they are seen for years.
100 daysWhat we do
- 100-day plan and message priorities
- Staff sessions and internal letters
- An introductory interview and an op-ed
- A LinkedIn presence in their own voice
What you get
- A clear, consistent leadership voice
- Staff who know the direction
- A market that knows what has changed
MOMENT 3
Results and investor relations
Four times a year, months of work are reduced to a few numbers. If you don't explain them, someone else will.
Every quarterWhat we do
- Results releases and one-page summaries
- Clear charts for social media
- Annual and sustainability reports
- Within stock-exchange disclosure rules
What you get
- A steady rhythm the market trusts
- Difficult news told plainly and calmly
MOMENT 4
Crisis and issues
A cyber breach, a leak, a WhatsApp rumour, a regulator inquiry. The first hours decide everything that follows.
Always ready; a fast response when it startsWhat we do
- Crisis plan and scenarios
- Training for senior managers and boards
- Ready statements and a media protocol
- Close monitoring and rapid response
What you get
- A team that knows its role before it starts
- Fast, accurate responses
- Trust intact when it is over
MOMENT 5
A brand relaunch
A new name, owner or strategy. The logo is the easy part; the hard part is helping people understand what changed and why it matters to them.
8 to 12 weeksWhat we do
- Idea, story and messages
- Website and content
- Launch to staff, clients and media
What you get
- A brand people understand and remember
- A story your staff tell with confidence
THE CRAFT
The craft behind every moment
The skills we use in every moment, also available on their own.
Media relationsReleases, interviews, spokesperson training
DigitalSocial media, video, measurement and peer benchmarks
InternalNewsletters, town halls, staff campaigns
PublicationsAnnual reports and corporate publications
EventsPress conferences and launches
TrainingMedia, crisis and communication skills
Which moment are you facing?
Tell usHome / Work
Work you can see
A selection of our work and our team's experience. We respect client confidentiality and publish details only with permission.
Media monitoring · Sample report
A weekly benchmark for a Bahrain bank
- The challenge
- Communications teams rarely have time to step back and see their week as a whole, or how it compares with their peers.
- What we did
- A weekly report covering Arabic and English press with a link to every article, each Instagram post ranked, a comparison with three peer banks, four lessons and a dated plan for the next two weeks.
- What it found
- In one sample week, one bank's most important news appeared only on Instagram, with no press release, and another bank's website still linked to an old social account now used by someone else.
Banking · Team experience
Group communications for two Bahrain-headquartered banks
- The role
- Group Head of Corporate Communications at Bank ABC and at Gulf International Bank.
- The scope
- Financial results, media, regulator relations, internal communications and sensitive issues, across several markets.
Publishing · Own venture
GCC Tender News
- The challenge
- International companies struggle to follow government procurement and spending across six Gulf states.
- What we did
- We launched a specialist publication, a free weekly Saudi tender newsletter and government spending reviews for all six states, produced with AI and edited by people.
- Why it matters to you
- It is the same model we offer clients: AI speed with an editor's judgement.
Crisis · Executive education
Crisis leadership for financial institutions
- The challenge
- Boards and senior teams need to rehearse a crisis before it happens, not during it.
- What we did
- We designed a C-suite roundtable and a board version covering governance, detection, response, recovery and learning, with a scenario of a cyber breach, a media leak and a regulator inquiry at once.
Website · Concept
A new website for an Omani industrial group
- The challenge
- An old website that did not explain what the group makes or why it matters to its customers.
- What we did
- New messaging, vision, mission and values, and a seven-page interactive prototype in English and Arabic that works on mobile.
Our team's experience includes work with
Organisations our team members have worked with over their careers, in the Gulf and beyond.
- Bank ABC
- Gulf International Bank
- Al Salam Bank
- BMMI
- QNB
- ADCB
- Investcorp
- British Airways
- Etihad Airways
- Emirates Group
- Aramco
- ENOC
- RasGas (now part of QatarEnergy LNG)
- DP World
- e& (formerly Etisalat)
- Johnson & Johnson
- Kimberly-Clark
- Novo Nordisk
- Roche Diagnostics
- Volkswagen
- Zamil Industrial
- The Body Shop
- Vickers
Home / AI agents
AI agents, supervised by people
We don't sell you a tool. We deliver outcomes: posts, replies and daily briefs, produced by our agents and checked by our people before they reach you.
Eight agents working for you
Each agent does one clear job, working from a library of answers and facts that you approve.
Media Watch
Scans press and social media in Arabic and English; sends a brief by 8 a.m. and flags urgent items as soon as they are spotted in working hours.
Every working dayCommunity Reply
Drafts replies to comments and messages from answers you have approved; a Ventana adviser checks each one, and personal cases go to your team.
Same working dayContent Studio
Drafts posts and releases in Arabic and English from approved facts, ready for review.
To the calendarReview Responder
Drafts replies to Google reviews and spots recurring service complaints.
Within two working daysOpportunity Scout
The engine behind GCC Tender News: tenders, projects and prospects in your sector, every week.
WeeklyRegulation Radar
Tracks Gulf regulators' updates and drafts short briefings for your clients.
WeeklyPeer Benchmark
Compares your press coverage and social posts with the peers you name, with a link to every article, lessons and a plan for the next two weeks.
Weekly, every SundayScam Watch
Spots fake pages, impersonating accounts and broken brand links, and prepares the evidence for a takedown request.
DailyOutcomes you buy, not hours
A monthly package with defined outcomes. You know in advance what arrives and when.
| Outcome | What you receive | Who approves |
|---|---|---|
| Bilingual social posts | A monthly calendar and ready posts in Arabic and English | You, before publishing |
| Press releases | A first draft by the next working day after we receive the facts | You, and compliance if needed |
| Daily media summary | In your inbox by 8 a.m. every working day | Checked by a Ventana adviser |
| Comment and review replies | Replies drawn from an answer library you approve, the same working day | You approve the library; a Ventana adviser checks every reply; any new answer needs your approval |
| Weekly peer benchmark | A short report every Sunday: your press and social week against your peers, every article linked, lessons and a two-week plan | Prepared and walked through by a Ventana adviser |
| Weekly sector tenders | A list of new opportunities in your sector | Checked by an editor |
| Monthly staff newsletter | A ready-to-send internal newsletter | You, before sending |
How we keep it safe
What banks tell us most: "We can't put our information into a public tool." We agree.
No customer data in AI toolsAgents work from published information and material you choose to share. Customer and account details never go into them.
A person always checksPosts and releases need your approval. Replies use answers you have already approved and are checked by a Ventana adviser before they go out.
A record of every stepWho drafted, who checked, who approved, and when.
Native ArabicAn Arabic writer checks every Arabic text before it goes out.
See your week next to your peers'
Ask for a sample reportHome / Insights
What we know, in print
Publications, newsletters and guides we write because the best proof of expertise is sharing it.
GCC Tender News
Procurement, tenders and government spending across the six Gulf states, for international and local companies.
gcctendernews.com →A bank's week in the media
Press and social media in one week, compared with three peers, with lessons and a two-week plan.
Ask for a copy →Saudi Tender Watch
A weekly newsletter on the most important tenders and projects in Saudi Arabia.
Subscribe free →AI at Your Command
A practical guide to using AI with no technical background, in English and Arabic.
Buy the ebook →The Lean Comms Team
How small Gulf communications departments can do more with AI.
GuideSocial Media on Autopilot
How small businesses can run social media with an AI agent without losing their voice.
GuideWhen the owner changes: what do your clients need to hear?
Lessons from Gulf financial-sector deals on the first days after an announcement.
ArticleOne useful email a month
Short notes on Gulf financial communications and AI. No noise.
Home / About
Think of outcome, not output.
Ventana is a senior-led communications consultancy based in Bahrain, working with organisations across the Gulf and the Middle East.
The founder
Abdulla Alnaneesh
Founder and Managing Director
Abdulla has spent more than 35 years in senior corporate communications across Middle East and North African financial services.
He spent 12 years at Gulf International Bank and was Group Head of Corporate Communications at Bank ABC from 2013 to 2019, handling results, media, regulators and sensitive issues. Earlier, he worked with Gulf Hill & Knowlton.
He began as a journalist at Al Qabas, studied journalism at Ohio University and holds an MA in Political Science. Today he also publishes GCC Tender News and is the author of AI at Your Command.
- Experience
- 35+ years
- Sector
- Financial services
- Languages
- Arabic and English
- Based in
- Manama, Bahrain
How we work
Outcome over output
We measure success by what changed for you, not by how much we produced.
Senior people do the work
The person you meet in the first meeting is the one who writes and advises.
Discretion first
We work in sensitive moments. A confidentiality agreement from day one.
Regional, to global standards
We know the Gulf from the inside and work to international best practice.
A network of specialists
A small core team, with experienced specialists we bring in as each assignment needs.
AS
Aneesh SharmaBrand strategy
Experience with DP World, Emirates Group and Aramco.
PW
Pere Willoughby-BrownCampaigns and new media
Communication campaigns across several regions.
GP
George PitthardChief copywriter
Twenty years of business writing.
VV
Vinukanth VijayWeb and technology
20+ years in web design and digital marketing.
SM
Said MarounArabic content
Built the Arabic division at The Writing Shop.
AI
Ventana agentsMonitoring and drafting
Eight AI agents working under the team's supervision.
Home / Contact
Tell us what's coming
Every conversation is confidential. We reply within one working day.