GCL- International Recommends Keeping PIB’s International Quality Certification ISO 9001:2015
As recommended by GCL- International, Palestine Islamic Bank (PIB) should preserve its ISO 9001:2015 international quality certification following the bank’s success in passing the second inspection round, which included its various operations, departments and branches.
The recommendation of GCL-International - the external auditor holding the UKAS international accreditation - came after a meeting at PIB’s headquarters in Ramallah in the presence of the bank’s General Manager Dr. Imad Al-Sadi and its executive management, and the General Manager of GCL-Palestine Ms. Sherine Al-Sayed. The outputs and results of the audit round, along with the extent of the progress achieved by the bank in applying international quality standards in its various operations and business were discussed during the meeting.
Al-Sadi said that the recommendation to preserve the international quality certification after the second inspection round comes as a result of the achievements and continuous development of the quality management system of the bank. This led to full compliance with all the provisions of the international ISO 9001:2015 standard and its principles, in line with the bank's strategic objectives to meet the aspirations of customers and their growing need for advanced Islamic banking services and products.
Al-Sadi added: "These consecutive achievements despite all the difficult circumstances and challenges were possible thanks to prior planning and directives of the Board and the adoption of best practices in governance and institutional excellence, in addition to the distinguished efforts of the bank's employees and the constant supervision of the Sharia Supervisory Board, which maintains the commitment of all the bank's business to the provisions of Islamic Sharia."
For her part, Ms. Sherine Al-Sayed, the External Auditor’s Team Leader, thanked PIB’s management and staff for their cooperation, transparency and support for the success of the audit process, as it was covered as planned. Al-Sayed presented the results of the audit and the main findings for improvement and development, which included increasing awareness and strict commitment to the principles of quality management at all administrative levels in the context of the difficult situation in Palestine.
Al-Sayed saw a noticeable improvement in the system's performance indicators, in addition to the automation of many of the bank's quality management system processes, including managing the documentation of policies and procedures, improving internal quality audits, as well as consistency and linking of quality objectives with strategic direction through several strategic areas and the presence of action plans and performance indicators for each of them at all administrative levels. Such indicators were also linked to all the necessary controls resulting from the bank’s risk analysis, indicating that improvement came as a result of all the efforts and commitment of the bank's senior management represented by the general manager and all managers through continuous follow-up and improvement on all parts of the system, and the bank's ability to harmonize business between responding to the crisis and maintaining the continuity of the quality of business and services in the bank.
Al-Sayed also stressed that these qualitative achievements in the continuous implementation and improvement on performance in PIB are part of the resilience pillars of institutions and businesses, ensuring sustainability and the positive impact in enhancing the culture of quality internally and among all relevant parties in the bank.
It is worth noting that PIB obtained the international quality certificate ISO 9001:2015 in 2022, after fulfilling all its requirements, and GCL- International recommended that the bank continue to have the certificate in 2023, after the first inspection tour that included the bank's operations and branches.