Lifetime award for Indian head of Doha Bank

Doha Bank's India-born chief executive R. Seetharaman has been conferred with the lifetime achievement award at the Banker Middle East Industry Awards in Dubai, the bank said on Wednesday.

Highlighting Qatar's largest private commercial bank's key initiatives leading to its expansion in the region, Seetharman said winning major corporates and providing value advantage to customers were rewarding, as they led to economic development of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the region.

"Sustainable development mission should aim for poverty eradication, environmental sustainability, sustainable consumption and production. Our bank advocates and practices green banking as one of its core philosophies," the official said.

The bank's programmes like 'Eco-school programme' works with educational institutions in the region to build awareness of key environmental issues.

The bank's eco-friendly initiatives like green credit card, green accounts, internet banking, SMS banking, phone banking, e-remittances and online bill payments promote the concept of paperless banking.

The bank recently opened its Sakhar Bhavan branch in Mumbai to serve the needs of about 600,000 Indians living and working in Qatar.

The bank has two branches in India - one each in Mumbai and in Kochi, Kerala.