Zain ranked first globally in telecom sector for 'Best Places to Work'

Zain Group announced that it topped the global telecommunications sector in the “World’s Best Employers 2026” list recently released by the American business magazine Forbes. The group clarified that this global ranking reflects its strategic approach to building a work environment that fosters innovation, empowerment, and excellence, supported by distinctive initiatives aimed at attracting and developing talent and reinforcing principles of inclusion, diversity, and equity. This approach contributed to a significant leap for the group in the global ranking over the past year, advancing by 74 positions, enabling it to join the list of the world’s top 100 companies as top employers and securing the second place in the Middle East and Africa markets.

This remarkable progress highlights the group’s long-term approach to investing in human resources, considered its most important asset to support competitiveness and enhance future readiness. The group implements its operational strategy under the title “Progress with Purpose,” which places innovation, digital transformation, and human capital development at the core of its priorities, as the main drivers of its business transformation journey. Zain relies in this approach on the strength of its operations across regional markets and its diverse base of skills and expertise, which contribute to building a more flexible business model capable of innovation, adapting to changes, and seizing new growth opportunities. In this context, the group continues to pursue its strategic goal of becoming one of the largest technology conglomerates in the region by developing its digital businesses, enhancing its technology service ecosystem, and strengthening its investments in technologies and future sectors.

The Forbes ranking was based on a large-scale global study involving more than 300,000 employees in over 50 countries, working for multinational companies with more than 1,000 employees. Participants evaluated employers based on a set of indicators related to the employee experience, including job benefits, talent development, work environment, training and professional development opportunities, as well as their willingness to recommend their employers to others. The results were also based on a cumulative database covering the past three years, with greater weight given to the most recent evaluations and opinions of current employees.

The results of this ranking gain particular importance because they rely primarily on evaluations by the employees themselves, providing an independent measure of the strength of corporate culture, levels of trust, employee engagement, and satisfaction. These elements are today among the most influential factors in institutions’ ability to attract and retain talent and enhance their competitiveness in the global business environment, especially amid the rapid transformations in the digital economy and intensifying competition for specialized skills and expertise.

Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Zain Group, said: “Zain’s leading position in the global telecommunications sector is due to providing a work environment that fosters innovation, empowerment, and excellence.”

“This achievement embodies our vision of building an institution that places people at the core of its strategy, considering talent as a fundamental pillar for expansion and growth.” He added, “Zain continues to consolidate an organizational culture that fosters creativity and collaboration, empowering its employees to develop and make a tangible impact, while simultaneously accelerating the pace of digital transformation and adopting responsible business practices, as well as reinforcing principles of sustainability, inclusion, diversity, and equity.” Al-Kharafi continued, “This global recognition confirms our success in building an institution capable of achieving a balance between operational excellence and human capital development, thereby supporting the creation of sustainable, long-term value for our employees, customers, shareholders, and the communities in which we operate.” He stated, “In a business environment where transformations are accelerating, the ability to attract and develop talent has become a critical factor in sustaining competitiveness. In this context, we continue to invest in future skills and build a workforce capable of leading the next phase of digital transformation.” Al-Kharafi affirmed, “At Zain, we believe our role extends beyond providing services to actively contributing to economic development and enhancing the prosperity of communities. Through our investments, strategic partnerships, and the development of job opportunities, we will continue to expand our positive impact and contribute to building sustainable value.” In this regard, Nawal Al-Bursali, Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Purpose and Human Resources at Zain Group, said, “This achievement exemplifies the strength of our organizational culture and the excellence of our human capital, as their dedication and flexibility form a fundamental pillar in how we serve our customers and support one another, which are essential factors in continuing Zain’s ascent to new levels of excellence. By listening to our employees’ feedback and leveraging their insights, we continue to enhance our leadership practices, consolidate an inclusive work environment, and deepen our organizational culture.”

**Leading Impact**

This achievement is not viewed merely as a result of human resources practices, but rather as an extension of a broader corporate approach that has made sustainability and corporate responsibility an integral part of the Group’s way of working. Zain has successfully integrated environmental, social, and governance considerations into its operational and commercial processes, making these pillars present in decision-making, risk management, business development, and long-term value creation.

The Group redefined the role of human resources by integrating the concept of “Purpose” into the responsibilities of the executive leadership of this sector, renaming the position to “Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Purpose and Human Resources.” This step reflects Zain’s conviction that aligning corporate objectives with employee aspirations represents one of the key drivers of performance, innovation, and sustainability.

**Cultural Transformation**

To reinforce this direction, the Group launched the UNITY Cultural Transformation Program, which embeds the concepts of corporate purpose and customer focus across all levels of operations. This is achieved by enhancing team collaboration, elevating the human dimension in leadership, and translating corporate values into daily practices that directly impact the experience of employees and customers.

Corporate culture at Zain is no longer just a supportive framework for business; it has become a strategic pillar that drives innovation, raises organizational resilience levels, and enhances the Group’s competitiveness in an economy changing at an unprecedented pace.

**Engines of Growth**

As global companies redefine the concept of human capital, Zain treats inclusion, diversity, and equity as essential elements of its future growth strategy, rather than mere corporate commitments.

To this end, the Group has placed talent development, career progression, and future capacity building at the core of its business development and expansion plans. This approach is rooted in the firm conviction that digital transformation is not achieved through technology investment alone, but through investing in people capable of developing, operating, and leading its economic and social impact. The Group continues to align business expansion with continuous investment in human capital, viewing them as intertwined pathways to sustainable growth.

The WE ABLE 2030 program stands out as one of the key operational platforms for this vision, shifting the concept of inclusion from the realm of policies and procedures to real opportunities for participation, professional development, and economic empowerment for people with disabilities. This is achieved by integrating accessibility initiatives into recruitment, professional development, customer experience, innovation, and business practices. Thanks to this approach, Zain continues to reinforce its position as an employer that views inclusion, diversity, and equity as sources of new ideas and drivers of innovation and operational excellence.

Capacity Building

In parallel, the Group continues to invest in developing its human capabilities through an integrated system of innovation and continuous learning programs, ensuring its workforce is prepared for the demands of the rapidly evolving digital economy. The internal innovation platform, ZAINIAC, forms one of the main pillars of this strategy, having provided thousands of employees with a space to develop ideas and transform them into practical initiatives and projects with tangible impact.

Graduate Generation

As part of its investment in the next generation of talent, the Graduate Program (Generation Z) has continued to evolve its training path to keep pace with rapid technological changes, adding artificial intelligence, data analytics, design thinking, leadership, and organizational resilience to its curriculum. Since its launch nine years ago, the program has been able to build a growing base of competencies and young leaders.

Women’s Empowerment

Zain adopts an advanced approach to empowering women and enhancing their participation across various professional and leadership levels, by providing a supportive work environment that helps them balance professional and family responsibilities, enabling them to achieve professional excellence without compromising their social roles.

In this context, the Group was among the first institutions in the region to launch specialized programs for developing female leaders and preparing them for leadership positions, as part of its targets to increase the representation of women in leadership roles. It further strengthened this approach with one of the most progressive policies in the region, granting four months of paid maternity leave, followed by flexible work arrangements extending for four years after returning to work, thereby supporting career continuity.