National Bank Receives Global Recognition from WTW for Employee Empowerment and Enhanced Institutional Performance
After years of investing in enhancing the employee experience and fostering a corporate culture grounded in engagement, empowerment, and continuous development, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has achieved a new global milestone by being recognized as part of the High Performance Employee Experience (HPEX) group by Willis Towers Watson (WTW). This independent recognition underscores the bank’s success in translating the employee experience into business outcomes and sustainable organizational performance.
The bank’s inclusion in the group is the result of an assessment based on WTW’s global methodology for measuring the relationship between employee experience and organizational performance. The HPEX group comprises organizations that exceed their industry averages simultaneously in employee engagement metrics and financial and operational results.
According to WTW data, NBK is one of only 29 organizations worldwide included in the Global High Performance Employee Experience (HPEX) Organization group. It is also one of just two organizations in the Middle East to receive this recognition and the only financial institution in the region listed in this global group.
This achievement marks a significant milestone in a journey that NBK began in 2018 through employee engagement surveys. Since then, the bank has adopted an institutional approach centered on continuously listening to employees and converting their feedback and observations into tangible development programs and initiatives.
These efforts were not isolated initiatives but part of an integrated vision linking employee success with organizational success, a connection reflected in both high levels of employee engagement and strong organizational performance.
The bank’s inclusion in the global group affirms that excellence in the employee experience is not an end in itself but a fundamental driver of sustainable business results.
Under WTW’s methodology, High Performance Employee Experience organizations are required to outperform their industry averages in employee engagement metrics, alongside a set of key financial indicators, including growth, revenue, profitability, capital efficiency, return on assets, and return on equity.
From this perspective, the recognition serves as an indicator of NBK’s success in implementing an institutional model that balances investment in human capital with strong financial and operational performance.
The bank emphasizes that this achievement is the result of the collective efforts of employees, leadership, and the executive management over several years, with a culture of engagement, openness, and continuous development fostering a work environment that supports excellence and innovation.
In this context, the bank reaffirms that listening to employees will remain a core component of its future business strategy, as it continues to invest in enhancing the employee experience and strengthening the work environment to support sustainable growth and consolidate its position as the employer of choice in the region.
This achievement extends beyond the bank’s inclusion in the High Performance Employee Experience group; it represents independent validation of the effectiveness of NBK’s approach to human capital management, which links employee perceptions of their professional experience with the bank’s actual organizational performance outcomes.
On this occasion, Amjad Al-Abalany, Group Head of Human Resources, stated: “The bank’s inclusion in WTW’s High Performance Employee Experience group is a significant milestone in our ongoing journey toward organizational excellence. It also reflects the success of our strategy in building a work environment that empowers our employees to realize their full potential and contribute to achieving the bank’s goals and aspirations.”
He affirmed that what is truly commendable is that the recognition reflects the voice and authentic experience of our employees within the bank, underscoring that building a strong, inclusive corporate culture directly translates into performance and sustainable success.
Al-Oblani added that what distinguishes this recognition is that it is not based solely on employee experience metrics, but also integrates levels of employee engagement, organizational performance, and business outcomes, reflecting the strength of the operating model we follow at the bank.
Al-Oblani continued: “We embarked on this journey in 2018 by committing to continuously listening to our employees, understanding their aspirations, and responding to them through practical and impactful initiatives. We believe that the success of any organization begins with the success of its employees. Therefore, we will continue to invest in developing competencies and fostering a culture of performance, innovation, and continuous learning, thereby cementing Al-Nahdi’s position as the employer of choice in the region and as one of the world’s leading institutions.”
WTW’s HPEX framework is grounded in one of the world’s largest employee experience databases, comprising over 250 million surveys collected over more than 50 years, and measures the relationship between employee experience and the financial and operational performance of organizations.
