Al-Watani Receives Global Recognition for Empowering Employees and Enhancing Institutional Performance
Among 29 institutions globally and the only bank in the Middle East listed within WTW’s HPEX framework:
Emad Al-Abdullahi:
The bank is among only two institutions in the region to receive this recognition under the HPEX framework.
"Al-Ahli" is the sole financial institution in the region included in the global group.
After years of investing in employee experience development and cementing an institutional culture based on engagement, empowerment, and continuous improvement, Kuwait Finance House (KFH) achieved a new global milestone by being ranked among the High Performance Employee Experience (HPEX) organizations under WTW. This independent acknowledgment reflects the bank’s success in translating employee experience into tangible business outcomes and sustainable institutional performance.
Political News
Social News
Press Archive
The bank’s inclusion in this group results from an evaluation based on WTW’s global methodology for measuring the relationship between employee experience and institutional performance. The group comprises institutions that exceed their sector averages across employee engagement indicators, as well as financial and operational results, simultaneously.
WTW is one of the leading global institutions specializing in management consulting, human capital, and risk management. Its evaluation framework is based on a cumulative database comprising more than 250 million employee surveys collected over more than five decades.
According to WTW data, KFH is one of only 29 institutions worldwide included in the Global High Performance Employee Experience (HPEX) Organization group. It is also one of only two institutions in the Middle East to achieve this recognition, and the only financial institution in the region listed within this global group.
A Journey Beginning with Listening to Employees
This achievement marks a significant milestone in a journey initiated by KFH in 2018 through employee engagement surveys. The bank adopted an institutional approach centered on continuously listening to employees and transforming their feedback and insights into concrete development programs and initiatives.
Over the past years, the bank implemented a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing employee experience across all stages of their career paths. These included developing opportunities for professional growth and continuous learning, expanding leadership communication channels, launching well-being initiatives, and strengthening recognition and appreciation programs for achievements.
These efforts were not isolated initiatives but part of an integrated vision linking employee success with institutional success, which was reflected in both higher levels of job engagement and improved institutional performance.
The bank’s inclusion in this global group confirms that excellence in employee experience is not an end in itself, but a fundamental driver of sustainable business results.
According to WTW’s methodology, high-performing global institutions must exceed their sector averages in employee engagement indicators, alongside a set of key financial metrics, including growth, revenues, profitability, capital efficiency, return on assets (ROA), and return on equity (ROE).
From this perspective, this recognition serves as an indicator of KFH’s success in applying an institutional model that balances investment in human capital with strong financial and operational performance.
Our Employees Behind This Achievement
The bank emphasizes that this achievement resulted from the joint efforts of employees, leadership, and executive management over the years. A culture of engagement, openness, and continuous improvement has helped establish a work environment supportive of excellence and innovation.
In this context, the bank emphasizes that listening to employees will remain a core component of its future work strategy, alongside continued investment in developing the employee experience and enhancing the work environment to support sustainable growth and reinforce the bank’s position as the employer of choice in the region.
This achievement is not limited to the bank’s inclusion in the group of high-performing global institutions; it also constitutes independent recognition of the effectiveness of National Bank of Kuwait’s approach to human capital management, which links employee feedback on their professional experience to the actual results the bank achieves in terms of institutional performance.
This milestone summarizes a journey spanning several years under the slogan “Your Voice Matters.” What began as a regular process for listening to employees has evolved into tangible programs and initiatives that have led to a more distinguished employee experience and contributed to strengthening institutional performance, culminating in this global recognition based on precise standards and objective measurements.
Commenting on the occasion, Emad Al-Abdali, Head of Human Resources at the Group, said: “The inclusion of National Bank of Kuwait in WTW’s list of high-performing global institutions marks an important milestone in our continuous journey toward institutional 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 emphasized that what is particularly commendable is that this recognition reflects the voice and genuine experience of our employees within the bank, and confirms that building a strong, inclusive corporate culture directly impacts performance and sustainable success.
Al-Abdali added that what distinguishes this recognition is that it is not based solely on employee experience indicators, but also integrates levels of employee engagement, institutional performance, and business outcomes, thereby reflecting the strength of the business model we follow at the bank.
