Bader Al Kharafi: Zain’s strategic vision centers around the culture of giving

Company celebrated its staff at annual Ramadan Ghabga gathering

 

Kuwait - 23 May 2019

Zain, the leading digital service provider in Kuwait, celebrated and recognized its employees in the annual Ramadan Ghabga gathering held at Courtyard Marriott Hotel - Al Raya Hall. The event witnessed the attendance of Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO Bader Nasser Al Kharafi, Zain Group CEO-Operations Scott Gegenheimer, and Zain Kuwait CEO Eaman Al Roudhan.

 

This year’s Ghabga gathering centered around the eighties theme, where Kuwaiti actor Dawoud Hussain took Zain employees to a nostalgic trip of beautiful memories from the eighties era. The annual Ramadan Ghabga gathering is one of Zain’s main social programs held for its employees during the Holy Month of Ramadan of every year. The event brought together staff and senior executive management together, further strengthening the links between members of the Zain family, and renewing the spirit of teamwork it enjoys being the leader in the Kuwaiti telecom market.

 

Addressing the guests, Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO Bader Nasser Al Kharafi said: “first, I would like to welcome the entire Zain family here at this wonderful gathering at such a blessed time of year, and I take this opportunity to express my delight in the milestones we have reached together that have placed Zain in the leadership position it enjoys today”.

 

Al Kharafi spoke about the eighties era, which was the theme of this year’s event: “we all surely have a lot of beautiful memories from the eighties, and many of us relate to this period with stories and experiences that we cannot forget. Today, I do not regard this gathering as an official event, but I am among my family. The time I spent at Zain makes me feel home, and you’re all my sisters and brothers”.

 

Al Kharafi expressed his pride in the company’s recent accomplishments in the telecom sector: “today I am extremely proud of the fact that Zain’s network is one of the very best, and this has not been possible without the great efforts exerted by our technical team. I challenge anyone to go to Europe and not miss Zain’s network in Kuwait, and I always aspire to find a network that matches the stability and steadiness of Zain’s network when I personally travel abroad”.

 

Al Kharafi further explained: “as for our operational performance, we have achieved very excellent numbers recently in regard to our revenue, EBITDA, and bottom line. This achievement was possible because of your efforts as a team”.

 

Al Kharafi added: “as I see it myself, numbers are not the important factor here, which is our responsibility towards our shareholders, but what makes me truly happy is the culture change Zain went through, and the wonderful spirit we see among Zain members every day. This is true not just in Kuwait, but across all our operations. We are happy to fulfill our duty and commitment towards our shareholders, and the company’s success in continuing the growth of its operations, but at the same time, we are also very delighted of what we have achieved on the workplace cultural change level”.

 

Al Kharafi continued: “if we visit any of the countries in which Zain operates, we find the same culture, the same spirit, and the same initiatives, which all center around the culture of giving that we spoke of two years ago. Today, every member of the Zain family embodies this culture and even live by it. I personally believe that our beautiful values are what makes us truly happy, not numbers and statistics. True, achieving numbers is our responsibility, but values like forgiveness, keeping in touch, and giving are what achieves true happiness in each and every one of us. Even better, if we truly embody such values in our work, we will eventually end up seeing them reflect on our numbers and performance”.

 

Al Kharafi concluded: “during the past period, we identified the culture of giving as the strategy that our vision centers around, and we worked on spreading peace and love, empowering women, empowering youth, and making our workplace a better one. This is what granted us people’s trust in our message, a message that is always clear in our Ramadan TVCs. We will always be committed to enriching this message of giving, which is why our customers trust us and choose to journey with us”.

 

During the event, Zain Kuwait CEO Eaman Al Roudhan addressed the guests by saying: “today we gather together in this blessed time as one family. On this occasion, I’d like to thank Mr. Bader Al Kharafi, the executive management, and all staff members of Zain Kuwait, Zain Group, and all Zain operations. Today we truly reflect the spirit of a single family, which makes us stronger and brings us closer to each other”.

 

Al Roudhan added: “I am extremely proud of what we have achieved during the past period. We have succeeded in establishing work models that can be set as an example for digital transformation strategies. Since the beginning, we have focused on the customer first, and we will always continue doing that”.

 

Al Roudhan continued: “we have started our digital transformation process with our communication channels, which we see as a very important priority. We have also seen – during the end of last year and the beginning of this year – more traffic and shifting from legacy channels to digital channels. This proves that we are on the right track”.

 

Al Roudhan further explained: “focusing on digital transformation leadership is of our main priorities this period. This will allow us to face upcoming obstacles and challenges with more strength, and I believe what makes us different is that we dare to think differently, something we take a lot of pride in”.

 

During the event, Zain recognized and honored employees who have been part of the Zain family for a long time, and who’s efforts, hard work, and achievements added to the company’s success during the past years. Zain also showcased a documentary that highlighted the array of initiatives, programs, and activities of the company’s extensive social campaign during the Holy Month of Ramadan, which witnessed the participation of Zain’s volunteers throughout the Holy Month.  

 

Zain has always been keen to organize a number of social and humanitarian initiatives during Ramadan to support the various sectors of the Kuwaiti society, and the company is keen on reflecting the religious as well as traditional humanitarian values and principles to enrich the art of giving and to increase bonding between individuals.

 

The company further affirmed its Corporate Sustainability campaign during the Holy Month of Ramadan, which includes an extensive array of programs that cover different areas. The initiatives and programs include humanitarian, voluntary, cultural, religious, sports, and recreational activities to cater to the different segments of society.