This article was originally published in the Brand Finance Telecoms 150 2025 report
With a brand value of USD3.5 billion, Zain now ranks among the top 25 strongest telecoms brands and the top 40 most valuable telecoms brands globally.
This success is the result of over four decades of pioneering mobile and ICT technologies in the Middle East and Africa. Since the launch of the Zain brand in 2007, the company has built a powerful identity through innovative media campaigns, impactful corporate sustainability initiatives, and a relentless focus on inclusion, diversity, and equity. By investing in cutting-edge digital services, upskilling its workforce, and delivering an exceptional customer experience, Zain has solidified its reputation as one of the most recognised and influential telecoms brands in the region and beyond.
Bader Al Kharafi, Vice-Chairman & Group CEO at Zain, shares insights into the brand's growth journey in a new spotlight.
Interview with Bader Al Kharafi
Vice-Chairman
& Group CEO,
Zain
This year, Zain entered the ranks of the top 25 strongest telecoms brands and entered the top 40 most valuable telecoms brands globally. What were the key steps that enabled Zain to achieve this remarkable milestone?
With an over 40-year rich history pioneering mobile and ICT technologies in the Middle East and Africa, the continual growth in our brand valuation and rankings some 18 years after the initial Zain brand launch in September 2007, is testament to the passionate actions and investment the company has placed in establishing its name and identity. The innovative media campaigns, numerous corporate sustainability, inclusion, diversity, and equity (IDE) initiatives Zain has instituted over the years have won us the hearts and minds of our customers and employees, are key drivers for the Zain brand’s value success.
Today, we serve some 50 million customers across our eight-country footprint, with a social media following exceeding 35 million, and annually have over 200 million YouTube views of our creative videos, with many of them going viral.
Moreover, these rankings reaffirm our unyielding efforts in upskilling our 8,000 talented workforce, which combined with vast investments in network upgrades and cutting-edge technologies are unleashing innovation across our footprint and beyond.
Through the rollout of dynamic digital ICT services and a focus on exceptional customer experience at every touch point of the Zain ecosystem, we empower the individuals, businesses, and governments we serve to enhance their livelihoods, increase their digital footprint, and streamline their operations for greater success. This approach has made Zain one of the most inspirational and recognised corporate brands in the region and beyond.
At the end of 2024, Zain introduced the transformative "4WARD" corporate strategy to accelerate its evolution into a purpose-driven TechCo conglomerate. How crucial is the Zain brand in driving this transformation in the years ahead?
The new ‘4WARD-Progress with Purpose’ sustainable corporate strategy will unleash Zain’s full potential in transforming from a Telco to a purpose driven TechCo conglomerate providing ‘Better Lives and Lasting Connections’. The strategy was formulated internally and builds on the significant momentum and transformational accomplishments made under the previous corporate strategy, 4SIGHT introduced in 2019, and under which Zain emerged as a multi-core digital player, successfully transforming its fixed and mobile services, and expanding into a number of new business verticals including ICT, Digital mobile operations, Fintech, Entertainment, Digital Infrastructure, Subsea and Cross-Border Connectivity, and more.
4WARD comprises of four primary forces, each with three accelerators (thus 12 key accelerators) to meet the ever-growing demand for superior and dynamic consumer and enterprise services. These four forces, Customer Delight; Digital Zain; Purpose and Action; and Collaborative Growth; will focus on continuity, acceleration, collaboration and digital innovation, all designed to foster value creation by fast-tracking the company’s evolution from a predominantly mobile centric operator into a purpose driven, customer-centric, future-proof, and impactful leading regional TechCo.
We are confident that 4WARD will provide the necessary impetus for Zain’s continued relevance and impact on shaping societies and drive the Zain brand value to new heights. Furthermore, we are actively exploring avenues to reposition the Zain brand, aiming to amplify its value by capitalising on the collective strength of the various new business entities under the new TechCo umbrella. Stay tuned for more on this.
Sustainability has always been at the core of Zain’s identity. This year, the company achieved an upgraded MSCI ESG rating, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability, corporate governance, and ethical leadership. How essential is this aspect of Zain’s DNA to its success as a brand?
Zain is very active in delivering meaningful connectivity that leads to equitable systemic change through its ESG initiatives, with the company playing a crucial role in empowering the communities in which it operates to reap the benefits of digital transformation.
ESG upgrades and enhanced ratings from renowned entities support our ‘4WARD-Progress with Purpose’ corporate strategy as they are value creative for our shareholders and have wide-ranging sustainable and positive impact on our customers, employees, partners and the brand.
As a leading entity listed on the Boursa Kuwait Premier Market, and other regional equity markets in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iraq, sound ESG practices are becoming an increasingly important differentiator for organisations, giving all stakeholders confidence that the company is being run in a sustainable, compliant and transparent manner.
Throughout 2024, the Board and management teams across our footprint oversaw the implementation of enhanced governance frameworks, numerous impactful sustainability programs, stronger environmental policies and reduction of carbon emissions, advancements in transparency and reporting, as well as improvements in data protection and privacy policies.
A distinct milestone for 2024 saw Zain maintain for the third year in a row its leadership position of A- score in the 'CDP Score Report – Climate Change'. This grade, first achieved in 2021, positioned Zain as the highest ranked and only telecom operator in the Middle East and Africa to achieve this high rating.
The many ESG policy frameworks and practices we have implemented are a cornerstone of the company’s regional appeal, and has won the confidence and admiration from shareholders, the banking community, industry analysts, regulatory authorities and other globally recognised indices, that attract global investors and accordingly enhance our brand.
