WE
Lookback on WE
Established in 2017, Zain Group’s gender diversity and inclusion program initially launched under
the name Women Empowerment. This was later modified to WE, broadening its inclusion
credentials, and shifting the focus to gender equality rather than just women empowerment. WE
launched against a backdrop where only 14.5% of Zain Group’s leadership positions were held
by women. The brainchild of Bader Al-
Kharafi, WE established two targets for
achievement by the end of 2022.
1. Increase female leadership to 25%
of overall leadership
The brainchild of Bader Al-Kharafi, WE established two key targets for achievement by the
end of 2022
2. To progress through the three
stages of evolution for organizations
tackling workplace gender diversity;
those being awareness, realization,
and motivation.
Awareness, Realization, and Motivation in action
across Zain Group
Since the introduction of WE, Zain’s operating companies
have worked to create a culture of inclusion for all
employees. By focusing on four pillars: human resources
policy transformation; leadership development; female
recruitment; and culture transformation, each operating
company has created a year-long action plan featuring
different initiatives to address each area.
Zain conducted a Group-wide policy review to ensure
that the language of diversity and inclusion is embedded
into the company’s DNA. The company also introduced
a progressive policy extending maternity leave to an
unprecedented four months, followed by flexible working
hours until the child is at least four years old. Such supportive
maternity leave benefits were a first in the region.
Zain’s operating companies are hard at work creating a culture of inclusion for all employees
Zain supported the Women
in Data Science Conference
(WiDS), which held an event in
Lebanon in 2019, emphasizing
the importance of women’s
participation in global digital
transformation. The company
went on to design and
implement a plan that resulted
in certifying over 100 women in
the field of Data Science and
Data Analytics.
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