WE
Manakkal Kailash, WE Champion — Zain
Group, in his own words
I was privileged to be nominated for the WE program by management
in 2019. After attending the first workshops and networking with
other WE Champions, I realized that WE is well-aligned to my
principles and my own personal values. To me, gender diversity and
inclusion means a commitment to empower everyone, irrespective
of gender, creed, nationality or physical being.
As a man, WE reinforces my personal values at the workplace, and
therefore I believe this is a great initiative by Zain. I have worked
on spreading awareness of the program’s objectives across the
top management at Zain Group, ensuring there is diversity in the
recruitment of staff in the Risk Management functions across the
company’s operations, given my position in Group Risk Management.
Being a WE Champion has given Manakkal
Kailash a sense of pride and responsibility to
further the program’s initiatives at Zain Group
The WE program has developed a plan with quantifiable goals
and metrics that track the results of diversity in recruitment, thus demonstrating the company’s
commitment to diversity and inclusion. With that said, being a WE Champion has given me a sense
of pride and responsibility to further the program’s initiatives at Zain Group, a company which I am
proud to work for.
Working at Zain has impacted my general lifestyle in an extremely positive manner, extending
from the professional work environment due to highly competent colleagues; recognition of
talent by top management through performance appraisals and trainings; and the offer of a
good work-life balance.
Women in Data Science — WE Virtual Datathon
Zain has consistently focused on the training and development of women in Data Science, aiming
to increase gender diversity in this field within the company. As an initial effort, Zain partnered with
Maven Partners and certified over 100 women across all of its operations in Data Analytics and Data
Science in 2019. Following the certification, the women were nominated to participate in an online
virtual datathon where their skillsets were put to the test in a challenging environment, competing
with their colleagues in teams while being under a twelve-hour clock.
The WE Virtual Datathon took place in collaboration with CODED, and included 10
teams and over 40 participants from across seven of Zain’s operating companies
The datathon took place on a Saturday, in collaboration
with CODED, and included 10 teams
and over 40 participants from across seven of
Zain’s operating companies. Different topics
and complex datasets where covered during the
event, requiring participants to manipulate and
analyze data, and then present their findings to
a judging panel from the CODED team. The day
was concluded with a word from Zain Group
Technology Strategy and Performance Director,
Khawla Al Jaber. WE aims to continue to inspire
learning through practice, and this hugely successful
datathon reflected the resilience of our
talented pool of women in Data Science.
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