Zain is a leading mobile telecommunications provider in the Middle East and North Africa. It started in 1983 in Kuwait, as a Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC), the region’s first mobile operator. In September 2007, MTC was rebranded to Zain in order to better reflect their growing status as a leading multi-national mobile service provider with global aspirations. Zain was thus adopted as the Group’s corporate master brand.
Blaze to Brilliance
As a part of Zain’s expansion strategy in 2003, the group grew rapidly in both the Middle East and Africa through the acquisition of several mobile operators across the region. After being rebranded as ‘Zain’ from ‘MTC’, they continued their journey of growth and development, and in March 2009, entered into a 50/50 partnership with Al Ajial Investment Fund Holding to acquire a 31% stake in Inwi, the third mobile telecom operator in Morocco. By 2010, Zain had taken the strategic decision to focus on its highly cash generative Middle East and North Africa operations, investing in new growth opportunities in these markets.
Faith Factor
Zain has adopted a system of corporate governance based on the principles endorsed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The group continually strives to implement professional, world-class standards, practices and policies that will result in a corporate governance environment that reinforces their corporate values and assists them in making their vision a reality. Their brand essence is perpetuated by the tag line “Live Your Dreams”, revealing that they are keen to connect to peoples’ aspirations and goals. Their signature: “A Wonderful World” further looks to encapsulate the sense of energy, inspiration and diversity of their customers, employees and other stakeholders.
At Zain, over 6,000 people work every day to improve the lives of all their customers. Their highly committed teams are proud to be the ambassadors of their brand, and delight in spreading the ‘Wonderful World of Zain’.
Engagement that Enthralls
For the third time in the space of six years, Zain won the prestigious ‘Best Overall Middle East and Africa Mobile Operator’ award at the CommsMEA Awards ceremony in addition to winning the Telecoms World Awards for ‘Best Brand’, two years running. In 2012, Zain had one of the most recognizable and strongest brand presences, supported by strong promotion and sponsorship programs, across each of the group’s key markets. According to the 2012 BRANDFINANCE GLOBAL 500, an independent brand valuation report, Zain’s brand value was estimated at around USD 1.34 billion.
InnovEdge
In 2009, Zain’s Zap mobile commerce service won the Innovation in Mobile Banking award. The Innovation in Mobile Banking Award given to Zap mobile commerce service depicts Zain’s efforts to not only push the boundaries of mobile communications, but also reshape the future of banking in Africa and in the Middle East.
A creative concept called ‘Zap’ is a part of Zain’s pioneering ‘One Network’, a service that allows customers to communicate freely across geographical borders and continents without roaming call surcharges and without having to pay to receive incoming calls wherever they travel in the countries that participate in the service. To use Zap’s banking and payment services, Zain customers only have to complete an application form with one of the tens of thousands of registered Zain agents in villages, towns and cities across East Africa. In 2013, Zain Kuwait , the leading telecommunications operator in Kuwait, has been recognized for its innovation at a prestigious gala event held in London, where it was selected as the winner of the ‘Wireless network infrastructure innovation’ category for its ‘Bridging customer perception and network performance’ project at the annual Global Telecoms Business Innovation Awards 2013. Zain Kuwait ‘s winning project is related to the deployment of a Customer Experience Management solution from Nokia Siemens Networks that allows customer experience to be tracked in near real time, and at the individual customer level, for any service, device, and location ; at the heart of which is the Customer Experience Index (CEI).
Brand Promise
The Zain brand is positioned to be simple, memorable and easy to pronounce across the global markets. The brand believes that effective corporate governance will in the long term improve their performance, benefiting all stakeholders and ultimately serving the public interest. The benefits of good corporate governance are tangible, with rating agencies looking at such practices, and lower borrowing costs being made available for companies that comply. This benefit has been evident in Zain’s case over the last decade with financial institutions providing the company with substantial financial facilities.
