Zain is ranked third for the best website in the Gulf States

The website of the Zain Group (www.zain.com), the leading mobile telecom operator in the Middle East and Africa, has been ranked 3rd best site in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The inaugural “GCC Webranking” survey of the top 85 blue chip GCC companies was conducted by on-line consultancy Hallvarsson & Halvarsson’s (H&H) who specializes in such rankings across the globe.

Notably Zain Group ranked first in Kuwait where the company is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange while Bahrain, the location of Zain’s new corporate headquarters was the GCC country with the highest average score in the region. Remarkably Zain’s Saudi Arabia mobile operation which is listed on the Tadawul Stock Exchange attained the number three ranking in the Kingdom, quite an achievement for a company that has been operating commercially for just over a year.

The sites of those shortlisted were assessed according to 140 criteria gleamed from H&H’s annual survey of business journalists, analysts and investors to identify what information and functionality they value most highly from a listed company's corporate website.

Zain Group’s Chief Communication Officer Mr Ibrahim Adel said that the recognition was a reflection on the strength of the two-year-old brand and its ability to establish itself as a firm fixture in the GCC’s business landscape. “As a new brand, Zain has hit the ground running,” he said. “This recognition represents one stage in an ongoing process of building a global brand and being a top ten mobile telecom operator by 2011.”

Staffan Lindgren, Executive Partner of H&H said that the number of listed companies in the Gulf has increased over the past few years and the region is becoming increasingly interesting for international investors. “This is why we have included the GCC in our annual Webranking survey,” he said. “Any company looking to compete on an equal footing for international investor attention needs to utilise high quality online communication.”

All the Zain Group’s individual country websites are currently undergoing further enhancements, design changes and technology upgrades that will further appeal to, and assist, website visitors.

October 12, 2009