National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has been recognized as a Global High-Performance Employee Experience (HPEX) Organization by WTW (Willis Towers Watson), highlighting the bank’s success in linking employee experience with strong business and organizational performance. This recognition, announced on September 16, follows a rigorous assessment based on WTW’s global methodology, which measures the relationship between employee engagement and organizational results across various industries.
NBK is one of only 29 organizations worldwide to receive this distinction and one of two in the Middle East, standing out as the sole financial institution in the region included in the global group. The award reflects the bank’s ability to outperform industry averages in key employee engagement indicators, alongside financial metrics such as growth, profitability, capital efficiency, return on assets, and return on equity.
The journey toward this recognition began in 2018 when NBK initiated a structured process centered on gathering employee feedback through engagement surveys. Based on insights from its workforce, the bank implemented a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing the employee experience throughout all stages of the career lifecycle. These efforts included expanding career development opportunities, fostering continuous learning, strengthening leadership communication, launching workplace wellbeing programs, and improving employee recognition schemes.
NBK’s approach integrates employee success with organizational objectives, supporting a culture of engagement, openness, and continuous development. The bank attributes its achievement to the collective contributions of its employees, leadership, and management, which have cultivated a workplace environment conducive to innovation and high performance.
Emad Al-Ablani, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at NBK, noted that the recognition reflects not just the effectiveness of the bank’s human capital strategies, but also the genuine experiences and voices of its employees. He emphasized that listening to employee feedback remains a foundation of NBK’s ongoing strategy, with continued investment planned in talent development, performance culture, innovation, and learning.
WTW, a global advisory firm specializing in management consulting, human capital, and risk management, draws on a database comprising over 250 million employee surveys collected over more than 50 years for its assessments. Its HPEX framework evaluates how organizations’ employee experiences correlate with financial and operational success.
This recognition marks a significant milestone for NBK, affirming that fostering an inclusive and empowering organizational culture is a vital driver of sustainable business success and reinforcing the bank’s position as a leading employer in the region.