40. Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi
Vice Chairman And CEO, Zain Group
Origin: Kuwait
Residence: Kuwait
Sector: Telecoms
2023 Rank: 43
Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi oversees Zain Group’s operations in seven Middle East and African countries. For 2023, the group recorded a 10 per cent rise in group revenue to reach $6.2bn. In early 2024, Zain Group also launched the Bede fintech brand in Bahrain, which is set to be rolled across its footprint. Bede stems from Arabic meaning “in my hand”, catering to consumers’ demands beyond basic telecom services.
In Bahrain, this Shariah-compliant AI powered platform o ers consumer microfinance in minutes over a mobile app. With over two decades of industrial experience across the financial, banking, industrial and telecom sectors, Al-Kharafi manages Zain Group’s global workforce of more than 7,100 employees that caters to the company’s 52 million active individual and business customers.
In March this year, he was also appointed as the new chairman of Gulf Bank. He further sits on the boards of Coca-Cola (Kuwait), United Stainless Steel Company (Bahrain), Foulath Holding (Bahrain), Boursa Kuwait (Kuwait),and the UNHCR’s sustainability board.
