RIYADH: Saudi telecom provider Zain KSA has appointed Saad Al-Sadhan as acting CEO following the passing of Sultan Al-Deghaither, who held the top role for more than six years.
Al-Sadhan, who has served as the company’s chief business and wholesale officer, will assume the new poistion with immediate effect.
The appointment, announced on the Saudi Stock Exchange, was approved by the board of directors based on the recommendation of the Remuneration and Nominations Committee.
Al-Sadhan, who began his career as an engineer at Ericsson, joined Zain KSA in April 2016. He has held various senior positions within the company and previously served as executive general manager for wholesale commercial departments at major telecom firms in the Kingdom.
With over 20 years of experience in telecommunications and IT, Al-Sadhan has been instrumental in launching Zain Cloud, a key initiative to support the digital transformation of the public and private sectors in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and a recognition in general management from INSEAD business school in France. Al-Sadhan also has multiple professional certifications in leadership and IT.
Zain KSA appoints Saad Al-Sadhan as acting CEO
https://arab.news/pem5y
Zain KSA appoints Saad Al-Sadhan as acting CEO
- Saad Al-Sadhan has served as the company’s chief business and wholesale officer
Lebanese social entrepreneur Omar Itani recognized by Schwab Foundation
- FabricAID co-founder among 21 global recipients recognized for social innovation
DAVOS: Lebanon’s Omar Itani is one of 21 recipients of the Social Entrepreneurs and Innovators of the Year Award by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
Itani is the co-founder of social enterprise FabricAID, which aims to “eradicate symptoms of poverty” by collecting and sanitizing secondhand clothing before placing items in stores in “extremely marginalized areas,” he told Arab News on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
With prices ranging from $0.25 to $4, the goal is for people to have a “dignified shopping experience” at affordable prices, he added.
FabricAID operates a network of clothing collection bins across key locations in Lebanon and Jordan, allowing people to donate pre-loved items. The garments are cleaned and sorted before being sold through the organization’s stores, while items that cannot be resold due to damage or heavy wear are repurposed for other uses, including corporate merchandise.
Since its launch, FabricAID has sold more than 1 million items, reached 200,000 beneficiaries and is preparing to expand into the Egyptian market.
Amid uncertainty in the Middle East, Itani advised young entrepreneurs to reframe challenges as opportunities.
“In Lebanon and the Arab world, we complain a lot,” he said. Understandably so, as “there are a lot of issues” in the region, resulting in people feeling frustrated and wanting to move away. But, he added, “a good portion of the challenges” facing the Middle East are “great economic and commercial opportunities.”
Over the past year, social innovators raised a combined $970 million in funding and secured a further $89 million in non-cash contributions, according to the Schwab Foundation’s recent report, “Built to Last: Social Innovation in Transition.”
This is particularly significant in an environment of geopolitical uncertainty and at a time when 82 percent report being affected by shrinking resources, triggering delays in program rollout (70 percent) and disruptions to scaling plans (72 percent).
Francois Bonnici, director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Executive Committee, said: “The next decade must move the models of social innovation decisively from the margins to the mainstream, transforming not only markets but mindsets.”
Award recipients take part in a structured three-year engagement with the Schwab Foundation, after which they join its global network as lifelong members. The program connects social entrepreneurs with international peers, collaborative initiatives, and capacity-building support aimed at strengthening and scaling their work.
