Virgin Mobile KSA driving gender diversity and inclusion in the Middle East
09 March, 2021: In celebration of International Women’s Day, Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa has announced that it has achieved its gender diversity and inclusion targets for the Middle East, with 40% of the total workforce in 2020 being made up of women, and 25% of leadership positions in the business being held by women.
According to a report by GSMA, 70% of telecoms companies globally have proportionately fewer women in their workforce than are available in the labour pool, and in over half (55%) of telecoms companies in the Middle East, women only make up between 10-26 percent of the workforce.
In Saudi Arabia, 41 percent of the total workforce at Virgin Mobile KSA are women, far above the average 21 percent of women working in the Kingdom. “We have accomplished a great deal already, but we certainly have more work to do. We are committed to providing opportunity for all, not only as an obligation under the law, but because we know that providing a diverse pool of qualified candidates will help us deliver the best results for our customers and shareholders,” said Virgin Mobile KSA CEO, Yaarob Al Sayegh.
Al Sayegh continued, “Today, Virgin Mobile KSA is a company that represents the market in which we operate. We are drawing from Saudi talent pools across the gender divide and this diversity is bringing fresh perspectives and new business skills to the organisation. We are proud to be a leader in this area and we hope that other organisations find inspiration in the path we have set.”
About Virgin Mobile KSA
Virgin Mobile KSA is changing the rules of the mobile game by focusing on providing the best customer experience, innovative digital products and creating a great place to work. An affiliate of the Virgin Mobile Group, no one works harder to making mobile better in Saudi Arabia. Powered by one of the very best 5G Networks, Virgin Mobile connects more customers to the things and the people they care most about.
About Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa
Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa is part of the Virgin family group of companies. Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa is responsible for all Virgin Mobile operations in the Middle East and Africa region, and is headquartered in Dubai, UAE.
Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa has been in the region since 2007 and operates the two consumer brands of Virgin Mobile and FRiENDi Mobile across the region. Partnering with telecoms operators across the region, the Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa team provides customers with innovative products and packages designed to make their mobile experience better. We work closely with other Virgin companies across the world to make sure we can create experiences for our customer’s which surprise and delight them, and which can’t be matched.
Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa believes in having the best people on the team, and the management team is made up of senior level team members from a variety of successful regional and global mobile operators, as well as from MVNOs. The company has a strong financial foundation supported by well-respected and global and regional shareholders, including Virgin Group, GIC, ePlanet Capital, Dolphin International, NTEC, and members of the senior management team
About Virgin Group
Virgin Mobile is one of the businesses of the Virgin Group, a leading international branded investment company and one of the world’s most recognized and respected brands. Conceived in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Group has gone on to grow successful businesses in sectors ranging from mobile telephony and media to transportation, travel, financial services, hotels, health and fitness, as well as renewable technologies and space tourism. Virgin employs approximately 70,000 people in 35 countries and its global branded revenues exceed £16.6 billion (AED 79 billion).