Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB), one of the leading banks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has been awarded “Best Innovation in Operational Excellence” at the Operational Excellence Awards Middle East 2025, part of the Customer Experience Live Show in Dubai.

The recognition was announced during the awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 13, which celebrates organizations driving meaningful transformation in operational excellence across the Middle East.

The award highlights SAB’s exceptional progress in enhancing operational performance through its flagship Ops2.0 Transformation Programme. This transformation initiative has played a pivotal role in standardizing and digitizing end-to-end processes, enhancing employee capabilities, improving ways of working, and embedding data-driven decision-making to elevate daily performance.

A panel of esteemed industry judges selected SAB based on comprehensive criteria that evaluated excellence in service delivery, innovation in operational processes, operational risk and control practices, and overall transformation impact.

Ghada Al Jarbou, Chief Operating Officer at SAB, commented: “This achievement reflects our transformational leadership in operations and the impact of this transformation journey in shaping leaner, faster, de-risked, and future ready operations.”

She added: “Through the Ops2.0 programme, we have not only enhanced operational efficiency but also laid the foundation for scalable, data-driven growth that aligns with our broader ambition to lead in innovative banking.”

Ayusha Tyagi, Managing Director at Customer Experience Live, said: “With a very transparent and well-complemented system, the CX Live industry awards are much awaited by stakeholder organizations. Operational Excellence isn’t just an upgrade in tools — it’s a philosophical shift in how organizations approach efficiency and experience. The future belongs to companies that can fuse intelligence with intention.”

SAB continues to advance its transformation strategy by driving innovation, empowering teams, and delivering operational excellence, all of which translate into tangible value for customers and the broader financial ecosystem, in alignment with Vision 2030.