Empowering employees to develop and launch AI agents:
Integrity has shaped how HSA Group conducts business and serves its communities throughout its history.
Nabil Hayel Saeed
Dubai, UAE – 27 July 2026: HSA Group has won the Culture & Ethics Initiative of the Year category at the International Compliance Association Awards for its innovative Compliance Ambassadors Network.
The award was announced during the ICA Compliance Awards MENA 2026 online presentation, held on 23 July 2026, following a comprehensive assessment by an independent panel comprising leading experts and influential figures from the compliance and financial crime prevention community.
This year marked the first edition of the ICA Compliance Awards dedicated to the Middle East and North Africa, following several years of the awards programme in Europe. The new regional platform was established to recognise initiatives, teams and individuals contributing to the advancement of compliance practices and the promotion of responsible professional conduct across the region.
In its assessment of the winning initiative, ICA stated that HSA Group’s Compliance Ambassadors Network had successfully transformed ethics and compliance from a corporate objective into a shared responsibility across the organisation. ICA also highlighted the programme’s role in empowering employees, strengthening accountability and embedding ethical behaviours at the frontline, describing the initiative as a lasting transformation that sets a new benchmark for excellence in culture and ethics.
The Compliance Ambassadors Network was launched to bring compliance closer to employees and embed the principles of integrity and ethical conduct in everyday decisions and practices. Compliance Ambassadors from across the Group’s companies, sectors and functions serve as trusted points of contact within their teams. They help raise awareness of relevant policies and controls, encourage open dialogue around ethical matters and connect employees with the Legal and Compliance function when specialist guidance is required.
This employee-led approach reinforces compliance as a collective responsibility that extends beyond a central function or a set of policies and procedures. It is reflected in the decisions and behaviours of employees across the organisation.
Nabil Hayel Saeed, Chairman and Managing Director, HSA Group – Yemen Region, said: “Integrity has shaped how HSA Group conducts business, serves its communities and builds trusted relationships with its employees, customers, partners and regulators throughout its history.”
He added: “As a global corporate citizen, HSA Group is committed to conducting business responsibly, strengthening governance and accountability, and complying with applicable laws and regulatory requirements.
“Maintaining consistent standards of ethical and responsible conduct across our operations is a non-negotiable priority,” he said.
Nabil Hayel Saeed added that initiatives such as the Compliance Ambassadors Network are designed to empower employees to play an active role in protecting the Group’s values and strengthening its culture.
“Our objective is to ensure that integrity prevails as both a principle and a practice embraced by everyone, allowing our policies and governance systems to be translated into daily decisions and behaviours at every level of the Group.”
Mahmoud Shaarawy, Chief Legal & Compliance Officer at HSA Group, expressed his pride in the achievement, saying: “Winning the Culture & Ethics Initiative of the Year Award for our Compliance Ambassadors Programme is a proud milestone for HSA Group. What began as a simple idea—empowering employees to become ambassadors for integrity and ethical conduct within their teams—has grown into a powerful movement that strengthens our compliance culture every day.”
He added: “This achievement confirms that meaningful results can be achieved when employees are engaged, trusted and united behind a common purpose. I would like to thank every Compliance Ambassador and every colleague who contributed to turning this vision into reality.”
By establishing a network of employees who can promote awareness, encourage colleagues to seek advice at an early stage and help them navigate ethical considerations and compliance requirements, the initiative strengthens accountability at the frontline and makes compliance more accessible, relevant and closely connected to daily business practices.
The initiative reflects HSA Group’s belief that an effective compliance culture cannot be sustained through policies and controls alone. Employees must understand the purpose behind these requirements, take responsibility for applying them, and have the confidence to ask questions, raise concerns and seek guidance when needed.
Pekka Dare, President of the International Compliance Association, congratulated the finalists of the ICA Compliance Awards MENA 2026 and recognised the contribution of organisations working to advance compliance and responsible conduct across the region.
The award further reflects HSA Group’s commitment to building a values-led organisation in which integrity, accountability and responsible conduct are fundamental to how its businesses are managed, how growth is pursued and how communities are served.
Before being announced as the winner, HSA Group had been shortlisted in four categories at the ICA Compliance Awards MENA 2026:
• Culture & Ethics Initiative of the Year
• Compliance Leader of the Year
• Compliance Team of the Year
• Compliance Training Initiative of the Year