He helped to bridge the gap between academic thinking and the application of practical solutions to problems by translating novel ideas and innovative concepts into useful and purposeful guidelines and blueprints that can be used by managers in all sectors of the industry and commerce.

He was also awarded the Yoshio Kondo academic prize (2010), celebrating his outstanding research carried out over several years that have advanced the global body of quality knowledge.

[11] Zairi was born on 17 September 1956, the fifth of ten children and raised in a small Algerian town of El Kouif, 4 km from The Tunisian Border.

Zairi attended primary and secondary school in El Kouif and moved to Annaba, a relatively bigger town on Algeria's Mediterranean coast, to continue his college education.

During 1985-86, Zairi actively worked in the area of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) and created an industrial network for the exchange of Best Practices, and developed methods and guidelines useful to companies when considering the introduction of complex technology-based innovations.

Zairi was the first academic professional to be sponsored by Unilever PLC,[12] in the area of Quality and Innovation Management in Europe, which had a lasting impact on the whole Unilever Group and hundreds of organisations covering the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Sector, Engineering, Aerospace, Automobile, Communications and Computer Industry.

In 1991, Zairi was appointed as a member of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM)[13] Working Group, UK for 2 years.

ECTQM has been the architect in the launch of the Middle East Quality Association (MEQA) with Zairi as its first President for the period of 4 years.

MEQA functions as a non-profit organization, with the main purpose being the creation of economic growth and development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and facilitating the free flow of information and the exchange of the best practices in the field of quality Several PhD and M.Phil.

In February 2005, Zairi was honoured with an invitation from Joseph M. Juran to visit him at his home in the USA, to receive his personal congratulations.

[22] He worked on the extension of Juran's philosophy (quality trilogy) to include internet-based business environments and the focus on customer centricity since 2004.

Over the years, Zairi has guided and supported several government entities such as Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Org and Al Ain Municipality.

It was intended to encourage the use of quality management principles in both public and private sector organisations operating in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The launch of SME Knowledge Network[24] in 2001, for supporting the growth and to help small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK, with the adoption of Best Practice concepts and to facilitate the sharing and transfer of useful ideas.