Meiraj Hussain serves as the Head of Corporate Support at Al Masaood Group. He has more than 20 years of experience in global talent management and streamlining business processes across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. Meiraj is passionate about addressing the challenges of large family businesses including re-structuring, corporate services effectiveness, organization culture and building leadership capability.

Meiraj has been directly involved in transforming the organisation’s structures and raising Al Masaood’s employer brand. He plays a big role in the brand’s digital transformation, business strategy and human resources, bringing disruption to untapped sectors with the highest level of integrity and ethics. Before joining the Group, he worked with reputable family groups such as DAMAC, Al Ghurair, and Fakhruddin Holdings.

Sewar Azzouni is a dynamic and a strategic business partner leading talent management for the MENA Region. Sewar started her career at Nestlé where she fortified her passion in driving Talent management excellence followed by a move to Publicis Groupe. Sewar has around 10 years of experience in talent strategy development and delivery across multiple industries.

Sewar is an experienced professional and skilled in mitigating change management to streamline cultural and business transformation. She is widely praised for her ability to lead teams and influence the business.

In her most recent and current role, Sewar is the Head of Talent and Transformation at Publicis Groupe ME in a hybrid strategy and innovation role that is responsible for leading a large team of HR professionals, talent products and design strategy across the core Talent categories and verticals of Talent Acquisition, compensations and benefits, Performance management, Education, operational excellence and analytics and community and engagement vertical.

Sewar’s career growth to a leadership role is based on the high-performance standards set by the organization for allowing young high potential that thrive and deliver to have career accelerant opportunities.

Kathy Sorenson, Director of Human Resources at Premier Inn MENA, is a seasoned HR professional with nearly 30 years’ global experience through inhouse and consultancy roles in New Zealand, Canada and, for the last 14 years, the UAE.

After running a successful Dubai-based HR consultancy for six years, Kathy joined Premier Inn MENA in 2018 to redesign and centralise the HR function, focussing on driving team engagement and company culture as well as overseeing all HR activities at the company’s Middle East corporate office and 11 hotels in the UAE and Qatar.

Kathy plays a leading role in delivering new team member-focussed initiatives, including Premier Inn’s inhouse Moon & Stars Awards programme and One Team One Heartbeat, the company’s culture, training and development programme. She is also pivotal in achieving the company’s continued record-breaking team member engagement scores, and is the driving force of Premier Inn’s team member development policy of promoting from within wherever possible.

Laura Cozijnsen is an award-winning executive coach, change consultant, and TEDx speaker with over 20 years of experience facilitating organisational culture change and executive learning programmes across Asia. She is the Principal Consultant of Lighthouse Consultant Ltd, a communications consultancy she founded in 2006, after her directorship at media conglomerate STAR TV. Her team has helped corporate and government clients achieve their strategic objectives through effective change communication and executive development programmes.

Specialising in executive presence, message communication, and change leadership, Laura has delivered impactful keynotes and workshops to over 9,000 professionals to date. Her unique ability to blend strategy with mindset transformation has earned her the reputation of being a "powerful," "inspiring," and "engaging" speaker and facilitator. Leveraging her multicultural Dutch-Chinese background, Laura brings a distinctive global perspective that enriches discussions on culture and change. Her highly engaging sessions blend theory with real-world application to help professionals strengthen their skills as leaders of the future.

Laura holds an Executive Master in Change from INSEAD and has received additional training in Appreciative Inquiry, Action Learning, and DEI from Cambridge Judge Business School. With fluency in English, Putonghua, and Cantonese, she skilfully navigates and embraces the beauty of cultures.

She loves books, coffee, and lives in Hong Kong with her golden retriever girl.

Al Khoori stands at the forefront of learning and development innovation within the prestigious Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT). With over 19 years of dedicated service in government and semi-government entities, she has honed expertise in Emiratisation, Learning & Development, and External Relations.

In her role as the leader of the Learning and Development Head, Al Khoori is the architect of transformative initiatives that shape the future of DCT's workforce. She is the driving force behind the implementation and advocacy of the DCT Mentorship Programme, fostering a culture of mentorship and growth. Additionally, she oversees the Executive Coaching Programme, meticulously evaluating its impact on the organisation's goals and objectives, ensuring that DCT leaders are equipped for success.

Al Khoori's responsibilities extend far beyond mere oversight. She undertakes rigorous Training Needs Analysis, crafting tailored professional development plans that cater to the unique needs of DCT employees. Her leadership of the job rotation programme promotes internal mobility, enriching the organisation with diverse skillsets and perspectives.

Furthermore, Al Khoori expertly coordinates talent development activities, including the orientation programme for new joiners and student internships. Her unwavering dedication to enhancing employee satisfaction is evidenced by her success in elevating the new joiners' satisfaction rate to an impressive 92%, achieved through a strategic focus on the Orientation and Onboarding processes.