Sara Boueri is the group CHRO at Future Pipe Industries. With a background in organisational psychology from the University of Sydney, Sara has held various HR leadership roles in local, multinational and government organisations. Sara spearheaded a variety of cutting-edge human resources practices and policies. She ensured employees’ well-being before, during, and after the pandemic, which has helped her achieve many accolades. In 2020 she won a global award for her HR leadership and innovation and in 2021, she was voted one of the top 20 HR leaders in the Middle East. Her goal is to investigate the purpose behind existing practices, ensure they suit current workforce interests, and create an equitable work environment. The policies she implemented, such as the lifestyle credit, hardship and remote work policies, have been received with immense popularity from both internal customers as well as in public opinion.

Kirsty Koen holds the position of Chief Human Resource Officer at Fine Hygienic Holding. She is a dynamic HR expert with over 15 years of experience leading and specializing in the transformation of businesses through their people. A strategic thinker, she introduces, establishes, and refines HR best practices to enable the business to achieve stretching goals. With a highly inclusive, cross-cultural style, Mrs Koen works in close partnership with executives and managers at all levels in the business to inspire and grow the diverse range of people in the multi-national Fine family. Having started her HR career at British American Tobacco in Southern Africa, Mrs. Koen was rapidly promoted and seconded to Dubai close to a decade ago. In 2015 she switched industries to work with a market-leading logistics company Danzas, a joint venture company with DPDHL, as Head of HR and Internal Communications, from where she was promoted to VP of Group HR for the multi-industry parent company Al Tayer Group where she further developed her reputation for enabling strategic transformation and change. Mrs. Koen is MCIPD (The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) qualified and holds a master’s degree from Warwick Business School, University of Warwick UK, in Human Resources and a bachelor’s degree in Politics and Psychology from the University of Cape Town. In her spare time, this mother of two spends time with her family, invests in self growth, sharing what she learns to coach and grow others.

Mohammad Wais is the sales director at Akrivia, a company that specializes in human resources technology. He has 14 years of experience in helping organizations find the best talent and optimize their workforce performance. He grew up in the UAE and has a deep understanding of the region’s challenges and requirements

Vincent is a seasoned Human Capital leader with more than 25 years business experience. With a strength for envisioning what is possible, setting the strategic direction and executing successfully through enabling leaders and teams to fulfil their full potential. He has worked across all areas of Human Capital (i.e. Learning, Leadership Development, Talent Management, Rewards, Employee Relations, Performance Management, Culture & Engagement) with extensive experience and expertise in Talent Management, Learning & Leadership Development and Performance Management, as well as working with senior business leaders to drive change, building talent pipelines and leadership capability. Effectively working across cultures, building high performing teams, with strong stakeholder management and people skills. Track record of delivering results successfully through an authentic and pragmatic style, keeping things simple and effective

Avinesh Vinod Dewadas, currently as Head of Culture for Gulf Coca-Cola Beverages (GCCB) leads four markets UAE, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain. As the lead of Culture in these markets, he leads Employee and Labor Relations, Internal Communications, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Health and Well-being, and Future of Workplace. Prior to this role, Avinesh was the Strategic Business Partner for Coca-Cola Bottlers in Malaysia and Singapore and was instrumental in driving people productivity initiatives, employee engagement, streamlining our people practices. Prior to joining the Coca-Cola system, he worked with Maxis Broadband (Telco), Heineken Malaysia Berhad in the Employee Relations space and Standard Chartered Operations in Malaysia.