Dr. Farrah Arif is the Founder & CEO of EdTech Worx – an education technology company. The company’s innovative educational products are positioned to develop high quality human capital in Pakistan. With a distinguished career as educationist, corporate trainer, strategic thinker and strategy consultant, Farrah has helped many organizations optimize their business strategy to drive sustainable revenue growth and profits. As a Commonwealth scholar, Farrah obtained a PhD from the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. She has been teaching in business schools (Pakistan and abroad) since 1999.

Mohammad Abdullah serves as Managing Director of Dubai Knowledge Park and Dubai International Academic City. He is responsible for aligning over 500 businesses and 27 universities with Dubai’s long-term strategy for creating a sustainable, knowledge-based economy. In 2018, Mohammad was appointed by the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) Board of Directors as President. Mohammad was formerly Managing Director of TECOM’s Media Cluster. Prior to joining TECOM Group, he was Executive Vice-President of CNBC Arabiya, where he was responsible for guiding company strategies.

Dr. Ghalib Saif Al Hosni is the CPO of Human Resources Unit at Omantel. He has the responsibility for Omantel’s strategic human resources activities, including workforce development and organization effectiveness, HR processes and information management etc. His accomplishments include creating award-winning HR processes and employee engagement programs. Dr Ghalib has introduced a series of new HR programs ranging from Voluntary End of Service, Job Evaluation to several employee engagement initiatives. He holds Ph.D. Management from Webster University, USA. He is also the Chairman of OSHRM.

Dena Almansoori is the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for the Central Bank of the UAE. With 15+ years of extensive experience leading large scale HR Transformations in top Fortune 500 companies, she helps organizations drive results and shape their culture while serving as a steward of change in creating a highly engaged and valued workforce. At the cross roads of HR and Technology, she is one of the leading practitioners in her field responsible for leveraging Artificial Intelligence technologies, such as Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP), to help organizations make data driven decisions regarding how they attract, hire, promote, engage, and retain top talent. She holds an MBA from the University of Strathclyde, Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems and Finance from Boston University, and more recently completed a program on Artificial Intelligence from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A global citizen and avid traveler, she has lived and worked in 4 continents and is continuously passionate about improving the Employee Experience (EX) through innovative talent strategies.

Dr. Anna Tavis is Associate Professor of Human Capital Management at New York University, senior lecturer at Latin American Business School, and the Executive Director for the Innovation Radar Network at Executive Networks. Dr. Tavis is Senior Editor of People+Strategy Journal a publication of HRPS, SHRM’s Executive network where she edits the Perspectives section. Prior to returning to Academia, Dr. Tavis navigated a diverse global career in business and consulting. In business, she has worked with Motorola, Nokia, United Technologies and AIG Investments in HR leadership roles.

Dr. Steve Harvey is Dean of the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business, American University of Beirut. Harvey also served as Dean of the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, and Dean of the Williams School of Business and Associate VP, Research at Bishop’s University. He has been an active scholar, professor, senior executive, and a consultant in management and HR. His research has been recognized by various awards, subsidized by several funding agencies, and presented at multiple conferences worldwide. He has won several awards for teaching in areas of HRM, organizational behavior, conflict, and negotiations.

Dr. Al Banna is the CEO of Origin Group and one of the top HRD leaders in the region. Origin Group is an international leading company in Human Capital Development in the Middle East and Mena Region.

Dr. Al Banna is widely respected as a strategic management leadership practitioner, and specialized in organizations’ capabilities of leadership, speed, learning, accountability, and talent through leveraging human resources.

He possessed different positions – in Public and Private sectors- such as Assistant Undersecretary for Training and Planning at the Ministry of Labour – Bahrain, Past President of the Bahrain Society for Training and Development (BSTD), the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bahrain Training Institute (BTI), Member of the Board of Directors of the Labor Fund (TAMKEEN), Board member of International Federation of Training and Development Organizations (IFTDO) in addition to many international and regional memberships.

He has more than 30 years of experience in developing, interpreting and implementing HR and Management strategies.

Hessa Al Ghurair is the Director of Human Capital at UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). A seasoned senior executive with significant board room exposure, she has strong experience in setting up, transforming and growing businesses, with specific expertise in HR, Organizational Strategy, Culture Transformation, Lean Practices and Operations. Her strong operational capabilities were developed during her 6-month fellowship with IBM, in their operations centers in US and Philippines, and later further refined during her times at Tanfeeth. Hessa plays an active role in Emirati Leadership and Women Empowerment.