ANNUAL GULF CONFERENCE
Driving Change and
Accelerating Growth
Abu Dhabi
In-Person | Thursday 22 – Friday 23 May 2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Thursday 9.00 – 16.00 GST
Friday 9.00 – 12.00 GST
Event
CRF’s 2025 Annual Gulf Conference Driving Change and Accelerating Growth will explore how organisational resilience and growth interconnect in the Gulf region.
As Gulf-based businesses continue to set their sights on international expansion, HR plays a pivotal role in driving success. This event will investigate two critical pathways for growth: utilising OD to ensure competitiveness with global business and leveraging mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to create value. Through expert insights, practical tools and case studies, participants at this two-day conference will gain clear guidance on how HR can drive and support global growth ambitions.
Learning Objectives
- Understand how HR can build a clear business case for international growth and/or M&A,
- Explore HR’s role at each stage of the M&A lifecycle, from due diligence to post-merger integration,
- Learn strategies for navigating cultural integration, including how to evolve a culture that creates growth and value,
- Discover how HR can foster cultures and structures that allow local organisations to compete globally.
Who is this event for?
Senior HR professionals, business leaders driving international growth, HR practitioners involved in M&A, organisational development specialists, talent and culture professionals.
Please note: the event is aimed at in-house HR and business professionals. Unfortunately we will not be accepting registrations for agencies, consultants or vendors.
To register for this event please ensure you are logged in. If you are not a member and interested in attending, please contact us below.
If you would like to amend or cancel your booking please contact events@crforum.co.uk.
Location
Fairmont Bab Al Bahr
Khor – Al Maqta’ St – Rabdan – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
Event Masterclasses
These event masterclasses, hosted by CRF, Headspring Executive Development, Hult Ashridge Executive Education, Mercer, The Oxford Group and Strategic Dimensions are included within the event but require additional registration. Once you have registered for the main event, you will be emailed and invited to select and attend these masterclasses. The masterclasses take place in two sessions on Thursday 22 May – please select one masterclass from Session 1 and one masterclass from Session 2 to attend.
Session 1: 13:30 – 14:15
Creating a Future-Fit HR Function
In today’s fast-evolving Gulf business landscape – marked by economic diversification, rapid digitalisation and shifting workforce expectations – HR leaders face increasing pressure to deliver impact at speed and scale.
This masterclass will delve into the critical capabilities HR functions need to stay ahead and drive organisational performance in an unpredictable world. Drawing on CRF’s recent research, the interactive session will explore the essential skills and mindsets HR leaders and their teams must develop to remain future fit.
We’ll examine the importance of aligning strategy with context, the gap between how HR leaders and their teams perceive development needs, and share practical examples of building team capability and effectiveness.
Cultural Gravity: How HR Can Design Behaviour Change That Sticks – at Scale
In the rush to transform, expand or restructure, most organisations focus on strategy and structure – but forget to design for behaviour. That’s why change often looks great on paper, but falters in practice.
This masterclass introduces the concept of Cultural Gravity – the invisible forces that shape behaviour at work. When misaligned, these forces pull people back to the status quo. But when intentionally designed, they can pull people toward change naturally and consistently. Drawing on behavioural science and systems thinking, we’ll explore how HR leaders can become architects of environments that enable scalable, sustainable behaviour change – without relying on willpower or more policies.
You’ll walk away with practical insights and tools to help your organisation create the conditions for lasting change – by making the right behaviours easier, more visible and more rewarding across teams, departments and regions.
Creating a Skills-Powered Organisation to Accelerate International Expansion
This workshop will explore the concept of the ‘Skills-Powered Organisation,’ emphasising the importance of leveraging talent and aligning skills with strategic goals. Participants will gain insights into:
1. Identifying and cultivating key skills that drive international success.
2. Building agile teams that can drive growth through expansion.
3.Utilising data-driven approaches to assess skill gaps and inform expansion strategies.
Through interactive discussions, case studies and practical exercises, attendees will leave with actionable insights and a roadmap to accelerate their organisation’s growth objectives. Whether you are a seasoned executive or an emerging leader, this masterclass will empower you to harness the full potential of your workforce in the global arena.
Session 2: 14:25 – 15:10
From Support to Strategy: HR’s Moment to Lead Change
Let’s be honest: most change initiatives don’t deliver. Not because of strategy or systems, but because people aren’t truly on board. In times of disruption like now, leaders can either drift or define the future. This session is a call to action for HR to lead from the front – not as bystanders, but as catalysts of transformation.
Drawing on 35 years of global experience as both a CEO and CHRO, Barney Quinn shares a pragmatic framework for leading people-centred change. Discover how to expose disconnects, mobilise leaders at every level, and drive execution through focus, urgency and alignment.
This isn’t theory – it’s a strategic playbook for HR to shift from support to strategy, and lead change when it matters most.
A Head-hunters View: What Differentiates the Great CPOs
Based on Strategic Dimensions’ 30+ years’ experience of placing and interviewing CPOs, SD Director Michael Whelan will share perspectives on:
1. What qualities make up a great CPO, both now and future. What separates top-tier HR leaders from the rest?
2. How to develop these qualities. What practical steps can you take to build the skills and experiences needed for success?
3. How to intentionally manager your career. How can you take control of your career trajectory and void common pitfalls?
4. Interview tups and tricks to best present your experience at Interview. What are executive-level interviewers really listening for?
5. How to work with head-hunters. How can you stay on the radar of head-hunters and be strategic about how and when you engage?
The Emotional Intelligence Advantage in Times of Ambiguity
Change, growth, mergers and acquisitions – they all come with an inherent ambiguity. Leaders who manage their emotions and build strong relationships through times of ambiguity will be better positioned to capitalise on opportunities even in complex and unpredictable business landscapes.
During this 45-minute interactive masterclass we will explore emotional intelligence with a specific spotlight on the ‘outer focus’ competencies that enable leaders to maximise their emotional capital, enabling them to take on new challenges and respond creatively and effectively to new opportunities whilst bringing people with them.
You will leave the session with a deeper understanding of your personal relationship with adaptability and optimism and how you can build on this to help you adapt to change and ambiguity more effectively in future.
Agenda
Day 1: Thursday 22 May
| 09.00 | Arrival | |
| 09.30 | Welcome, Introduction, Exec Overview of Research | Chair: Michael Whelan, Director, CRF John Whelan MBE, Director, CRF |
| 10.10 | Building Global Organisations | Clare Stafford Taylaur, Managing Partner, Conscious Consulting Adib Mattar, Senior Advisor, Mubadala Capital |
| 10.50 | Break | |
| 11.10 | The Economics of Country Development and the Need for Talent | Dr. Martyn Davies, Visiting Professor, IE University Business School |
| 12.00 | The Say vs Do Divide in M&A – How Ignoring the People Elements Impacts Deal Value | Jeff Black, Partner and Global M&A Business Leader, Mercer |
| 12.30 | Lunch | |
| 13.30 | Masterclass Session 1 | Select From: – CRF – Hult Ashridge Executive Education – Mercer |
| 14.15 | Break | |
| 14.25 | Masterclass Session 2 | Select From: – Headspring Executive Development – Strategic Dimensions – The Oxford Group |
| 15.10 | Break | |
| 15.20 | Re-imagining Future-Ready Talent | Dr. Selina Neri, CEO, Dean & Co-Founder, Institute for Future Readiness |
| 16.05 | Closing Comments | Chair, Michael Whelan |
| 16:10 | Networking Reception |
Day 2: Friday 23 May
| 09.00 | Arrival | |
| 09.30 | Welcome and Recap of Day 1 | Chair, Michael Whelan |
| 09.35 | When Worlds Merge: Navigating Culture Fit in M&A | Dr. Belisa Marochi, Professor, Hult Ashridge Executive Education |
| 10.10 | Transforming to Become a Competitive International Business | John Whelan |
| 10.45 | Break | |
| 11.05 | The Critical Role of HR in M&A Success | Hani Al Khusaibi, Chief HR and Support Services Officer, Towell Group |
| 11.35 | Reflections and Key Takeaways | John Whelan |
| 11.50 | Summary | Richard Hargreaves, Managing Director, CRF |
| 12.00 | Lunch and Networking |
Speakers
Hani Al Khusaibi
Chief HR and Support Services Officer, Towell Group
Hani is a seasoned Human Resources Manager with over 20 years of experience leading the Human Resources division in various sectors. Hani worked extensively with large family groups in the Sultanate and the GCC countries and was responsible for leading mergers, acquisitions, and exits on the human resources aspect, in various types of regional and international companies. His experience also covers sectors such as retail, real estate, automotive, food industry, and shopping malls.
Hani is a professional HR leader who has worked in many companies in different geographic. He has extensive experience specializing in start-up settings, mergers, and corporate restructuring.
Hani started his career in the Automotive sector with the Zubair Group in the Sultanate of Oman, then he was entrusted with the tasks of leading the human resources division in the Sultanate of Oman for Majid Al Futtaim Group (Hypermarket Operations – Carrefour). He was tasked with managing and developing the human resource operations associated with express retail stores covering the GCC region. Later he moved successively to work in several companies, including international, local, and regional ones within various sectors, including heavy automobile Manufacturing, industrial food manufacturing, and renewable energy for the oil & gas and energy sectors. Currently, Hani is holding the position of Chief HR & Support Services Officer at Towell Group
Hani holds an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in law. Hani also holds an accredited international certificate in management and leadership from the Swiss-based IMD institution.
Jeff Black
Partner and Global M&A Business Leader, Mercer
Jeff Black is a Partner and leads Mercer’s Global Mergers & Acquisition Advisory Services business. Under Jeff’s leadership, Mercer was named an Innovator in ALM | Law.com’s Compass Pacesetter Research M&A Services 2023 Report, as well as a Pacesetter in 2022. With a focus on human capital’s crucial role in driving revenue synergies and realising deal value, Jeff leads an award-winning M&A team that supports Corporate and Private Equity clients across the full deal lifecycle.
Through his nearly 30 years of experience as a trusted advisor and work on over 300 transactions, Jeff provides both strategic and financial advice to buyers and sellers on a wide variety of global people risks, including commercial due diligence, organisation design and transformation, leadership development, change management, culture risk mitigation, benefits pooling and financing, and salesforce effectiveness. Whether he’s advising on start-ups, IPOs, acquisitions, mergers, Joint Ventures, divestitures or stand ups, Jeff provides guidance and support to clients across all deal phases – from sourcing and diligence to pre-close and post-merger integrations.
Recognised by the Consulting Report as a top M&A consultant and leader, Jeff frequently speaks on M&A people risks, regularly partnering with leading organisations such as the Transaction Advisors Institute and the Conference Board. He has published widely in industry journals and is frequently quoted in media outlets. His thought leadership addresses critical people risks in M&A, including retaining key talent during transactions, mitigating culture risk and executing business transformation through transactions.
Dr. Martyn Davies
Visiting Professor, IE University Business School
Dr. Martyn Davies is one of the most distinguished and popular economists and strategists in global economic development and corporate strategy in Saudi Arabia, the GCC region and across the world’s emerging markets, helping organisations go through complex economic landscapes and devising effective strategies for sustainable growth. He is a Visiting Professor at IE Business School, Madrid, Spain, as well as a Professor of Practice in the College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg. He is also an advisor and Head of City Excellence at the Royal Commission in Riyadh.
He brings with him more than two decades of experience in advising multinational corporations and public sector leaders, especially from his previous position as the Managing Director and Chief Economist at Deloitte (Emerging Markets & Africa). In this previous role, he co-led the Deloitte Global CEO Program, providing critical macroeconomic insights to some of the world’s largest companies.
He has also been a Senior Fellow at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth–a highly eminent group of leading economists working on strategies toward inclusive growth and sustainability.
Martyn was a successful entrepreneur having founded Frontier Advisory, a strategy and corporate finance advisory firm that was acquired by Deloitte in September 2015.
Dr. Belisa Marochi
Professor, Hult Ashridge Executive Education
Dr. Belisa Marochi is faculty at Hult Ashridge Executive Education. Additionally, she has held positions at universities in Denmark, Sweden, US and UK. Her research focuses on sustainable development, diplomacy and gender-based agendas. Her experience includes consulting for companies such as Airbus, Kraft Heinz and Procter & Gamble and governments in the GCC, Europe and US. Dr. Marochi holds a PhD in Social Sciences from Roskilde University in Denmark and other degrees in Business Administration and Political Science from IE, Brown University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of California at Santa Barbara.
Adib Mattar
Senior Advisor, Mubadala Capital
Adib Martin Mattar was Head of Private Equity for Mubadala Capital from 2014 – 2025. Adib is now co-heading a new Luxury Real Estate and Hospitality fund for Mubadala Capital in partnership with Cain (CEO of Cain Johnathan GoldStien as the other co-head of the luxury real estate and hospitality fund). Since joining Mubadala in 2008, Adib has played a lead role in several key transactions across multiple industries at Mubadala, including the acquisition of EMI’s music publishing business in partnership with Sony. Prior to joining Mubadala, Adib worked as a member of Credit Suisse’s Energy investment banking team in New York. Adib graduated from the College of William & Mary with a BA in International Relations and he received an MBA and Masters of Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Adib is also a fellow of the Aspen Institute.
Dr. Selina Neri
CEO, Dean & Co-Founder, Institute for Future Readiness (UAE); Senior Fellow , Center for Governance, PIF (Saudi Arabia).
Dr. Selina is a multidisciplinary, forward-thinking, global, dynamic, corporate-academic with over 30 years of diverse, C-level and Board experience in Fortune 500, Global 500 and startups in the USA, Europe and Asia. Recognized for being an inspirational, authentic and well-respected global leader. Included in the prestigious Thinkers50 Radar 2025 list of the world’s most influential management thinkers, for her “important contribution to leadership development and making generations future-ready”. CEO, Dean & Co-Founder of the Institute for Future Readiness (UAE), a leading institution in future readiness dedicated to making generations future-ready through programs, research and advisory work. Senior Fellow of the Center for Governance, Public Investment Fund (Saudi Arabia), driving thought leadership and education in corporate governance.
Featured in Emirates News (Dubai One TV), Gulf News, Arabian Business, Khaleej Times, The Agenda Podcast Dubai Eye (timestamp 11:00 – 21:30), Khaleej Times (Print), Zawya, Zawya (Arabic), 25H App. Featured in The Female FTSE Board Report 2016: 100 Women to Watch, published by Financial Times in recognition for services to corporate governance. Winner of the 2020 and 2021 Professor of the Year award (London and Dubai) and the 2020 Global Faculty of the Year award at Hult International Business School. Featured in Higher Education Digest 2023 for her contribution to leadership impact and development.
Most recent publications include New Horizons (2024) (Skolkovo); International Environments and Practices of Higher Education (2022) (Emerald), Global Challenges to CSR and Sustainable Development (2021) (Springer), the Academy of Management Proceedings (2020), the European Academy of Management Proceedings (2020), the Encyclopedia of Sustainable Management (2020) (Springer), Business Ethics: A European Review (2019), The International Journal of Management Education (2019). Education: PhD in Business Management, The British University in
Clare Stafford Taylaur
Managing Partner, Conscious Consulting
Clare is the Founder and Managing Partner of Conscious Consulting: Creating value for organisations through People, Culture, and Leadership. She works with organisations who want to function more effectively, create, or transform culture, and develop leaders.
Previously, Clare was the Global Head of Human Capital for Mubadala Capital. Clare worked as a member of the Leadership team and built a thriving Global organisation with offices in 6 countries and an AUM of $22BN. The Mubadala Capital HR strategy and EVP was founded on Culture, which was fundamental to the success of the organisation. Clare created and led executive retreats for several divisions within Mubadala, developed their Executive Coaching programme and was internal faculty for the Mubadala LAB.
Clare’s Qualifications include a Masters in Leading and Facilitating Transformative Change: Organisation Development (Metanoia Institute), and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology. She is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development), and a Member of the ICF (International Coaching Federation). Clare is a certified Facilitator of Transformation (Gita Bellin & Associates), a certified Systems Coach, an accredited Meditation teacher, and a Barrett Analytics Practitioner.
John Whelan MBE
Director, CRF
John Whelan is a Director at Corporate Research Forum. Formerly UK HR Director of BAE Systems, the FTSE 100 defence, security, and aerospace company, John’s experience and strengths lie in business and HR Transformation, Organisation Development and Employee Relations. Prior to joining BAE, he held a variety of HR roles in engineering, technology and manufacturing businesses across the telecommunications and semi-conductor industries including Matra-Marconi Space where he was HR Director for the UK and, latterly, Group HRD.
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