Future of Work and People Strategy
Gulf Financial Services Community: Rewiring the Bank – Building the Workforce Architecture for AI at Scale
Tuesday 22 September | 08:30-10:30 GST
As banks move from AI experimentation to scaled adoption, the challenge is no longer simply finding digital talent. It is redesigning work, redefining roles and building a repeatable capability to reskill people as the operating model evolves.
Join CRF and our partners Mercer for a roundtable where will explore how financial institutions can connect AI-enabled work redesign with practical reskilling, internal mobility and stronger talent pipelines. Participants will discuss where to begin, how to measure progress and how HR can partner with business and technology leaders to make transformation sustainable.
Venue
Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi – Hotel & Residences Emirates Pearl
West Corniche, Corniche Road
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Speaker
Lisa Lyons
Partner – Transformation
Lisa is a Partner in Mercer’s Career business, with a focus on Transformation. She is the Regional Transformation Centre of Excellence Lead for Middle East, India and Africa, and is based in Abu Dhabi. She has worked in consulting for 17 years, and has worked for Mercer in the UK, Australia and across Europe. Lisa specialises in the areas of enterprise skills, strategic transformation programmes, talent management, HR strategy and change management.
Lisa advised on establishing the strategy for a new GCC Future Skills office by ensuring the mandate was closely aligned with national priorities to drive impactful outcomes. She also guided the development of the operating model, organization design and design of measurement approach across government.
Lisa led the development of a new skills framework for a 60,000-person organization in the GCC by defining a clear skills strategy and designing a comprehensive framework tailored to the organization’s needs. She also established a governance model and advised on how to successfully embed the skills framework into HR processes to ensure effective adoption and ongoing management.
Lisa pioneered a new skills-based approach for a GCC bank by designing precise skills profiles for all job roles and crafting a visionary framework for skills-enabled career pathways. She also spearheaded the design of pilot programs to test and refine this innovative approach for broader implementation.
Michael Whelan
Director, CRF and Strategic Dimensions
Michael Whelan is a Director at Corporate Research Forum (CRF), leading the organisation in the GCC region, based in the UAE. He supports the organisation’s global network of more than 270 organisations build the capability of their HR functions through evidence-based research, technology-enabled learning and development, expert events, and peer exchange.
Michael is also a Director at leading HR search and advisory firm Strategic Dimensions – CRF’s sister organisation – having started his career in Executive Search. His experience extends across industry and geographical sectors including the largest firms in the Gulf region.
About the Gulf Financial Services Community
CRF’s Financial Services HR Community is an exclusive network for senior HR leaders working across the UAE’s banking, insurance, asset management, investment and fintech sectors. This forum recognises the unique opportunities and challenges facing HR in one of the region’s most dynamic and heavily regulated industries.
Through a mix of CRF research insights, expert guest speakers, and peer-led discussions, the Community provides a platform to explore issues ranging from workforce transformation and leadership capability to regulatory change and talent mobility. Sessions are designed to encourage frank conversation, shared problem-solving, and the exchange of practical solutions.
For HR leaders in financial services, this is a rare chance to learn from peers navigating similar challenges, connect with trusted experts, and contribute to raising the standard of HR across the sector in the UAE.
If you are a senior HR leader working in this sector, based in the Middle East and are interested in joining this community, please contact Michael Whelan.
