The landscape of work continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, driven by generative AI, advanced automation, and data analytics. As we navigate 2024, HR leaders are more crucial than ever. Today, we present the Top 10 HR leaders from the UAE who are shaping the future of work by pioneering strategies in HR Tech, redefining employee experiences, and championing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Their influence extends beyond their organizations, setting new benchmarks in leadership and human capital management for years to come.
Vikki Aitken’s distinguished 20-year career in human resources is marked by a series of significant achievements and contributions to the field. With a solid academic foundation, she holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and an MBA with a concentration in Human Resources. Her professional qualifications include being a Certified Professional in HR and a certified Six Sigma Green Belt, demonstrating her commitment to excellence and process improvement. Over the years, she has consistently leveraged her expertise to enhance organizational efficiency and employee satisfaction, playing pivotal roles in talent acquisition, development, and retention.
In recent years, Vikki has expanded her impact through a range of sustainability and community outreach initiatives. She has forged key partnerships with Evolvin’ Women, promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in the workplace. She has also been instrumental in developing comprehensive internship programs, providing valuable opportunities for young professionals. Her commitment to social responsibility is evident in her leadership of community outreach programs in Africa, directly contributing to the well-being and development of underserved communities. Through these efforts, she exemplifies the profound influence that strategic HR leadership can have both within and beyond the corporate environment.
Hani is a seasoned Human Resources professional with over 20 years of experience in leading HR divisions across various sectors. He has a distinguished track record of managing HR aspects in mergers, acquisitions, and exits, especially in large family groups across the Sultanate of Oman and GCC countries. His expertise spans multiple industries, including retail, real estate, automotive, food industry, and shopping malls.
Starting his career in the Automotive sector with the Zubair Group in Oman, He later played a pivotal role in managing HR operations for Majid Al Futtaim Group's Hypermarket Operations (Carrefour) in the GCC region. His career journey has seen him contribute to international, local, and regional companies in sectors like heavy automobile manufacturing, industrial food production, and renewable energy.
Currently, he serves as the Chief HR & Support Services Officer at Towell Group. He holds an MBA, a bachelor’s degree in law, and an accredited international certificate in management and leadership from the Swiss-based IMD institution. His diverse experience, especially in start-up settings, mergers, and corporate restructuring, underscores his leadership in the HR field.
Carmen Hofmeester is a distinguished Senior HR Leader with over 23 years of expertise in all facets of Human Resources. Renowned for shaping high-performing cultures within both large enterprises and SMEs, she excels in strategic development and the implementation of innovative HR initiatives. As the Global HR Director at Jetex, she oversees the People Strategy worldwide, implementing various initiatives aimed at enhancing the employer value proposition and driving organizational growth.
In her previous roles in an Human Resources Director capacity, Carmen led the HR function for large workforces globally, developing a high-potential leadership pipeline and enhancing the employee experience. She has a proven track record of aligning people strategies with long-term business goals, ensuring agile and flexible organizational design, and implementing comprehensive HR policies. Her previous roles further demonstrate her ability to drive talent acquisition strategies, improve workforce strength, and implement effective HR frameworks that support business objectives. Carmen holds a MBA in Human Resources Development and Management, along with certifications from CIPD, SHRM and a Neuroleadership practitioner. She is recognized for her strong communication, interpersonal relations, influencing skills, and her ability to mentor and develop teams. Her strategic architectural approach is to cultivate a workforce to have a deeper understanding of the mechanics of the business, to foster a sense of belonging, drive sustainable and transformative strategies to effectively balance the needs of employees with the mission and goals of the organization.
Abhikalp Bhardwaj is a seasoned HR executive with over 24 years of experience in Human Resources, People Operations, and Human Capital, his career has spanned diverse regions, including Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Currently serving as the VP of Human Resources at NMC Healthcare Group, he leads a dynamic team of HR professionals, overseeing HR operations for 15,400 employees across multiple geographies. His role encompasses managing a multi-million-dollar HR budget and executing payroll and HR operations, while ensuring effective employee relations and compliance with labour regulations.
Previously, as the Group Head of Human Capital & PMO at Beeáh Group, he led a team of HR professionals, delivering comprehensive HR solutions for over 11,000 employees. His tenure at GE further solidified his expertise, where he held various leadership positions, including VP HR, People Operations Leader for EMEA, MENAT Payroll & Benefits Project Leader, and HR Transition Leader. His strategic initiatives at GE resulted in significant cost savings of over USD 19 million, streamlined HR processes, and enhanced employee services across multiple regions covering 28,000 plus employees.
He holds an Executive MBA in Human Resources, a Bachelor of Science, and certifications as a GE Green Belt, Black Belt, Lean Champion, and Change Coach. His dedication to excellence in HR has been recognized with a UAE Golden Visa, reflecting his commitment to contributing to the HR community in the region. Over the last five years, he has been twice honoured by being recognized among the Top 20 HR leaders across the Middle East.
Dominic is the Group CHRO of Galadari Brothers a Dubai based conglomerate. His leadership experience has been gained leading teams in billion-dollar revenue, high growth multinational companies alongside some of the world’s leading brands. He is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and has lectured and coached on CIPD programmes for the Dubai PWC academy, he is a CIPD mentor and is a member of the MENA CIPD advisory committee. His work on organisational transformation has been showcased by the CIPD in their digital learning series and presented at the CIPD London Festival of Work in 2021 and 2024.
Dominic is a newspaper columnist, an international keynote conference speaker and frequently contributes to podcasts, webinars and thought leadership articles focusing on organisational transformation, HR transformation, performance management and the future of work. In 2023 he published his first book on HR Transformation – “The New HR Playbook”. He is a guest lecturer on HR strategy at leading universities in the UAE and KSA and has judged on the MENA CIPD awards. A National Training Award winner in the UK, his Axiom Telecom team were awarded the CIPD award for the best HR team in the MENA in 2020 and he has been listed in the top 50 most Influential HR leaders in the MENA by the Economic Times.
Laksh Narayanan G is a seasoned HR professional With over 22 years of experience in Human Resource Management, the HR Director at Virtusa is a seasoned professional providing strategic HR business process support across UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, South Africa, and Egypt.
Managing over 850 employees, he is an expert Strategy Architect skilled in partnering with senior leadership to implement innovative HR initiatives and policies. He has a rich background in Talent Management, including manpower projections, hiring strategies, and talent development. He has designed a comprehensive Compensation, Performance Management, and Competency Framework, conducted job evaluations, and restructured compensation structures to align with business needs. Additionally, he has significantly contributed to Performance Management, driving performance reviews, talent development plans, and fostering a positive work culture. With a strong focus on employee engagement and welfare, he has enhanced engagement through various programs. He is a Level 5 CIPD Diploma Certified Professional and a Certified Compensation Benefits Manager and has successfully set up entities in UAE and Qatar. He enjoy visiting heritage temples, traveling, and driving.
Ritika Bhandari is an accomplished Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) with a wealth of experience spanning over 20 years, marked by strategic leadership. Her journey has seen her orchestrate comprehensive employee lifecycle management across diverse projects in locations as varied as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and India. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, she has received numerous accolades and recognitions over the years, including the prestigious CHRO of the Year award in 2023, Business World HR Leader 40 Under 40 in 2020, and the CEO Award for Talent Acquisition Performance in 2020, Woman Leader Award, among others. Beyond her day-to-day responsibilities, she has earned recognition as a distinguished Keynote Speaker at some of the most significant HR events. Her presence and insights have graced stages at People Matters HR Summit, HRSE Tech, SHRM Tech HR, ET HR Tech Leader, ET Next Tech HR Summit, and USB HR Tech Summit. These engagements not only highlight her expertise but also actively contribute to enhancing the organization's reputation as a premier 'Employer of Choice'.
With a relentless dedication to shaping and driving transformative HR strategies, she ensures alignment with organizational goals and, in turn, enhances overall business performance. She is adept at cultivating a culture of excellence and innovation, focusing on comprehensive talent management, employee development, and organizational effectiveness initiatives. One of her pivotal contributions includes pioneering the formation of a proficient HR team, responsible for driving talent acquisition, talent management, employee engagement, and talent development practices for the designated site. Her academic journey includes a Chartered FCIPD from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in 2015, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 2007 from Mumbai, and a Bachelor of Commerce (B. Com.) in 2003 from Mumbai University, India.
Ajay Choudhary would like to be known a person playing a dual role, balancing between being a Consummate professional with over one and a half decade of experience in designing and implementing cutting-edge HR initiatives in his capacity of being a HR head. As a professional, due to his current role of HR Head of 4 ME countries, namely UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar his focus is to explore Employee Lifecycle functions, thereby linking human capital to strategic business results. He has been credited for designing & implementing powerful employee mediation programs, building robust talent pools, driving initiatives to improve workforce competence, streamlining processes & capitalizing on growth opportunities.
His constant endeavour has been to bring fresh perspective, new ideas, and keen business intuition to spot growth opportunities, influence business direction, and define and drive value in the processes through HR digitization & transformation initiatives. Providing strategic HR direction for steering top initiatives, resolving conflicts & compensation issues, implementing vital HR strategies & managing compliances has been the pillars on which he has built his career. In the past decade he has excelled in diverse leadership roles in the HR function like Talent Management Head-MEA, HR Head – Digital Impact Square and of course that of an HRBP, where he learnt the nuance of the function in his formative years. He considers himself to be extremely lucky to be married to a person who shares his passion for HR and who is a brilliant HR professional in her own right. He also has a deep interest in sports and is game for a round of cricket whenever time permits. He has been able to strike a fine balance between work and professional life.
Anurag Kumar is a transformative leader in global Human Resources, currently serving as the Global Head of HR for E3 Energies. With decades of experience, he is renowned for his innovative approach and expertise across HR functions including Compensation & Benefits, Talent Acquisition, Rewards, Analytics, Talent Enhancement, and Relationship Management. He is dedicated to advancing HR on a global scale, directing initiatives and shaping workforce strategies worldwide.
Prior to E3 Energies, he held pivotal roles at Sing Fuels, GP Global Group, and Essar Group, where he revitalized HR functions and redefined organizational frameworks. His impact extends to the technology sector through influential roles at Patni Computers and NESS TECHNOLOGIES, setting new standards in HR practices. An alumnus of the International Management Institute with an MBA in HR, he combines academic excellence with practical leadership, recognized with numerous accolades for his groundbreaking contributions.
He has significantly enhanced HR capabilities across continents, fostering a robust network spanning the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, India, and Central Asia. He stands out as a visionary architect of progressive HR ecosystems, driving transformative leadership that reshapes the future of Human Resources globally.
Vanusha is a seasoned Human Resource Professional with over 15 years of comprehensive experience managing HR operations across diverse sectors including retail, logistics, construction, manufacturing, contracting, and aviation in the UAE, Qatar, and Mauritius. She excels in strategic HR management, ensuring compliance with local labour laws, and fostering employee engagement to drive organizational success. Vanusha is adept at formulating HR policies, overseeing recruitment processes, performance management, learning and development initiatives, succession planning, compensation and benefits, and payroll administration, leveraging advanced knowledge of UAE labour laws.
Currently pursuing a PhD in Human Resources from South California and holding a Master's degree in HR, Vanusha combines academic rigor with practical expertise. She is recognized as one of the youngest HR leaders in the UAE, adept at providing high-level administrative support to C-level management, implementing strategic initiatives, and optimizing operational efficiencies to enhance revenue and growth. With a multicultural background and fluency in multiple languages, Vanusha brings a global perspective to her role, ensuring alignment with international best practices and regulatory standards.
If you are an HR leader aspiring to be recognized in future editions of our Top HR Leaders list, we encourage you to share your story with us. Please write to us at info@tuscan-me.com, and our team will review your nomination for consideration.
