Asma Bajawa Email & Phone Number

Dubai, Uae

PeopleFirst is an HR consulting practice, based in Dubai serving the UAE and the wider region, which works in partnership with clients to help unlock value and realise strategic goals through effective people polices and processesWe see HR as a crucial part of any successful business and we believe that people are the single most important asset any organization has and the role they play both internally and externally is pivotal. From your customer’s perspective or from a shareholder perspective, HR is the internal vehicle for ensuring your people and your business is aligned, sharing a common focus.At PeopleFirst we take nothing for granted and our strong reputation has been built on professionalism, integrity and exceptional technical expertise. We have a proven track record across a wide variety of industry sectors and only employ people who have proven how good they are. All our team members have extensive local and international experience across Human Resource Management and Change Management and we are passionate about what we do.

Acted as Consultant EVP HR reporting responsible for all aspects of HR, Administration andSecurity Services• Developed and implemented an HR strategy in line with the strategic objectives of ADATtransformation programme• Led the transformation programme which was driven by an ERP system implementation across the organisation which included business reengineering across all aspects of HR• Led an organisational re-structure, developed & delivered a senior management process to transition the right people with the right skills to the new organisation• Led the appeals process for 1,500 employees resulting from a migration of 3,500 employees to new grading and salary structure resolving all issues within a two month timeframe• Developed and implemented a new HR policies in line with UAE Law and best practice moving from previous governmental policies• Developed and implemented a new performance management system training 450 managers• Selection & recruitment of senior executives (CX level)• Directly reported to Mubadala Steering Group (private arm of Abu Dhabi Government) on all strategic HR issues

• Led the transition of 650 people from the government owned Department of Civil Aviation to the privately owned company (ADAC) ensuring that the new company secured the right skills and resources required to maintain operational performance and customer service levels whilst reducing numbers through redundancies and the redeployment.• Worked closely with the Board of ADAC on the principles of transition to ensure that the company followed a fair and equitable process in managing the transition of employees to the new company whilst moving to new contracts, compensation, grading and new terms and conditions. • Developed the company vision & mission statements and led the development of the company values working closely with senior executive team to ensure buy in, ownership and commitment to the company culture• Developed and implemented an in house HRM system to automate all HR processes• Developed the HR policies manual for all employment related policies in line with best practice and global standards• Acted as an HR advisor to the subsidiary company for ADAC, Abu Dhabi Airport Services, Abu Dhabi Duty Free, Abu Dhabi Catering, Hospitality Group and the Committee for the development of Abu Dhabi Airport• Developed and launched a performance management framework across ADAC and its subsidiaries, linking performance to reward & recognition and employee development• Restructured and established the HR department which now offers support services across of employee relation, training & development, recruitment, manpower planning, business support, compensation & benefits and policies• Achieved emiratization of 24% across ADAC which proportionally split across the hierarchy of the company• Worked closely with the Board Members in selecting the CEO and other Director positions through an Executive search global search• Designed developed and led the delivery of the corporate induction programme for all employees

• Executive Vice President (EVP) HR reporting directly to the CEO and established the HRstrategy, business plan and budget• Led the organisational development & manpower requirements for the company in line with the agreed operating model• Successfully set up a the HR department from scratch to a strength of 45 team members including all aspects of a corporate HR department• Led a successful recruitment campaign to recruit the best talent from across the world building a team of 1600 permanent people and 600 temporary people• Successfully increased the numbers of UAE nationals recruited at all levels of the company hitting a target of 22% across the company and 40% across customer facing roles• Led the successful integration of 350 people from the business acquisition of Tecom TelecomsUnit through a fair and transparent migration process• Led the development of a new compensation and benefits package working with the HayGroup along with a new grading and title nomenclature• Successfully introduced the oracle based HRMS system across the company working withIBM.• Responsible for setting up the Training and Development department for du, managing all aspect of launch critical requirements and business simulation in readiness for launch• Led the design, development and delivery of du’s Corporate Induction Programme• Responsible for the development of the employee manual detailing all HR policies taking into account the Federal laws.• Introduced a competency based performance management framework• Introduced an internal vacancy process for all promotions allowing for equal opportunities for growth and development for all employees.• Responsible for writing all CEO communications for external and internal publication.• Led the development of Organisational culture based on company values and employee engagement program

Developed and implemented HR strategies to support Heathrow’s 5 year business plan whilstmanaging the day to day HR portfolio for 6000 staff through a team of HR managers.• Played a pivotal role in the design, development and implementation of HR policies at a corporate level, covering performance management, training and development, recruitment and selection, compensation and reward and integrating diversity• Responsible for the leading HR input into major change programmes across Heathrow Airport such as development of the new Terminal 5 which will fundamentally change the organisational processes, working practices, industrial relations agreements and customer proposition• Responsible for the successful implementation of a new corporate absence policy, which has delivered cost savings in excess of £3million at Heathrow Airport through improved attendance standards• Led the development of recruitment and selection processes to deliver the required skills and capabilities at management levels across Heathrow Airport whilst also ensuring operational manpower requirements were delivered• Responsible for providing guidance and support across the management team on maintaining an effective industrial relations environment that strives to achieve collaborative working, involvement and engagement• Responsible for ensuring that management teams across Heathrow met all legislative requirements related to managing a diverse workforce and ensuring that corporate policies are followed in respect of integrating diversity and creating a work environment of dignity and respect at work.

Successfully developed and implemented a strategy to integrate all training activities across UK airports including 3rd party suppliers, which led to cost savings in excess of £1.5million, improved efficiency and fundamentally enhanced customer service levels to the airports delivering key business targets.• Developed a strategy & vision for the new team ensuring stakeholder management throughout the change process.• Successfully delivered a positive change in customer perception of the service & support offered by the Training department acting as the main interface for all training activity for all customer service areas across UK Airports.• Facilitated and supported the Planning and Logistics Team to deliver to agreed processes and service level agreements resulting in improved client relationships and business efficiencies.• First point of contact for all training activity to UK clients and Programme Manager for all behavioural training requirements for Airport Operations teams across the British Airways network.• Responsible for allocation and management of £10 million training budget for Customer Services across UK Airports. This incorporated mandatory & non-mandatory requirements as well as educational sponsorships.

Successfully managed a key customer relationship through the delivery of 4 set corporate projects for the In-flight Services team of 12,000 people.• Led the Employee Opinion Survey for Cabin Crew (12000 people) including development of questionnaires, interpretation and communication of results, Action planning and improvement progress reviews• Managed all communications for these projects on behalf of the client amongst the widerManagement Team, staff and Trade Unions.• Worked in partnership with colleagues from North America to introduce and develop use of the Appreciative Inquiry technique into the Passion for Service Change Programme, which was a key cultural change programme for the Customer Services Organisation.• Developed and delivered the content of the Passion for Service cultural change programme working in collaboration with a cross-functional Customer Service and Operations teams across the company’s global network.

• Responsible for identifying and ensuring delivery of all training and development needs of theCustomer Services Organisation across Heathrow.• Managed the relationship and performance of all training suppliers to Heathrow. This included both internal and external suppliers.• Led a team of 30 people in the Open Learning Centres at Heathrow, continually looking at ways to improve and provide more cost effective training.• Delivered considerable savings to the business through the introduction and implementation of a computer based training packages.• Developed and introduced processes to analyse and report on actual training spend vs. planned spend on a monthly basis for each Senior Manager team to review