Fouad Abdelhafez
Chief Human Resources Officer, EgySwiss Holding
In conversation with Fouad Abdelhafez, Chief Human Resources Officer, EgySwiss Holding
The most effective HR leaders do more than manage policies, processes and employee concerns. They help organizations make better decisions by connecting people strategy with commercial priorities—while ensuring that fairness, dignity and trust are not lost along the way. In this conversation with The Leadership Gazette, Fouad Abdelhafez, Chief Human Resources Officer at EgySwiss Holding, discusses the decision that transformed HR’s contribution to the business, why inclusion must be visible in everyday choices and how technology can give HR professionals more time to focus on what matters most: people, leadership and sound judgement.
1 . What is one HR decision that had a significant impact on your organization?
One of the most consequential decisions I made was to reposition HR from being primarily an
administrative function to becoming a genuine business partner—one focused on people,
performance and accountability.
That required more than changing HR processes. We had to improve the organizational structure,
clarify responsibilities, strengthen leadership accountability and ensure that people practices were
closely aligned with business objectives.
As that connection became stronger, we were able to make better-informed decisions about talent,
productivity, performance and retention. HR became more involved in addressing business
challenges rather than responding only after people-related problems had emerged.
The experience reinforced an important lesson: HR creates its greatest value when it understands
the business and is closely connected to how the organization operates, performs and grows.
2 . How do you ensure diversity, equity and inclusion become part of everyday workplace culture?
Diversity, equity and inclusion should be visible in everyday decisions—not confined to policies,
annual campaigns or corporate statements.
It begins with the fundamentals: fair recruitment, equitable access to development opportunities,
transparent performance management and consistent treatment of employees regardless of their
position, nationality, gender or background.
However, formal processes alone are not enough. HR leaders must be willing to challenge
unconscious bias when it appears in hiring, promotion, reward or leadership decisions. We must also
examine whether employees across the organization are genuinely having a consistent experience.
People notice the difference between an organization that talks about inclusion and one that
practises it. DEI becomes part of the culture when fairness and dignity are reflected in routine
decisions, particularly when those decisions are difficult or commercially sensitive.
3 . What is the most important lesson your HR career has taught you?
People may not always remember every decision you made, but they will remember how you treated them. My career has taught me that successful HR leadership requires a careful balance between business needs and genuine concern for people. These two priorities do not have to work against each other. An HR leader can be firm about expectations, standards and accountability while remaining fair, respectful and human. In fact, difficult decisions are more likely to be understood when people believe they have been treated honestly and with dignity. Being human does not mean avoiding difficult conversations or compromising performance. It means handling those moments with clarity, consistency and respect.
4 . How do you create trust between employees and leadership?
Trust is built through consistency, transparency and doing what you say you will do. Employees need to feel that they can speak openly without fear of retaliation and that their concerns will be heard and taken seriously. This does not mean HR can always give employees the outcome they want, but it does mean they deserve an honest process, appropriate confidentiality and a clear response. Leadership must also trust HR to provide objective advice—even when that advice is uncomfortable or difficult to hear. HR loses credibility when it simply tells either side what it wants to hear. I see HR as a bridge between employees and leadership, but that bridge must be built on facts, fairness and confidentiality. Trust grows when both sides know that HR will remain consistent, protect sensitive information and address issues without favouritism.
5 .What HR trend will have the greatest impact on workplaces?
AI and HR technology will undoubtedly have a major influence on how organizations operate, but
the most meaningful transformation will not simply be about replacing people.
Technology can remove repetitive administrative work, improve access to workforce insights and
help organizations make faster, more informed decisions. This should allow HR professionals and
managers to spend more time on leadership, employee experience, workforce planning and the
complex human situations that technology cannot resolve on its own.
The HR professional of the future will need to combine data and technological fluency with sound
human judgement. Understanding the information generated by technology will be important, but
so will knowing when to question it, contextualize it or look beyond it.
The real opportunity is not to make HR less human. It is to use technology to create more time and
capacity for the work that requires humanity most.
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