Mohammed Zughbi
Country Human Resources Director, Richemont
In conversation with Mohammed Zughbi, Country Human Resources Director, Richemont
The most effective leaders are not defined by how many decisions they make, but by how confidently others can make decisions in their absence. This belief sits at the heart of Mohammed Zughbi’s leadership philosophy. As Country Human Resources Director at Richemont, he sees the modern HR function as an architect of organisational health—responsible for creating the conditions in which people can grow, perform sustainably and navigate change with confidence. In this conversation with The Leadership Gazette, Mohammed discusses responsible AI adoption, the real foundations of workplace culture, the relationship between wellbeing and performance, and why leadership should ultimately be measured by the growth it creates in others.
1 . How has your leadership philosophy evolved over the years?
When I first stepped into leadership, I believed my role was to make the best decisions. Over the
years, I have realised that great leadership is less about making every decision yourself and more
about creating an environment where others can make great decisions with confidence.
I have also learned that people rarely underperform because they lack talent. More often, they
underperform because the environment around them limits their potential. That is why I focus on
building workplaces where trust is earned, expectations are clear, accountability is fair and people
feel genuinely empowered.
For me, leadership is not measured by how many people depend on you. It is measured by how
many people grow because of you.
Leadership is not about being the hero of the story; it is about helping others write theirs.
2 . What role should HR play in AI governance and responsible AI adoption?
AI is changing how we work, but it should never change what makes work human.
HR must play a leading role in responsible AI adoption because every decision involving AI eventually
affects people—whether through recruitment, performance management, learning, career
development or workforce planning.
Our responsibility is to ensure that AI is used transparently, ethically and fairly, and that its
application remains aligned with the organisation’s values. We must be willing to question how
decisions are made, identify potential biases and ensure that human judgement and accountability
are never removed from processes that affect people’s lives and careers.
Used responsibly, AI can eliminate repetitive work, improve decision-making and give leaders more
time to coach, listen and build meaningful relationships.
The organisations that succeed will not necessarily be those using the most AI. They will be the ones
using it most responsibly.
Technology should enhance humanity, never replace it.
3 . How do you maintain culture during periods of rapid growth or organisational change?
Culture is easy to protect when everything is going well. Its real test comes during periods of
uncertainty and change.
In my experience, employees do not expect leaders to have every answer. What they expect is
honesty, consistency and visibility. People can adapt to almost any change when they understand its
purpose and trust those responsible for leading it.
During transformation, I focus on communicating openly, listening before reacting and ensuring that
every decision reflects our values—not only our immediate business priorities.
This is where leadership behaviour becomes particularly important. Employees observe how
decisions are made, how difficult conversations are handled and whether the organisation’s stated
values continue to apply when circumstances become challenging.
Culture is not maintained through presentations or slogans. It is built through the decisions leaders
make every single day.
4 . How do you prevent burnout while maintaining high performance across teams?
I do not believe burnout is the price of high performance.
Burnout often occurs when people experience sustained pressure without sufficient clarity,
recognition, support or time to recover. Sustainable performance comes from designing work
intelligently—not simply expecting people to work harder for longer.
Leaders need to set clear priorities, remove unnecessary complexity and create an environment in
which employees can speak honestly about their capacity and challenges. High standards and
genuine care for people are not opposing ideas; the strongest organisations practise both.
That is why I see workplace wellbeing as a business strategy rather than an isolated HR initiative.
When people feel trusted, supported, recognised and psychologically safe, they are more likely to
perform consistently and contribute at their highest level.
Healthy people build healthy teams. Healthy teams build healthy businesses.
5 . Which HR metric do you believe matters most to CEOs, and why?
If I could encourage CEOs to focus on one measure, it would not be engagement, turnover or
productivity in isolation. It would be organisational health.
Organisational health reflects the overall strength of the environment in which people work. A
healthy organisation creates more engaged employees, stronger collaboration, greater innovation,
higher retention and, ultimately, better business performance.
Those outcomes do not happen by chance. They emerge when leaders intentionally create the
clarity, trust, accountability and sense of purpose people need to succeed.
Individual HR metrics remain important, but they should be interpreted together. Engagement may
reveal how people feel, turnover may show whether they are staying and productivity may indicate
what they are delivering. Organisational health helps us understand whether the business can
sustain those outcomes over time.
The role of modern HR is no longer simply to manage people. It is to design workplaces where
people and businesses can grow together.The future of HR lies in creating environments where people can do the best work of their lives while
helping businesses achieve their greatest ambitions.
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