A conversation with Gina S. Mishriky
Gina S. Mishriky
Head Of Human Resources Dubizzle Group
Empower people through development, align them with clarity.
As Head of Human Resources at Dubizzle Group, Gina S. Mishriky discusses change fatigue, predictive workforce strategy and how HR can create measurable commercial impact through disciplined talent deployment and leadership development.
01 What is the biggest challenge facing HR leaders today, and how should they respond?
The biggest challenge is managing change fatigue while maintaining culture through continuous M&A activity and digital transformation. When organisations scale rapidly or merge, workforce disconnection can easily stall growth.
Anchor teams in engagement
HR leaders must focus relentlessly on trust and connection. During my time at Diversey, despite major corporate shifts and global M&A activity, we maintained an average annual engagement score of 95% by keeping leadership accessible and communication channels open.Equip first-time managers
Frontline leaders carry the heaviest load during transformation. A sophisticated training and development track for line managers is therefore essential. Programmes such as the Effective Leaders Program—through which I coached more than 400 first-time managers to lead through ambiguity—can become an important pillar of transformation support.Simplify and modernise
HR should eliminate friction by streamlining legacy processes and deploying scalable platforms, including enterprise HRIS solutions, to keep the employee experience seamless during periods of change.02 How do you see AI reshaping the role of HR over the next five years?
AI is shifting HR from operational execution towards predictive workforce strategy and high-touch talent development.
Operational automation
AI-enabled tools integrated into HRIS platforms will automate routine service requests, benefits processing and initial résumé screening, allowing HR teams to focus more deeply on organisational design and business priorities.Hyper-personalised development
AI will also allow organisations to scale programmes such as global enterprise mentoring by matching hundreds of mentors and mentees according to evolving capabilities and real-time skill gaps.Predictive talent analytics
Instead of looking backwards at turnover, HR leaders will be able to anticipate flight risk, skill shortages and regional cost-optimisation opportunities through integrated, accessible dashboards.03 How does HR contribute directly to business growth?
HR contributes to growth by acting as a commercial business partner that optimises organisational structure, efficiency and talent deployment.
Strategic offshoring and cost optimisation
In a previous role, I led the centralisation of a Customer Service Hub in Egypt to serve the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. The initiative delivered USD 750,000 in savings for the Middle East and Africa region while strengthening service capabilities.M&A and greenfield strategy
HR also protects deal value by integrating acquisitions effectively. As an executive committee member through multiple M&A transitions, I helped align grading structures, salary scales and organisational cultures so that the business could capture value more quickly.Regional talent deployment
By building efficient hiring pipelines through cost-effective regional hubs, HR enables functions such as supply chain, procurement and regulatory affairs to scale without unnecessarily increasing overheads.04 What creates an exceptional employee experience?
An exceptional employee experience emerges when clarity of growth, strong leadership capability, recognition and frictionless processes work together.
Leadership support
A mentoring culture provides employees with visible support and access to experience. Over three years, I trained more than 210 senior leaders to serve as enterprise mentors across regions.Clear career pathways
Transparent grading systems, salary scales, competency frameworks and mapped career pathways give people a clear understanding of how they can progress.Pride and recognition
External benchmarks can validate internal culture and strengthen organisational pride. Reputable awards reinforce the employer brand and can also enhance visibility among prospective employees, investors and other stakeholders.Frictionless processes
Modern HR tools and less administrative red tape allow employees to concentrate their energy on meaningful, high-impact work.05 Can you share one initiative that created measurable impact for your organisation?
During my tenure at Diversey and Solenis, I identified an opportunity to optimise customer-service operations across the Middle East and Africa while maintaining service levels and language capabilities. I spearheaded a strategic restructuring initiative that centralised the regional Customer Service Hub in Egypt, serving customers across Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. I managed the talent acquisition, onboarding, organisational design and labour-governance processes required to build the multi-country team. The initiative streamlined cross-border operations and achieved USD 750,000 in direct cost savings for the region. It also became a blueprint for recruiting other regional roles from Egypt.
06 What leadership principle has guided your career the most?
Empower people through development and align them through clarity.
Throughout my career—from building company-wide academies and launching global mentoring programmes to coaching hundreds of managers—I have found that high performance emerges when people feel the organisation is genuinely invested in their development. Empowerment, however, requires clear boundaries: transparent job descriptions, defined competency frameworks and measurable KPIs. When people receive the tools to develop and complete clarity about what success looks like, they consistently exceed expectations.
07 What advice would you give to the next generation of HR leaders?
Master the commercial engine first
Understand how the business operates, generates revenue and expands regionally. Whether centralising customer-service operations or managing regional hiring projects across Europe and North America, every HR decision should be grounded in business return.Be an architect of culture—not a policy enforcer
Policies should facilitate success rather than restrict it. Focus on building an environment capable of earning exceptional engagement and credible external recognition.Embrace global and regional complexity
Do not confine your experience to local operations. Learn to manage global HRIS implementations, navigate multi-region M&A integrations and build talent frameworks that can scale across diverse geographies.Stay Ahead
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