HR & CQ Summit
Tuesday 14th April - 8:00am - 1:00pm
Venue - Radisson RED Dubai Silicon Oasis
Tickets AED350 (inc VAT)
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Event Hosted by Radisson Red
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HR & CQ Summit Dubai 2026 - The Human Advantage
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Presented by Sarah Brooks & Emma Jordaan
The HR & CQ Summit Dubai 2026 brings together senior HR and business leaders to explore one critical question:
What will truly drive performance in 2026?
As AI reshapes operating models, skills destabilise and leadership expectations intensify, organisations face a new reality:
Technology will reshape roles and workplaces, but won’t fix culture or skills.
Here’s what to expect:
​✅ AI Activation – Discover innovative ways to boost engagement and workplace belonging.
✅ Exclusive FireSide Chat – Gain insights from one of the GCC's well revered L&D C-suite Leaders
✅ Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Activation – Exploring adaptability under pressuree.
✅ Panel Discussion – Hear from regional leaders on where performance is truly gained or lost in the GCC
✅ Networking Opportunities – Connect with like-minded professionals and industry experts.​​
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Whether you're an HR Leader, People Manager, or Business Executive, this summit will equip you with the knowledge and tools to lead with confidence in an increasingly globalised world.
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Join us in Dubai for a thought-provoking and practical discussion on the future of HR and Cultural Intelligence.
Speakers
Emma Jordaan
Founder and CEO of Infinite Consulting, a training consultancy that Cultural Training and coaching. Emma is a thought leader in Cultural Intelligence (CQ), a field dedicated to understanding and improving cross-cultural interactions in global and diverse environments. Emma is a CQ Fellow, part of an elite group of global experts specialising in the application of Cultural Intelligence. Emma has been a TedX Speaker, and Keynote Speaker at major events such as Gitex, HRSE and the L&D Summit and been featured in numerous Middle East business publications such as Gulf Business Leaders & Middle East Consultant Magazines, along with appearances on DubaiEye 103.8 radio station. Emma is also the co-host of The HR & CQ Show podcast, where she discusses HR trends and cultural intelligence in the UAE. Plus, she is the audthor of a Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Strategy book caled 'Dubai Decoded', which offers practical insights and strategies to help professionals thrive in a diverse workplace.
Sarah Brooks
Sarah Brooks is a CIPD-qualified HR professional and the Founder and Managing Director of Fikrah HR, a UAE-based consultancy specialising in strategic talent management, organisational development, and positive workplace cultures. With nearly three decades of HR and business experience across the UK and GCC, she supports SMEs with innovative HR solutions that drive employee engagement and organisational effectiveness and compliance. Recognised among the top 101 global HR minds at the World HR Congress in 2019 and 2020, Sarah’s expertise spans the full employee lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, policy development, and performance management. She is also the co-host of The HR & CQ Show podcast, where she discusses HR trends and cultural intelligence in the UAE. Sarah has also been featured on Dubai Eye Business Breakfast radio show discussing hot topics regarding employer health & safety obligations and remote work challenges and is currently working towards the launch of Gigit, which will connect UAE based fractional & project workers with opportunities
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Fireside Guest - Andrew R Stotter-Brooks​
Andrew is an internationally experienced executive coach and leadership transformation specialist with over 30 years of experience, including 14 years in the GCC. He partners with organisations to build future-ready leaders, high-trust cultures, and scalable talent systems that enable people to thrive.
Andrew has delivered executive coaching and leadership development programmes across the UK, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, working with global corporations, government entities, and high-growth organisations. His expertise spans organisational psychology, performance strategy, leadership pipelines, succession frameworks, and enterprise-wide talent solutions.
Known for his direct yet deeply human coaching style, Andrew supports senior leaders to navigate complexity, sharpen decision-making, and lead with clarity and authenticity in rapidly evolving environments.
Panellist Guest - Lynne McGarvey
​Lynne McGarvey is a dynamic HR and people-culture leader based in Dubai, currently serving as Head of HR at The Warehouse Gym, where she drives talent strategy, culture, and organisational growth in a fast-paced, people-centric environment.
With a strong background in hospitality and human resources, Lynne has held senior HR leadership roles including Head of Talent & Culture at The Arts Club Dubai and Director of People & Culture at Media One Hotel, bringing a strategic and human-centred approach to employee engagement, performance and development.
Known for her passion for building high-impact teams and nurturing workplace culture, Lynne blends HR expertise with operational insight to support business success and people growth across diverse organisations.
Panellist Guest - Kameron Hutchinson
Kameron Hutchinson is the Director of Strategic Talent Acquisition at Allsopp & Allsopp Group, where he leads the attraction, hiring and development of top-tier talent across the Dubai real estate market. Over the past decade, he has played a central role in the agency’s rapid growth, hiring more than 1,200 professionals who have collectively generated in excess of $75 million in revenue.
Known for his hands-on and high-performance approach to recruitment, Kameron has built a reputation for identifying, attracting and developing high-potential individuals in one of the most competitive talent markets globally. His work spans international talent roadshows, large-scale hiring strategies and the ongoing development of recruitment teams to ensure consistent pipeline quality and performance.
Beyond talent acquisition, Kameron is also active as a speaker, event host and brand ambassador, sharing insights on recruitment, career mobility and the realities of working in Dubai’s real estate sector.
Panellist Guest - Omar El Jurdi
Omar El Jurdi is a seasoned human resources and people-culture executive with extensive experience leading HR, finance, and administrative functions across diverse industries. Currently based in Dubai, he specialises in scaling organisational capability, driving workplace culture transformation, and championing strategic HR solutions that enable both business performance and employee growth.
Omar combines deep expertise in talent management and people operations with a human-centred approach to leadership, helping organisations foster high-impact teams and future-ready workforces.
Panellist Guest - Patrick Acheampong
Founder and Chief Transformation Strategist at Mdata Consultants, for 20+ years, Patrick has transformed how Fortune 500 banks, insurance companies, industrial organisations, high-growth scaleups and fintech platforms deliver a great Employee Experience by engineering their HR infrastructure and helping them save millions of dollars in the process.
Patrick brings international experience leading teams across the US, the UK, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Australia to deliver cross border, transformation, process re-engineering, organisation design, change management, as well as digital and AI-powered implementations to drive workforce performance. Patrick is passionate about providing the right Employee Experience framework to empower people to do their best work.
​A thought leader in HR Tech and Transformation, Patrick has spoken at and chaired conferences, participated in podcasts, and published articles and newsletters on the subject. He is a published author, as well as founder and adviser to multiple startups.
Panellist Guest - Dilini Loku
Dilini is a UK-qualified lawyer with over a decade of experience advising a diverse client base from start-ups to multinational companies, on all aspects of employment law across the UAE and the Middle East region. She has particular expertise in guiding businesses through complex employment matters, including restructures, reorganisations, redundancies, employee transfers, global mobility strategies, senior executive appointments and terminations. Dilini is well-versed in strategic workforce planning and employee risk management and regularly advises on day-to-day HR and compliance issues.
Dilini brings a legal and governance lens to our panel discussion, an increasingly critical perspective as workforce models evolve and regulatory expectations shift.
Guest Activation - Brett Smyth
Brett Smyth, Founder and CEO of Engage Group, a Dubai-based employee engagement and communications consultancy working with organisations across the Middle East and globally. Brett founded Engage in 2013 with a clear belief that real transformation only happens when employees are genuinely engaged, motivated, and empowered to act.
With a background in management consulting across both the public and private sectors, he brings a unique blend of strategy, organisational psychology, and creative communication expertise to his work.
Brett and his team work with large multinational organisations, government entities, and leading consulting firms across the region, helping them drive employee engagement, strengthen internal communication, and deliver real organisational change.
Guest Activation - Mounaim Lamouni
Mounaim Lamouni is an HR transformation specialist with extensive experience driving people and technology initiatives across the UAE, India, and Africa. With a strong focus on the intersection of AI and HR, he works closely with organisations to enhance efficiency, streamline operations, and elevate the employee experience through practical, scalable solutions.
Known for his balanced perspective, Mounaim combines deep HR expertise with a clear understanding of emerging technologies, ensuring that innovation never comes at the expense of the human element. His work focuses on helping organisations adopt AI in a way that is both impactful and responsible, positioning HR as a strategic driver in the future of work.
Moderator & Emcee
Moderator - Gemma Morris
Gemma Morris is a Senior HR Business Partner at Savills and a strategic HR leader with over 20 years of international experience across people, culture, and talent. She specialises in building inclusive workplaces, driving organisational performance, and enhancing employee wellbeing.
Known for her engaging, people-first approach, Gemma is also a passionate advocate for neurodiversity and inclusion, bringing both insight and energy to conversations that shape the future of work.