HR Or 'Chief Reality Officer'? UAE Expert Urges Leaders To Focus On People In Workplace

At a time when the regional workplace is going through unprecedented change, the role of human resource professionals has become more important than ever. This was the message with which the second edition of the Future of Workforce Summit 2026 opened.

"We are living in a great period of extraordinary change," said Ted Kemp, Chief Content Officer of Khaleej Times, in his opening address. "The way we work is changing, the way people build careers is changing, and what employees expect from their organisations - well, that's changing as well."

Ted noted that multiple generations now work side by side, bringing different expectations and ideas about what a workplace should be. Meanwhile, the region is becoming a global hub for business, innovation, and talent.

The summit, which took place at Address Skyview in Dubai on Thursday, brought together senior leaders, policymakers and HR professionals to explore how technology, leadership and people strategies must evolve, to keep pace with shifting workplace expectations.

Ted also drew a parallel between HR and media, saying both are built on "a sheer belief in the power of people's voices." That's why, he argued, workforce strategy must be a boardroom priority.

"When an organisation is going through transformation, the question is not only can we automate this-it's also can we retain our best people? Can we retrain them fast enough?" he asked. "How do we make sure that as workplaces evolve, the human element remains right at its centre?"

Dominic Keogh-Peters, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Galadari Brothers, delivered the opening keynote and made a critical observation. "We're at peak strategy. Technology is the best it's ever been," he said. "But here's my observation: I don't see work getting any better. I don't see performance improving in our organisations."

He pointed out that strategies fail because the organisation is not designed to deliver that strategy. Dominic described a "missing leg" in most organisations - the gap between strategy and performance. "Just because a strategy is communicated to a business doesn't mean people will follow it," he said. "Systems shape behaviour. Organisations behave how they are designed to behave. And if your human systems are not aligned, your strategy will fail."

Dominic called for a fundamental shift in how HR leaders see themselves. "We're moving away from being people leaders to being organisational architects," he said. "The future of work will not reward best practice. It will reward best fit, commercial fluency, and the courage to challenge."

He urged HR leaders to become what he calls the 'Chief Reality Officer' and ask tough questions like: "Do we have leaders, or do we have accidental managers? Is our reward rewarding the correct behaviours? Are we building capability for the future, or just hoping it will accidentally happen?"

He closed with a powerful reminder of what truly matters. "People don't remember HR policies, they remember great leadership,” he said.“People don't remember HR initiatives, they remember how work felt. People don't remember HR frameworks, they remember whether work grew them or slowly wore them down."

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