Reverse Mentorship, Succession Planning: How UAE Companies Can Build Future-Ready Workforce

liaFrom whether multiple generations should be treated differently to the importance of succession planning, a variety of important topics were discussed at a panel on building a future-ready workforce.

The panel at the Future of Workforce Summit 2026 opened with a provocative question: should organisations manage different generations differently?

The answer from Alia'a Zaghloul, Head of People & Culture at Khaleej Times was immediate. "No. I don't think that we need or we should manage generations differently. I think we need to lead people individually," she said.

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She warned against the dangers of stereotyping. "The moment we start saying Gen Z wants this, millennials behave like that, Gen X prefers this, we're actually putting people into boxes and we're separating them. People and culture leaders need to understand individuals."

Melitsa Mizrahi, Chief People Officer at Papa Johns Pizza, explained that stereotypes often fail. "I know some Gen Zs who don't want flexibility,” she said.“They want to come in and grow from the start. I also know older generations who are adaptable and want to use AI to make their lives easier."

Instead, she said, it was important to create the right conditions to perform.

Ali'a added: "We need to stop labelling people by age and assuming that age determines what people want instead leaders need to create opportunities for generations to learn from each other and knowledge to move in both directions."

She gave the example of an initiative that Khaleej Times introduced- a reverse mentorship programme. "We paired young talents with experienced senior leaders," she explained. "The young talents shared their perspectives on technology, AI and ways of working. The senior leaders shared their business judgement, organisational knowledge, lessons that cannot be taught in textbooks."

The conversation then turned to succession planning - a topic Uzayr Marria, global corporate accounts director at Just Wills described as "a bit of a taboo."

"The UAE has massively changed over the last 10 to 20 years," he said. "People planned to come short-term and now have built businesses, families, and assets. Building wealth is only part of the job. No one thinks about where it's all going to go."

He stressed that organisations must prepare for the unexpected. "No one has all the information,” he said.“It's critical that everyone starts planning their succession, because when you're no longer here, your family will have to pick up the pieces and it's very crucial that everything is all prepared beforehand.”

Melitsa reframed succession as more than just replacing people. "It's not about losing people necessarily. It's about losing the capabilities, the know-how, the decision-making process," she said. "The question is: do we have an organisation resilient enough, adaptable enough, to step into that unknown zone?"

The panel closed by asking what a future-ready workforce actually looks like. Uzayr pointed to adaptability. "AI is here to stay,” he said.“Those who understand it and utilise it will succeed. It's about adaptation."

He also stressed knowledge transfer. "You have people who've been in organisations for 20 or 30 years with invaluable information,” he said.” It's important they pass it to the next generation before they leave."

Melitsa highlighted curiosity. "The competitive edge will be individuals who have the curiosity to play with the unknown. It's not about succeeding on the first try. It's about failing, learning, and trying again."

Alia'a added that leaders must create a learning culture. "People need to be comfortable enough to say, 'I don't know how to do this, but I can learn.'"

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