Bio:
Nada graduated with a Masters Degree in Engineering from McGill University, Montreal. After working for 4 years in leading Telecom companies in Canada and France, she decided to focus on organizational behaviour which she viewed as key for the future and more in line with her interest. She partnered with the INSEAD business school in France, and worked on various projects for multinational clients in France, USA, Sweden, Norway, Germany, in fields such as hi-potential management, performance management, duality based management, etc. Upon her return to Lebanon, she got recruited by Hôtel-Dieu de France hospital where she worked for 10 years as Director for Human Development & Communication. Since February 2008, she joined Debbané Group to launch a regional HR Department for an ensemble of companies in the agricultural, horticultural, landscaping, wine distribution and wine making industries at the regional level (Lebanon, Syria, Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Iran, UAE).
How do you like living and working in Lebanon?
After having studied, lived and worked abroad for 17 years, the comeback to Lebanon in 1996 required some adaptation. However, being able to work with great Lebanese companies and enjoying the unique social and family environments that Lebanon offers were there to make the move worthwhile!
What is your average day at work like?
I usually do not see a day pass by. Between operational questions, articulation with the various stakeholders, building up of HR competencies and deciding for long-term strategic issues related to HR structure, needed tools & methodologies, time flies.
What is your biggest professional challenge?
The start up of a function in one company is usually a challenge. Needless to say that it is even more so for a Group of companies acting in various industries and various countries that were left without HR for decades. It requires an important strategic ability to build a vision and a lot of tact, perseverance, communication and patience, to enable progressive articulation with existing functions, in a constructive manner, demonstrating HR’s added value as a business partner.
What is the most important thing you look for in new hires?
We of course look for academic qualifications and technical skills, but fitting the Debbané culture is what is essential. We look for people with high integrity, who are straight with no hidden agendas, dynamic, good team members and self motivated. Specific attitudes may also be looked for according to vacancies. When you work with someone who fits culturally and is motivated to perform and learn, all the rest can fall in place.
What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent?
In most of the countries we operate in, we are able to find the specific profiles we are looking for, but each country has its own challenges. For example, in Algeria, retention is a problem, while finding talent in Iraq is a real issue…
What is your favourite part of your role?
I enjoy clarifying roles to improve effectiveness and reduce conflicts, acting as a front liner at times and behind the scene at other times, putting the needed human touch to make sure that people are fairly treated and given a proper chance. I enjoy feeling connected and putting to use who I am as well as what I know.
What has been the highlight of your career in HR?
At Hôtel-Dieu de France, I had to put in place and align all the HR processes with the national accreditation standards. If this was a technical achievement, I would consider the highlight to be the cultural changes required to enjoy a professional recruitment & selection process as well as a reward system based not only on seniority but on performance as well. These were major cultural changes in a unionized environment.
As for my present experience, creating the Debbané Group HR Department from scratch, selecting and buying a top notch HRMS at a very competitive price, developing proper tools, setting salary scales while contributing to fill various key positions at the regional level are, in my opinion, essential for the Group’s long term continuity.
What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments?
Being a mother and a professional, my time is precious. I am less inclined these days to read about new theories and prefer to rely on articles and regular discussions and electronic exchanges with my peers worldwide. It gives me the opportunity to dwell on what is possible and not only on what is desirable.
What is your advice to someone looking to enter the field of HR?
A good understanding of how a business operates is very helpful. A hands on experience allows one to have a clearer picture of the organization, of the various roles and how they fit together, and gives a flavour of the operational needs and frustrations. This understanding facilitates the dialogue with the various stakeholders. HR technical skills are also surely needed but who you are makes all the difference!
How is the Middle East evolving as a place to practice HR?
HR is usually the last function family business owners trust to delegate. The Middle East finally did the jump and witnessed a real improvement in HR practice over the last decade. In Lebanon, various initiatives helped to confirm HR’s role, among which: the HR program of studies that was first launched by St Joseph University; the regional expansion plans of various industries that had to rely on full fledged HR Departments; the launching of an HR association; etc. We can now rely on various HR success stories which are a real achievement for the first generation of Lebanese HR managers.
If you could wave your magic stick and make a significant development in one specific area of HR practices worldwide, where would that fall?
If I was to have a magic stick, I would review the accounting rules to make sure that what is now entered as HR expenses is accounted for as a capital investment. This would help HR be considered as a real cornerstone and profit centre rather than be viewed as an overhead cost. If intangibles are difficult to measure, one should not underestimate their worth.
Anything else you’d like to share with the community of Bayt.com Employers?
I would like to thank Bayt for its valuable efforts to offer services to the HR community, and would like to suggest that a real effort be done to gather and publish HR statistics and key KPIs so that HR practitioners may rely on national and regional benchmarks to drive HR departments’ efficiency upward.
