Past event summary

AGNI SKAFIDAS
MANAGING DIRECTOR

OLAM GROUP

Agni Skafidas, Managing Director at OLAM Group, helps clients thrive through reliable and dependable HR expertise. Agni focuses on sustainable HR solutions including employee relations, HR policies, performance management, total rewards and well-being. Together with her team, she transforms multinational companies and local SMEs through commercially driven and employee-centric initiatives. Agni ensures clients can optimise their HR services through compliant and sustainable practices.

Agni had the opportunity to lead HR teams in operational and strategic roles and served as Director, Total Rewards at Smith & Nephew and set up the HR systems for new country operations at Emirates Airlines. Prior to this, she contributed with her HR expertise to the success of Rockwell Collins, Bord Bia/Irish Food Board and SAS Institute, a long-standing Best Place to Work® company.

Agni provides regular training and insights sessions on employment law and HR on various topics which include managing performance, gender and equal pay, compensation trends and practices in the region, data analytics for HR, leadership and introduction to HR for first-time managers in addition to customised workshops for in-house clients. Agni is an adjunct faculty member of the University of Middlesex in Dubai, teaching post-graduate HR courses.

Agni holds a Master’s Degree in Business Studies from Smurfit School of Business, University College Dublin, Ireland and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), World at Work, Association for Coaching and the Project Management Institute.

THENJI MOYO
LEGAL DIRECTOR AND HEAD OF EMPLOYMENT

GATELEY UK LLP

Thenji Moyo heads the Gateley UK LLP employment practice and is a qualified specialist Employment Legal Director advising on all UAE and DIFC employment law (including the various free zones).

Thenji has extensive experience working in employment law advising blue-chip, multinational, regional, local and private clients from all industry sectors. She advises on complex employment issues, which include workplace investigations, global mobility of employees, cross-jurisdictional matters including temporary assignment, secondment, cross-border engagement. She has particular expertise in advising on all HR issues including recruitment, grievance and disciplinary processes, termination, employment disputes, corporate reorganisation, mergers and acquisitions, terms and conditions, company policies and procedures.

Thenji works closely with the employment local litigation counsel to file employment claims at the Dubai Courts via the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and she is a legal practitioner registered with the DIFC Courts. Thenji currently volunteers at the DIFC and DMCC pro-bono clinics. Thenji was part of a working committee of lawyers that consulted on the DIFC Authority COVID-19 Presidential Directive and the DMCC COVID-19 Guidelines. Thenji is the appointed employee representative on the Supervisory Board for the newly established DIFC Employee Workplace Savings Scheme.

SAMER MERHI
SENIOR MANAGER - EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS

DMCC

Samer Merhi is the Senior Manager - Events and Partnerships at DMCC, the world’s leading Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise.

Joining DMCC in 2012, Samer is responsible for delivering the organisation’s event programme in line with corporate marketing strategy and business objectives.

Technically knowledgeable and professionally qualified, Samer forges strategic relationships with partners around the world to deliver an ever-growing DMCC calendar of events both physical and virtual.

In a career spanning 15 years, Samer has managed some of the region’s largest and high-profile live events and conferences, as well as diplomatic meetings and industry gatherings.