Watch: Dubai Airports' official with a curious title

Dubai: We all know that Dubai International (DXB) is the world’s busiest airport for 10 consecutive years. As many as 92.3 million guests passed through its terminals last year, with the projection for 2025 pegged at 94 million.

But how many of us are aware that Dubai Airports has a Chief People’s Officer (CPO)? How did such an intriguing title come about? And what does the role entail?

Gulf News spoke to the man himself - Meshari Al Bannai - to find out. Excerpts from the exclusive interview:

Q. You are the first Chief People Officer (CPO) that I have met. Tell us about what you do.

A. (Smiles) My role is to ensure our people feel valued, engaged, and empowered to create exceptional experiences our guests have come to expect. Dubai Airports introduced the title just last year, but it was something we had been working towards for a long time. With the dynamic changes in our industry, I felt it was time for the traditional Human Resources (HR) model to evolve to support the world’s best airport.

Q. How different is a people’s officer from a HR officer?

A. It’s a shift in mindset. In the traditional concept, HR mainly focuses on administrative tasks like monitoring leave, polices or payroll. But managing people is not just about processes.

Engagement is critical, and that’s where a People’s Officer comes in, looking at the bigger picture -- shaping strategies that create a culture where everyone feels valued, implementing processes that develop our talent and unlock potential, and driving collaboration and accountability.

In a dynamic and complex environment like DXB, with so many stakeholders, success lies in aligning everyone towards a shared vision. As we often say at Dubai Airports, it’s about “Many Hearts One Beat”.

Q. What is the size of the workforce we are talking about?

A. Although Dubai Airports directly employs 1,787 people, representing over 61 nationalities, we work with 100,000 people across all our stakeholders.

Q. How do you achieve employee engagement?

A. Employee engagement is driven by several measurable parameters. We work with the global agency Gallup, where we have achieved a score of 4.42 for this year. This places us in the 75th percentile globally. To build on this, we have developed an action plan to address key focus areas, with clear timelines and accountability at all levels, right up to the top.

Our approach considers many elements, including employees’ work-life balance, mission and purpose, all of which are taken into careful consideration.

Q. What are the challenges you face in your role?

A. Bringing people from different backgrounds to the same table takes effort. But the exemplary teamwork and unified service under a committed leadership creates a culture of collaboration which makes DXB the success that it is.

Q. Can you recollect any instances that you found particularly daunting?

A. When I joined Dubai Airports in 2010, Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) was being launched. We had a significant amount of work on our hands and we had to navigate different views and approaches. However, we knew we had to align on one conclusion, meet the deadline, and ensure success without compromise.

Despite the challenges, we accomplished everything with the resources and the team we had – and we did it. That experience provided many valuable learnings.

The COVID-pandemic also brought it’s own set of unprecedented challenges. We adapted quickly with remote working and other policy changes.

In fact, Dubai Airports scored high when a global study on the impact of redundancies was done during the time. When recovery began and we reopened some of the positions, several former employees chose to return to us, which was a testament to the strong connection they felt with the organisation.

Q. How important is the salary component to employee well-being?

A. Surprisingly, salary is not among the top three criterias influencing employee well-being. What truly matter is recognition, overall well-being and relationship with line managers.

We have seen instances where people have left for a double salary, only to return later. Our Compensation & Benefits team ensures we remain competitive, and we are currently in the 60-65th percentile in terms of salary, allowing us to attract the right talent.

Q. How do you ensure employee satisfaction?

A. When it comes to our people, our approach is focused on empowerment and growth. We enable our people to bring their best, because we understand their instrumental role in our business success. At Dubai Airports, we prioritise our employees’ wellbeing, where we take a holistic approach towards meeting their needs.

We look at different elements such as physical, social and career wellbeing to formulate our people interventions. We place full trust in our people and in return we see expectational outcomes. Empowering our people is a key part of our strategy at Dubai Airports, and we continuously look for ways to support them in achieving their potential.

Q. At a personal level, how do you keep yourself motivated?

A. By working towards the goals that have been strategically set and thoroughly analysed. Outside my professional life, my health, regular workouts and quality time with family keep me grounded and motivated. I am also a proud parent to three wonderful children, aged 15, 13 and a five year old who is autistic. They bring unique perspectives to my life, and I learn so much from them every day, which inspires and motivates me even further.

Q. What is your vision for Dubai Airports’ employees?

A. My vision is to take them to the next level with the integration of advanced technology and AI as we prepare for the opening of the biggest airport in the world. We need to stand out, we need to be exceptional, and we need to be the best.