Recorded in Dubai during CIPD’s 10‑year anniversary, this episode brings together Dr Adrian Waite FCIPD and CIPD CEO Peter Cheese for a grounded, engaging conversation about how people strategy is evolving across the Gulf. Drawing on Peter’s nearly 14 years leading the CIPD and four decades in HR and consulting, the discussion blends regional insight with long experience of how work and workplaces change.

The Gulf’s momentum comes through clearly: youthful populations, long‑term national visions and sustained investment in education are creating the conditions to build people systems with unusual long‑range clarity. Adrian and Peter explore how organisations are rethinking work before digitising it, shaping people strategies that reflect nationalisation priorities and cultural context, and equipping individuals with the human skills that support increasingly “squiggly” careers. They also look at what it means to extend wellbeing, safety and representation to large site‑based and blue‑collar workforces, and how data and AI can be used more intentionally to turn fragmented information into early signals and meaningful insight. Throughout, they return to the idea of people investment as generational value—something that resonates with governments, investors and future talent alike.

The result is a conversation that feels both celebratory and forward‑looking, capturing the region’s progress while opening up space for what comes next.

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