Robert is the Director of the Economist Corporate Network based in Dubai and covering the MENA region. Robert works closely with network members to help inform their business strategies through political, economic and operational insight and to connect them with their senior leadership peers.

Robert is a business journalist, editor and publisher with 25 years of experience covering a wide variety of sectors, including hospitality, retail, construction, energy and transport, and a particular interest in human capital management.

He is an accomplished event chairman, moderator and speaker.

Robert completed an MBA at the University of Leicester School of Business in 2012 and holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Nottingham.

Betul Yalcin Emlek is a versatile and accomplished Human Resources leader with 18 years of experience in multinational environments. She has made significant contributions to organizations through her people and culture-oriented approach.
She has a track record of translating business vision into strategic and innovative people initiatives that drive diversity, equity, inclusion, employee engagement, talent development, and sustainable performance. Her expertise in building inclusive company cultures, managing change, and driving business growth has been critical to her success in various Human Resources management roles.

Betul has been with KFC/Yum! Restaurants International since 2016. Currently serving as the Human Resources Director at KFC MENAPAKT & CIS, based in Dubai, UAE, Betul leads regional people agenda, DEI roadmap, future-forward people projects such as the future of work, employee wellbeing, learning and development programs, employer branding, and digital HR transformation.

Prior to KFC/Yum! Restaurants International, Betul served in Tesco and led the design and implementation of several people programs to attract, upskill, and engage best-in-class talent and thrive leadership for business success.

Betul has achieved several key accomplishments throughout her career, including increasing overall female representation and engagement in the region (total of 22 countries) by 7%, reaching a 95% trust index in Employee Engagement Survey consecutively. She also won the Brandon Hall and Stevie awards with various people projects such as "My Development Map" and "Manage Your Restaurant Simulation"

Betul is a certified professional coach who enjoys volunteering as a mentor for college students and women. She is an avid traveler who has visited over 20 countries. She enjoys Latin dances and nowadays learning to play the piano. Betul is happily married and has a 12-year-old daughter.

Matthew Lewis leads the firm's Dubai office and is a core member of the firm's Board & CEO Advisory Partners and Industrial Practice, with an additional focus on the Leadership & Succession team. Matthew partners closely with clients to tackle the complex leadership issues that impact organizations and leadership teams today.

Matthew brings more than 25 years of global executive search and consulting experience to Russell Reynolds Associates, having led teams across the UK, Middle East and Africa. He most recently founded a Dubai-based talent advisory, leadership consulting and executive coaching firm specializing in emerging markets. Previously, he spent 10 years managing the Dubai office and MEA operations for a leading global executive search and leadership advisory firm, where he led the Middle East board, government and aviation practices and led the infrastructure practice globally. Prior to this, he worked for leading UK-based executive search firms, focusing on Europe, MEA and Asia.

Matthew has conducted over 600 global searches for C-suite-level executives in over 45 countries and has delivered over 1000 hours of coaching and assessment of executives, boards and their performance. He has worked with clients across sectors, including consumer, real estate, government, industrial, infrastructure, airports, airlines, aerospace, family groups, private equity, sovereign wealth funds and alternative asset management.

Matthew holds a BSc, with honors, in construction management from the University of South Wales and is a PhD candidate in applied neuroscience in executive coaching at Monarch Business School in Switzerland. He is currently a committee and board member of the British Business Group, Dubai, and a steering/working committee member of the Capital Club, DIFC, Dubai. Matthew is also a member of the AESC and the International Coach Federation, as well as a frequent guest speaker at leading business schools and leadership conferences in the region.

Tarek is the President for one of Mercer’s fastest-growing markets - IMEA (India, Middle East, and Africa).

Tarek’s career spans more than 20 years across the Middle East and North Africa region. Prior to joining Mercer, he served as President at Arqaam Capital, a well-established regional investment bank with offices across the Middle East and South Africa. Prior to that, he led the MENA region for Deutsche Asset Management.

The early part of his career was spent working with various leading investment banks across the region, primarily in client facing and leadership roles covering Financial Institutions, Corporates, Family Offices and Sovereign Wealth Funds.
Tarek is based in Dubai, with his wife and three children. Before settling in the UAE, he lived in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the US, and Canada.

Tarek holds a B.Sc. from McMaster University, Ontario, Canada.

Monica has held the position of Human Resources Director for the Africa and Middle East region since September 2020.

Monica began her career at General Motors in 1999 and since then has held different positions in Human Resources at the Manufacturing Complex in Toluca Mexico, the Regional Engineering Center, After Sales and Customer Service Area, as well as at the Central Offices located in Mexico City.

She has held different positions among Human Resources organization the ones to highlight are the related to Labor Relations, Creation of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion strategies stand out, as well as start-up of manufacturing plants and analysis of efficiency in organizational structures.

She has international experience being assigned to special projects in Seoul, South Korea, as well as her current responsibility in the Middle East.

Her areas of expertise include Talent Acquisition, Planning, Labor Relations, Compensation, Efficiency of Organizational Structures, Diversity and Inclusion, Data Analysis, and Talent Development. All this in a global context and high cooperation between subsidiaries.

Monica has a degree in Business Administration from ITESM and a Master's in Equity and Development from Anahuac University, additionally she has diplomas in Marketing, Leadership, Human Resources, as well as Compensation and Benefits.