Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Timeline
Generic

Abbas Jeraj

Dubai

Summary

Experienced HR professional backed with a successful track record across financial services, technology, retail and consulting organisations. Has led major change and HR projects delivered at all levels of organisations.

Overview

18
18
years of professional experience

Work History

People Business Partnering - Director

Careem
Dubai
06.2022 - Current
  • Company Overview: Careem is a Dubai-based super app with operations in over 100 cities, covering 12 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia regions
  • The company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uber after being acquired for $3.1 billion in January 2020 and has since become part of the e& ecosystem, Careem expanded into the food delivery business in November 2018 and launched a digital payment platform, Careem Pay in April 2022
  • People leadership role, partnering with several C-suite executives, with custodianship for the technology, fintech, product, platform and marketing organisation (c65% of the workforce and people budget with colleagues based across UAE, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and KSA)
  • Working with leaders to deliver people programmes to deliver corporate objectives
  • Designed and implemented several reward, engagement, hiring and talent management programmes like succession planning, job family framework and performance management programmes
  • Led and driven several change programmes including organizational health design, people KPI reporting, hiring programmes in emerging markets and cost transformation exercises
  • Led the Talent Acquisition team during a bulk hiring programme, resulting in the highest number of colleagues hired into the business at the lowest cost and fastest speed
  • Line management of a team of three direct and 15 indirect reports
  • Delivered several organization and operating model changes to improve business performance as well as colleague engagement
  • Careem is a Dubai-based super app with operations in over 100 cities, covering 12 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia regions
  • The company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uber after being acquired for $3.1 billion in January 2020 and has since become part of the e& ecosystem, Careem expanded into the food delivery business in November 2018 and launched a digital payment platform, Careem Pay in April 2022

People Director

Moteefe
09.2020 - 06.2022
  • Company Overview: Moteefe was recently awarded the title of fastest growing ecommerce business in Europe
  • We are a B2B2C platform that enables retailers of all sizes, from entrepreneurs to global retailers, to sell custom merchandise products on demand around the world
  • The end-to-end solution provides white label eCommerce solutions, payment infrastructure, analytics, production on-demand, fulfilment, and customer care enabling clients to focus on marketing and scaling their products
  • Leadership team role sitting alongside the CEO, CFO, CTO and CRO in driving technology transformation alongside successful business growth
  • Partnered with the CEO, Chairman and leadership team in delivering the HR Strategy and localised people plans
  • Recruited a team that partnered with over 140 colleagues across eighteen countries (with three large corporate offices in London, Lisbon and Hanoi)
  • Successes include creating and developing a robust and appropriate people strategy, including a redesign of the business operating model
  • Successfully recruited a new leadership team, exited several low performing colleagues and embedded the new organisational structure
  • Pivoted the business from an eCommerce retailer to an enterprise grade SaaS organisation, recruiting the appropriate support infrastructure of sales and technology capabilities to go with it
  • Created a compliance culture with new Employee Handbook, policies and procedures and terms-of-references for newly formed committees
  • Developed a HR information ecosystem to assist the colleague experience and drive data to make data-based decisions
  • Moteefe was recently awarded the title of fastest growing ecommerce business in Europe
  • We are a B2B2C platform that enables retailers of all sizes, from entrepreneurs to global retailers, to sell custom merchandise products on demand around the world
  • The end-to-end solution provides white label eCommerce solutions, payment infrastructure, analytics, production on-demand, fulfilment, and customer care enabling clients to focus on marketing and scaling their products

HR Director

Castle Trust Bank
01.2018 - 08.2020
  • Company Overview: Castle Trust Bank is an FCA and PRA regulated organisation on a mission is to use advances in technology, data and credit assessment to transform lending - leading to better outcomes for both borrowers and investors
  • Launched in October 2012, Castle Trust’s principal shareholder is the leading private equity firm J.C
  • Flowers & Co., which currently manages circa $6 billion in assets
  • Business Partnering ExCo role and Certified classification
  • Partnered with the CEO, Chairman and Executive Team in delivering the HR Strategy and localised people plans
  • Negotiated several settlement agreements with outgoing members of the Executive Committee
  • During my tenure there have been no employee tribunals and minimal grievance cases
  • Engaged and ran the process with Executive Search firms to find several new executives including Chairman, CEO, CFO, NEDs and CTO
  • Oversaw the recruitment of over 200 new colleagues to the business in a variety of roles in technology, finance, risk, compliance and commercial teams
  • Created and developed innovative ways to reduce third-party spend whilst retaining quality of hire
  • Streamlined several processes to reduce time-to-hire and provide a consistent candidate experience
  • Reduced recruitment spend by over £500,000 (from £1million)
  • Developed a training culture by getting all managers in the business enrolled on a bespoke management training course that achieved accreditation by the Institute of Leadership and Management
  • Created and evangelised a new HR strategy for the business, population of around 250 colleagues, during a time of significant people, cultural and strategic transformation
  • Drove the process for a new set of cultural values to be created and communicated into the business; focusing on customer outcomes and good behaviours
  • Embedded and reinforced in appraisal and award ceremonies
  • Innovated HR procedures including a new induction, appraisal review and talent review process
  • Played a central role in acquiring a new business, Omni Capital, including their associated physical and technical collateral (including two SaaS applications)
  • Devised a new communication strategy that included several new ceremonies and systems
  • Favoured a direct line approach to communication rather than management cascade; implemented an Intranet and organised the two annual, all-hands conferences to share the business strategy
  • Wrote most internal communications for the fortnightly CEO blog and facilitated the monthly ‘ask the CEO’ sessions
  • Delivered a new HR information ecosystem that comprised of a self-service portal, learning management system, benefits platform and applicant tracking system
  • Wrote sections of the banking licence application, which has been approved for Castle Trust to become the UK’s next challenger bank
  • Castle Trust Bank is an FCA and PRA regulated organisation on a mission is to use advances in technology, data and credit assessment to transform lending - leading to better outcomes for both borrowers and investors
  • Launched in October 2012, Castle Trust’s principal shareholder is the leading private equity firm J.C
  • Flowers & Co., which currently manages circa $6 billion in assets

People Manager

Equal Experts
09.2017 - 12.2017
  • Company Overview: Equal Experts is a growing software consultancy with offices in the UK, US, Portugal, India and Canada
  • Their network of over 700 experienced software consultants – a blend of permanent employees and associates – has created software for a wide range of public and private sector clients
  • Interim position to deliver tactical recruitment and HR projects
  • Driving the development of a self-service information system to deliver HR, payroll, elearning and recruitment data that will automate several manual processes and create MI for the leaders in the organisation to make data-driven decisions
  • Equal Experts is a growing software consultancy with offices in the UK, US, Portugal, India and Canada
  • Their network of over 700 experienced software consultants – a blend of permanent employees and associates – has created software for a wide range of public and private sector clients

Head of HR

Dixons Carphone plc
03.2013 - 09.2017
  • Company Overview: Dixons Carphone plc is a leading multinational consumer electrical and mobile retailer and service company
  • They are the market leader in the UK & Ireland, throughout the Nordics and in Greece
  • In 2015 the business acquired Simplify Digital, the largest retailer of TV, Broadband and Home Phone products in the UK
  • After the successful acquisition of Simplify Digital by Dixons Carphone, I was absorbed into the broader Dixons Carphone HR team as the Head of HR supporting the corporate function of c5,000 colleagues through a team of HR Business Partners
  • Maintained leadership of the Simplify Digital operation as a ring-fenced institution during this period
  • Delivered the group HR Strategy to the corporate functions through effective business partnering to a number of Dixons Carphone C-suite colleagues
  • Helped to deliver a series of major change projects like the harmonisation of terms between Dixons and Carphone Warehouse colleagues, implementation of a new HR self-service system and communication of a new grading structure
  • Worked alongside several centres of excellence including Reward, ER, Communications, Property and Training in delivering HR business partnering to achieve business objectives
  • Oversaw a YoY improvement in colleague engagement scores evidenced in the annual colleague survey
  • Dixons Carphone plc is a leading multinational consumer electrical and mobile retailer and service company
  • They are the market leader in the UK & Ireland, throughout the Nordics and in Greece
  • In 2015 the business acquired Simplify Digital, the largest retailer of TV, Broadband and Home Phone products in the UK

Head of HR

Simplify Digital
03.2013 - 12.2015
  • Initially a standalone role partnering with the executive team of eight senior managers and around 200 staff across two locations (London and Aveiro, Portugal) in delivering a HR strategy for a fast-growing technology business
  • Drove the business to a successful acquisition to Dixons Carphone through a mixture of continuing, profitable business units and the creation of a SaaS platform that was central to the Dixons Carphone corporate strategy
  • I created, evangelised and rolled out the HR strategy to the Simplify Digital business
  • After acquisition I spearheaded integration into Dixons Carphone HR processes, including a TUPE of all staff

Senior Consultant

Aston Carter
09.2008 - 02.2013
  • A top performing, billing consultant that partnered with several businesses across the UK
  • Advised on recruitment and talent retention strategies as well as conducting executive level searches
  • Was part of a management team that helped take the company to a successful exit by Allegis Group, the largest privately owned staffing company in the world
  • Was retained post-acquisition to help with the integration challenges whilst remaining a hands-on fee earner

Graduate Store Manager

Lidl UK
07.2007 - 08.2008

Education

CIPD Human Resource Management -

01.2018

BSc Computing and Management - diploma in professional studies

Loughborough University
01.2007

Timeline

People Business Partnering - Director

Careem
06.2022 - Current

People Director

Moteefe
09.2020 - 06.2022

HR Director

Castle Trust Bank
01.2018 - 08.2020

People Manager

Equal Experts
09.2017 - 12.2017

Head of HR

Dixons Carphone plc
03.2013 - 09.2017

Head of HR

Simplify Digital
03.2013 - 12.2015

Senior Consultant

Aston Carter
09.2008 - 02.2013

Graduate Store Manager

Lidl UK
07.2007 - 08.2008

CIPD Human Resource Management -

BSc Computing and Management - diploma in professional studies

Loughborough University

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Abbas Jeraj