Wardah Harharah

Chief Experience Strategist (HR + OD) @The Human Experience

COO💼 C-level Executive🔥 Startup Founder💸 Marketing👍 Sales & BizDev🗿 HR🧨 Consulting🧮 EducationHR DirectorHR consultantExecutive CoachSoft Skills TrainerAdvisor

Hi! I’m Wardah Harharah, a seasoned Chief People Officer and Organizational Development Expert with over 20 years of experience across diverse industries, including aviation, hospitality, government, e-commerce, tech, and luxury retail. Throughout my career, I've held significant leadership roles at companies like Airbnb (Luxury Retreats) and Louis Vuitton, where I excelled in building people-first cultures and driving organizational transformation. My expertise lies in developing and executing strategies that enhance employee engagement, foster a positive workplace environment, and align talent development with business goals. What I Offer: Organizational Development & Transformation Culture Design and Implmentation People Strategy & Employee Engagement Leadership Development & Coaching Change Management Strategic HR & Talent Management

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Work Background

ConfidentialChief People Officer

Sep. 2023In my current role as a C-Suite consultant and advisor for private and governmental organizations in the middle-east undergoing transformation, I find myself at the intersection of innovation, strategy, and implementation within areas of human capital, and the impact of brand strategy, corporate culture, customer experience strategy, and people & performance strategy. ▪️Guide CEOs and leaders through change periods ▪️Advise on transformation project, change management strategy, human capital, and culture ▪️Consult on brand strategy, brand values and the output of corporate culture and service ethos ▪️Leverage 20+ years of global leadership expertise in customer and employee experience design ▪️Design customer and employee experience frameworks to drive innovation and performance ▪️Lead projects aligning human capital strategy with company vision and brand values

Louis VuittonRegional Head People & Performance

Sep. 2021 - Aug. 2023SingaporeResponsible for crafting and implementing key pillars in organizational development and performance strategy for the South Asia E-Retail/ Client Services team. Led the change management, which transformed the overall team motivation and performance. This resulted in an exceptional improvement of the country ranking at the end of 2022’s Global Customer Service audit led by Louis Vuitton HQ in Paris. The South Asia Louis Vuitton hub went from #10 to #1 globally. ▪️Managed 7 direct reports, reporting to the Global Head in Paris with P/L responsibility ▪️Crafted organizational redesign and doubled reach from 3 to 7 markets ▪️Launched culture initiatives to improve engagement, creating a sense of belonging to the brand ▪️Designed performance mgmt. framework focused on skills and values, boosting performance by 30%. ▪️Spearheaded value-based leadership programs to equip leaders with skills to lead teams ▪️Directed the implementation of digital platform within 3 months to transform performance ▪️Launched Louis Vuitton South Asia’s first Training Academy, training 100+ employees across 7 markets ▪️Introduced training modules such as psychology of selling, and EI, improving repurchase rate by 60% ▪️Established internal progression & retention strategy with record number of internal promotion ▪️Defined and implemented processes that rank LV #1 in Customer Experience globally My approach underscores a commitment to driving operational excellence and cultivating a high-performance culture that consistently delivers exceptional customer experiences, and commercial results.Responsible for crafting and implementing key pillars in organizational development and performance strategy for the South Asia E-Retail/ Client Services team. Led the change management, which transformed the overall team motivation and performance. This resulted in an exceptional improvement of the country ranking at the end of 2022’s Global Customer Service audit led by Louis Vuitton HQ in Paris. The South Asia Louis Vuitton hub went from #10 to #1 globally. ▪️Managed 7 direct reports, reporting to the Global Head in Paris with P/L responsibility ▪️Crafted organizational redesign and doubled reach from 3 to 7 markets ▪️Launched culture initiatives to improve engagement, creating a sense of belonging to the brand ▪️Designed performance mgmt. framework focused on skills and values, boosting performance by 30%. ▪️Spearheaded value-based leadership programs to equip leaders with skills to lead teams ▪️Directed the implementation of digital platform within 3 months to transform performance ▪️Launched Louis Vuitton South Asia’s first Training Academy, training 100+ employees across 7 markets ▪️Introduced training modules such as psychology of selling, and EI, improving repurchase rate by 60% ▪️Established internal progression & retention strategy with record number of internal promotion ▪️Defined and implemented processes that rank LV #1 in Customer Experience globally My approach underscores a commitment to driving operational excellence and cultivating a high-performance culture that consistently delivers exceptional customer experiences, and commercial results.

Confidential Government Executive Vice President

Jul. 2019 - Jun. 2021Saudi Arabia, RiyadhEngaged to serve as a strategic partner and resource to the President & CEO, I was charged with building the organizational design across company wide functions, to drive high-level execution. Directed the scope of work in the development of company culture, values, mission and vision with the CEO and Executive Members of the board. ▪️Managed 3 direct reports, reporting to CEO, with P/L responsibility ▪️Designed global operational strategy, brand strategy, culture, and performance standards and processes ▪️Crafted organizational build strategy: recruitment, compensation, onboarding, training strategy ▪️Onboarded first 50 employees in 6 months successfully

AirbnbGlobal Director of Customer Experience, Learning & Development

Oct. 2017 - Jun. 2019Canada, Montréal was sought out to lead the global team, based in Montreal. My role includes the responsibility of building the people and performance culture, to deliver world-class customer experience for the newly developed Airbnb Luxe Travel-Tech platform. ▪️Managed 9 direct reports, reporting to COO with P/L responsibility ▪️Strategized and implemented organizational redesign, scaling growth into 10 new markets ▪️Revamped recruitment process to improve talent acquisition and retention ▪️Crafted the performance management framework to measure skills and behaviour ▪️Recruited, hired, and coached a team of 8 trainers, 6 service quality auditors, 200+ concierge staff ▪️Introduced White Glove Concierge team, delivering a 99%+ 5-star customer satisfaction rating. ▪️Built in-house training, with 20,000hrs training completed resulting in being shortlisted for $1M grant ▪️Deployed all recruitment and performance strategies with defined standards and metrics ▪️Introduced the ‘Learning Lab’, a peer-to-peer program where SMEs launch 30-minute expert programs.I was sought out to lead the global team, based in Montreal. My role includes the responsibility of building the people and performance culture, to deliver world-class customer experience for the newly developed Airbnb Luxe Travel-Tech platform. ▪️Managed 9 direct reports, reporting to COO with P/L responsibility ▪️Strategized and implemented organizational redesign, scaling growth into 10 new markets ▪️Revamped recruitment process to improve talent acquisition and retention ▪️Crafted the performance management framework to measure skills and behaviour ▪️Recruited, hired, and coached a team of 8 trainers, 6 service quality auditors, 200+ concierge staff ▪️Introduced White Glove Concierge team, delivering a 99%+ 5-star customer satisfaction rating. ▪️Built in-house training, with 20,000hrs training completed resulting in being shortlisted for $1M grant ▪️Deployed all recruitment and performance strategies with defined standards and metrics ▪️Introduced the ‘Learning Lab’, a peer-to-peer program where SMEs launch 30-minute expert programs.

EtihadDirector of Learning and Development

Feb. 2015 - Jun. 2017United StatesFollowing my success in Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi, I was promoted to Director L&D for North America Sales, Airport, and Lounge team, to drive the luxury brand story by forging the development and execution of the premium brand strategy, through training and development of our trade partners and account managers based in US and Canada. ▪️Reporting to the SVP Americas, to support the delivery of country sales target ▪️Conducted training for 1000+ account managers, travel partners in USA and Canada ▪️Innovated plans to conduct cultural awareness training about Abu Dhabi, through events & partnership with luxury brands (e.g. Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co, Chanel)

EtihadGlobal Head Customer Experience and People Performance

Aug. 2012 - Feb. 2015United Arab Emirates, Abu DhabiEtihad logo EtihadEtihad Full-time · 4 yrs 11 mosFull-time · 4 yrs 11 mos Director of Learning and DevelopmentDirector of Learning and Development Feb 2015 - Jun 2017 · 2 yrs 5 mosFeb 2015 to Jun 2017 · 2 yrs 5 mos New York, USANew York, USA Following my success in Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi, I was promoted to Director L&D for North America Sales, Airport, and Lounge team, to drive the luxury brand story by forging the development and execution of the premium brand strategy, through training and development of our trade partners and account managers based in US and Canada. ▪️Reporting to the SVP Americas, to support the delivery of country sales target ▪️Conducted training for 1000+ account managers, travel partners in USA and Canada ▪️Innovated plans to conduct cultural awareness training about Abu Dhabi, through events & partnership with luxury brands (e.g. Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co, Chanel)Following my success in Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi, I was promoted to Director L&D for North America Sales, Airport, and Lounge team, to drive the luxury brand story by forging the development and execution of the premium brand strategy, through training and development of our trade partners and account managers based in US and Canada. ▪️Reporting to the SVP Americas, to support the delivery of country sales target ▪️Conducted training for 1000+ account managers, travel partners in USA and Canada ▪️Innovated plans to conduct cultural awareness training about Abu Dhabi, through events & partnership with luxury brands (e.g. Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co, Chanel) Talent Development, Cultural Awareness and +9 skills Etihad Airways is the National Airline of the United Arab Emirates, headquartered in Abu Dhabi operating to over 100+ destinations globally. I was recruited to transform the people and performance for the customer experience department, which included cabin crew, global airports and lounge team members. A trusted advisor to the CEO & his senior executives, serving as a value-added partner in people-management practices and culture creation initiatives. ▪️Managed 18 direct reports, reporting to VP, with P/L responsibility ▪️Drive organizational development and performance improvements for 10,000 staff. ▪️Developed recruitment strategy, expanding cabin crew team from 3,000 to 6,000 employees ▪️Crafted in-house Coaching Program, growing to 200+ coaches, embedding a culture of excellence - ROI include Etihad ranking top 10 Skytrax Airline and achieving 95% customer satisfaction ▪️Launched 12 global lounges, managing hiring and training globally ▪️Enhanced engagement with cultural initiatives like Hayakkum I also led other major projects such as: ◆ Brand Transformation: End-to-end strategy, standards, processes and performance management ◆ Brand Transformation (uniforms): Etihad Airways for 8000 employees within 6 months ◆ Transformation Project Air Seychelles, including hiring and retraining of 500+ employees ◆ Transformation Project Air Serbia, including hiring and retraining of 1000+ employees

Royal JetSenior Manager Training & Performance

Jul. 2006 - Jun. 2012United Arab Emirates, Abu DhabiRoyal Jet is a private aviation business, owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi Aviation and Presidential Flight. Based in Abu, customers include head of states (local and international), celebrities and UHNWI. Charged to transform the VVIP customer experience and team performance through recruitment, training and performance management strategies. Headed teams of cabin crew, housekeeping, storekeepers and 24/7 concierge. ▪️Managed 100+ direct reports, reporting to the CEO & Chairman, with P/L responsibility ▪️Redesigned organizational structure, introduced training and coaching programs ▪️Revamped recruitment strategy, defined JDs, competencies and success metrics ▪️Crafted performance management and talent development strategies for internal progression ▪️Built in-house training programs, resulting in 99% customer satisfaction ▪️Improved performance, through OD interventions, leading to Royal Jet winning multiple awards