Dhafer Almanea

Vice President Human Capital at Albawani

Speaker

Dhafer M. Almanea is a seasoned human capital executive with over 24 years of leadership experience across key sectors, including telecommunications, government, investment, engineering consultancy and construction. Known for his strategic approach to human resources, he has consistently led organisational transformation, workforce development, and performance improvement in complex and fast-paced environments.

Throughout his career, Dhafer has played a central role in building and restructuring HR functions, aligning talent strategies with business goals, and leading large-scale initiatives in recruitment, employee engagement, and workforce nationalization. He is particularly recognised for driving Saudisation programs, modernising HR systems, and optimising organisational costs.

His leadership combines strong business judgement with a people- focus mindset, enabling him to develop high-performing HR teams, enhance employee value propositions, and implement sustainable models for succession planning and leadership development. Dhafer has partnered closely with executive leadership to support mergers, enable rapid organisational growth, and lead enterprise-wide change initiatives.

He holds an MBA from the University of Dallas, Taxes USA, along with professional credentials in human resources development, finance, and business management from leading U.S. institutions. Forward-thinking and innovation-driven, Dhafer champions digital transformation and continuous workforce upskilling as key pillars of long-term organisational success.