Every leader has a unique journey, thoughts, principles, and strategies, and there is indeed a lot to learn from them. In the case of people leaders, they are the growth masters who incorporate great strategies to stay relevant in the world of business by ensuring employee retention, customer contentment, people-centric initiatives, and more. An ideal example of such a versatile People Director is Faiza Rahmatullah, Petroleum Development Oman.

The valuable nuggets from this maven reap win-win situations for both people and organizations. The following excerpt is an exclusive conversation between Faiza and Women Entrepreneur India.

Take us through your early educational journey and prior industry experience. What are some critical business lessons that you have learned?

I was awarded a Bachelor's degree with distinction in Management and Marketing from Texas A&M University in the US in 1992. My career spans more than 30 years at PDO, and I have held a broad range of senior technical and non-technical roles in areas including contracts & procurement, logistics, information technology, and human resources.

There are many lessons I have learned, but the key is the need of honesty, transparency, personal  integrity, and fairness in both my personal and professional life. Such attributes help to engender the trust of staff at all levels, something which is very important to me. Be humble, a good listener, and deliver on your promises in a timely, efficient manner. It's also critical to maintain a robust pipeline of talent to sustain the business as well as meet a social responsibility to ensure the country continues to thrive and grow.

What are your various roles and responsibilities at Petroleum Development Oman? Tell us about the most challenging aspects of your current role.

I'm responsible for the Company's Human Resources function, which includes learning and development, talent management, Omanisation, recruitment, HR policy, remuneration, and HR business partnering. 

I was appointed to the role at the most challenging time during the starting period of the pandemic in early 2020. As a function, we were required to make fast decisions and collaborate across all lines of the business. I had to lead the HR and non-HR agenda proposing novel solutions and addressing people's challenges, while quickly mobilizing my team to support leaders on how to lead their staff and teams through this unprecedented period to ensure business continuity and constant duty of care for their colleagues. I've also been busy enabling remote working throughout the pandemic and beyond and ensuring our policies and services cater to this new reality.

Further I had to ensure that PDO stayed true to its corporate vision 'To be renowned and respected for the excellence of our people and the value we create for Oman and all our stakeholders', I launched the People Directorate's 'transformation journey' which came with its own challenges.

“Faiza conferred the Middle East Women Leaders Award by WWLC and the ADIPEC Diversity & Inclusion Award for eliminating the pay gap between genders and creating equal opportunities”

The transformation journey touches every employee in the organization, of more of more than 8,500 staff operating across the country. This has resulted in a totally new operating model focused on adding value and ensuring the HR function is a strategic enabler to the business. The journey pivots around, among others, adopting new pan-corporate ways of working, adopting simplicity and agility in our processes, embracing automation and technology as much as possible, and fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion across our large workforce (including contractors).

What strategies do you leverage to drive growth within the organization? Also, tell us about the leadership philosophies or mantras that you follow.

I'm a strong believer in challenging the status quo. For example, I've reviewed some of the HR practices that were always taken for granted and upgraded the HR function to deliver more with less, and ensured full alignment and commitment from all my leadership team.

I'm happy to lead from the back by delegating to my direct reportees, giving them the opportunity to lead on critical business projects. Collaboration and clear communication are vital, and I insist all of my leadership executives provide a weekly opportunity for staff to openly engage with them.

I normally keep my opinion and voice to be heard the last, taking into consideration other people's views even if they are not aligned with my own.

“In my current role, i've encourageda young team of hr professionals to work with other teams to deliver better people-centric business solutions and ensured pdo staff fully understand their roles, responsibilities, opportunities, and benefits and be the best they can be”

I've also introduced the concept of the 'contingent workforce' using the latest options available in the market, such as employing individuals on freelance terms, thereby optimizing the resource basis and associated manpower costs.

How has your professional journey been so far? What have been some of the most significant milestones or achievements that you have earned throughout the years?

 It's been hugely rewarding, and I've been given the opportunity and support to shine across key aspects of the business. In my current role, I've encouraged a young team of HR professionals to work with other teams to deliver better people-centric business solutions and ensured PDO staff fully understand their roles, responsibilities, opportunities, and benefits and be the best they can be.

As New Business Manager, I have developed and implemented strategies for PDO to commercialize its offering and was responsible for the first Energy Accelerator Programme in the Sultanate to fund and incubate Omani start-ups working in our sector.