Dr. Neirouz Bader

Dr. Nairouz Bader is an internationally recognized leadership advisor, CEO, board director, and keynote speaker with more than two decades of experience helping organizations build resilient leadership teams and navigate transformation in a rapidly changing global environment. As Chief Executive Officer of Envision Partnership, one of the Middle East's pioneering leadership advisory and executive search firms, Dr. Bader has advised multinational corporations, government entities, ministries, family businesses, and emerging enterprises across the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Asia on leadership strategy, succession planning, executive assessment, board effectiveness, and organizational transformation. Dr. Bader currently serves as Global Board Director of WeConnect International and has held leadership and governance board roles with organizations including the MCH Global, AESC, Rotary International, IIC Partners where she served as Vice Chairman representing the EMEA region, the Clean Energy Business Council, Universal American School, and Canadian Business Council Dubai. A passionate advocate for women in leadership and board diversity, she actively supports initiatives aimed at increasing female representation in executive and board positions and is a supporting member of the 30% Club and Global Board Ready Women (GBRE). An accomplished and sought-after speaker, Dr. Bader has spoken at Harvard, INSEAD, Duke University, London Business School, Hult International Business School, St Gallen Executive MBA Student Delegation, WBNEC USA, COP28, Dubai Airshow, GAS, EXPO 2020 Dubai, MRO, and numerous international leadership forums. Her thought leadership has been featured by Forbes Middle East, CNBC, Al Arabiya, BBC Radio, Arabian Business, Khaleej Times and other leading global media outlets. Dr. Bader’s leadership impact has been recognized through prestigious accolades including the HBS GCC Riyadh Speaker Award by Harvard Business School, Executive of the Year in Diversity and Inclusion by The Leadership Federation, Arab Africa Outlook’s Most Impactful Leader Transforming the Industry (2025),Global Biz Outlook’s Top Transformational Women Leaders to Follow (2025), Arabian World Magazine’s Top 10 Dynamic Women of the Year (2025), CIO Global’s 10 Businesswomen to Watch (2023), and recognition from IIC Partners, WeConnect International, Rotary International, and Dubai Chamber of Commerce.

Session Overview

Wednesday, 4 November

12:00

Workforce & Skills Conference Room B 12:00 - 13:00

The youth verdict: redefining the value proposition for the next generation

The competition for top-tier technical talent has moved beyond compensation and job security. The next generation defines an employer of choice by purpose, technological sophistication and real-world impact, and they have more options, more information and less patience for legacy recruitment than any cohort before them. Traditional industrial cultures are being challenged by expectations for high-impact roles that balance innovation with psychosocial safety, and by the cognitive load and burnout risks inherent in high-stakes, large-scale energy systems. What this generation expects from the sector, and what the sector is currently offering, are not well aligned. Closing that gap is not a communications challenge, it is a structural one. The energy sector's ability to attract the digital-native talent it needs will depend on whether it changes the reality, not just the messaging, and how effectively leaders rethink their employer value proposition to reflect this shift.

Attendee Insights:
Understand how to modernise the industryâ€™s employer value proposition to compete for digital-native talent and explore how perception, purpose and culture influence attraction and retention.