Dubai Agenda
Thursday 29th January 2026
Standard Chartered, DIFC
08:00 – 08:50
Registration, Networking, Meeting and Connections
08:50 – 09:00
Welcome and Setting the Scene
An overview of the day's proceedings from your Co-Chairs
Mark Rix
Group Managing Director, Sonas Group, (Wellbeing at Work)
Scott Armstrong
Founder & CEO, mentl
09:00 – 09:15
Standard Chartered - Keynote Introduction
An introduction to the Summit from your Host
09:15 – 09:40
Keynote Address: Implementing Effective Wellbeing Interventions at Work
What are the most effective resources organizations can utilize to help employees? What strategies can employers implement to determine what really works? What are the workplace factors that can undermine resilience? What help is available to front line managers who have team members experiencing mental ill-health?
Katy Holmes
CEO, British Chamber of Commerce Dubai
09:40 – 10:05
Implementing the Best HR and Workplace Wellbeing Solutions in the Era of AI
As technology rapidly advances and human adoption has to keep up, we run the significant risk of de-humanising and disconnecting our workforce. This risk is associated with a rising mental health burden and increasing social anxiety resulting in more volatile work environments. It is essential to understand how to connect with the wellbeing needs of employees and address them effectively in order to protect, attract and retain talent.
Dr. Tina Mistry
Mental Health Planning Manager, NEOM
10:05 – 10:45
Leadership Panel – Wellbeing as the Power Behind Organisational Performance
What is the association between workplace wellbeing and company performance? Beyond ROI, what are the true measures of wellbeing on performance? Building positive workplace cultures for business impact. What is the value of designing wellbeing programs as integrated experiences? How can employers truly help people thrive and grow?
Hind Alattar
Chief Human Capital Officer, United Arab Bank
Faten Kalloub
Regional Manager – HR (Middle East), Tractebel Engie
Gordon Rech
Director of Colleague & Medical Services, Jumeirah Group
Mohammed Husary
CEO, VIWELL
Dr. Mansoor Habib
Head of Employee Wellbeing & HSE, du
Your Expert Panel Chair:
Rebecca McGuane
Head of Corporate Wellbeing, Lockton
10:45 - 11:15
Morning Refreshments & Conversation
11:15 – 11:40
Building the Neuroinclusive Workplace
How can organizations recognize the opportunity that integrating neurodivergent professionals can bring to an entire organization? Creating a neuroinclusive organization that includes individuals who are and who are not diagnosed with developmental conditions that fall within the neurodiversity spectrum. What are the drivers supporting advancement of neurodiverse professionals in the current marketplace and why they matter to their organization and industry. What are the leadership and teaming styles that can help enable neuroinclusion?
Mohammed Husary
CEO, VIWELL
11:40 – 12:05
Sustainable High Performance - Secrets from Formula 1 applied in the workplace
This session will give an insight to how F1 drivers and teams train and how we take 20 years of sports performance research into the corporate world of organizational wellbeing and high performance. Providing insight on how holistic wellbeing impacts cognitive performance, productivity, stress resilience and sustainable high performance with the world top athletes, leaders and companies.
Matthew Lewis
Managing Director, Hintsa
12:05 – 13:05
Leadership Workshops
A selection of 'Hosted' workshops showcasing the latest solutions and innovation in employee wellbeing and mental health strategies
1 - VIWELL
2 - From Readiness to ROI: The PEMPal Blueprint for AI-Enabled Pediatric Excellence in the Region
How leading health systems turn pediatric readiness into measurable revenue, safer care, and a more confident workforce. Why now / Why PEMPal? Pediatric demand is rising while specialist capacity is flat—making readiness a board-level risk and ROI opportunity. Led by a practicing pediatric emergency physician and health-system operator, PEMPal translates frontline pediatric best practices into EHR-integrated, AI-ready workflows that cut avoidable transfers, speed decisions, and strengthen teams. This session shares what’s working across pilots and partnerships—and the exact toolkit executives can implement in 30 days. Learning outcomes: Prove the value, and boost ROI: Build a 30-day Pediatric ROI Scorecard (transfer reductions, LOS, throughput, and risk exposure) tailored to your system’s baseline. Adopt AI without disruption: An actionable, low-lift → high-impact AI roadmap (decision support, escalation, and documentation assists) aligned to clinical governance and IT constraints. Raise confidence & resilience: A manager playbook of guardrails, emerging techniques in teamwork, and “red-flag” dashboards that reliably lift team confidence and reduce burnout signals. Attendees leave with: The 30-Day ROI Scorecard template (with benchmark ranges) A PEMPal AI Adoption Roadmap (crawl-walk-run)The Manager Confidence & Resilience Toolkit (scripts, meeting norms, and quick-win guardrails)
3 -
To be announced
4 -
To be announced
5 -
To be announced
13:05 – 14:00
Lunch and Conversation Time
14:00 – 14:15
Audience Energiser
14:15 – 15:00
Leadership Panel - Wellbeing for All – Ensuring a Culture of Belonging is at the Heart of the People Strategy
Where does wellbeing intersect with culture? How do organisations achieve wellbeing for all employees? What are some examples that show why wellbeing needs to be addressed from an equity standpoint? How do organisations transcend belonging from the leadership to all employees?
Ingrid D’Lima
Global Head of Early Careers & Program Management, SMBC
Sabahatt Habib
Chief People and Culture Officer, The Giving Movement
Dr. Sola Togun-Butler
CEO & Psychotherapist, Butterfly Counseling Services
Catherine Devlin
Wellbeing Engagement Specialist, Bupa Global
Your Expert Panel Chair:
Paul Firth
CEO & Psychotherapist, Butterfly Founder, Lyra Wellbeing
15:00 - 15:25
Fireside Chat - The Role of CEOs in Driving Compassionate Workplaces
How do leaders demonstrate the value of wellbeing on company culture that ultimately drives employee inspiration and team performance?
Maria Pruna
Chief Executive Officer/Owner, My Car Care, Car Wash Center
Mark Rix
Group Managing Director, Sonas Group, (Wellbeing at Work)
15:25 - 15:50
The Future of Work is Well - Designing Spaces, Cultures and Habits that Help People Thrive
Workplaces aren’t just places of productivity - they’re where people spend the majority of their waking lives. This talk explores how the next evolution of work is rooted in wellbeing: not as an add-on, but as a foundation for sustainable performance. Blending insights from workplace design and holistic health, the session explores how space, culture and daily rhythms can be optimised to energise teams, reduce burnout, and create lasting impact. Expect practical examples from high-performing workplaces, and actionable ideas HR leaders can implement immediately - whether redesigning a global HQ or refreshing the employee experience.
Michelle Wilkie, Director, tp bennett
Group Managing Director, Sonas Group, (Wellbeing at Work)
15:50 - 16:00
Closing Remarks
Mark Rix
Group Managing Director, Sonas Group, Wellbeing at Work
Scott Armstrong
Group Managing Director, Sonas Group, Wellbeing at Work
16:00 – 17:00
