At the heart of one of the fastest growing automotive markets in the world, Porsche Middle East’s head office in Dubai operates much like its prized supercars—with speed, agility, and style. Behind the scenes, two unsung heroes are busy oiling this fast-moving machine, ensuring harmony and stellar performance in a highly demanding work environment. Meet Human Resources duo, Charlotte Stewart and Hanna Strauss.
“I come from a background that taught me the value of hard work and resilience. To me, corporate life represented a new world full of exciting possibilities” admits Charlotte.
“After learning about Human Resources, I saw how my unique passions and skillset could fit into this world.”
Today, Charlotte has not only entered the corporate world, but she has even been put in a position to advocate for its innovation and evolution. And this, at a cutting-edge organization with a longstanding legacy.
A self-made woman, Charlotte worked her way up to become a widely accredited Post-Graduate Chartered Member through scholarship-based job placements and evenings of University study, after which she spent over a year working and travelling abroad, living off her earnings while immersing herself in different cultures. Charlotte quickly made her way up to managerial roles within various industries, racking up a total of 19 years in the field of Human Resources, and leaving her hometown in the UK to put down more permanent roots in the fast-paced city of Dubai.
It is no coincidence that when Charlotte joined Porsche Middle East six years ago, the HR department was still cementing its place within the organization. Independent as ever, Charlotte established every aspect of PME’s HR department, from processes to policy. Now, she works closely with the CEO and Executive Committee on organizational design, recruitment, talent management, compensation, benefits, and more; helping to shape Porsche Middle East’s overarching strategy and vision.
Charlotte’s advice to young professionals is unapologetic, “Do that next step. Take on new projects and tasks outside of your usual role. You have to be the driving force between where you are and where you want to go.” For four years at Porsche Middle East, Charlotte worked as a one-woman team. Then, Hanna came along.
“I really grew up around car lovers,” says Hanna Strauss. Not only was Hanna born and raised in Stuttgart, the home of Porsche, but her father also owns a car repair shop. “My father restores cars as a hobby too. One of his projects was an old-timer 911 Targa from 1973.”
Hanna’s background, while deeply inspiring, left her curious to see more of the world. Her love of people and adventure pushed her to leave for London, where a planned one-year trip abroad turned into eight, landing her in Melbourne for a few years, followed by Dubai.
Hanna took on culturally enriching roles in Marketing, Events, and Learning & Development, before finding her true calling in Human Resources. She is adamant that working in HR is about more than just being a people-person. She finds joy in processes like payroll, which require untangling tricky procedures and bringing machine-like order to everything she does.
Over the course of three years at Porsche Middle East, Hanna has taken the reigns on various processes, from recruitment, onboarding and first-hand inquiries to labor law updates, community outreach, and more.
To Hanna, Porsche Middle East’s singular culture can be summed up in a Ferry Porsche quote, one that she enjoys sharing during her presentation to new joiners — “In the beginning I looked around and could not find the car I dreamed of, so I decided to build it myself.” While this speaks to the foundation of the very first Porsche car, Hanna views this quote as particularly relevant to the Porsche Middle East office. “There is no set path. People have the opportunity to build their own. And PME is an environment where innovation and ideas are really welcome.”
Charlotte echoes that sentiment, noting that one of the Porsche values, ‘Pioneering Spirit,’ feels especially relevant to the Dubai-based office, the size and agility of which allows for the kind of ground-breaking work that is often associated with start-ups. Charlotte also notes that this attitude comes straight from the top. “We have a feedback culture. The Executive Committee and CEO actively look for new ideas and improvements. Every voice is heard. You just have to speak.”
For Charlotte, speaking up and building trust with the company’s leadership allowed her to carry out a number of new initiatives. “I've been advocating for more flexible work offerings for over a decade in the UAE,” she recounts. Given complex legalities and inherited policies, UAE-based offices are often reluctant to offer roles with reduced hours and workplace flexibility. But Charlotte vowed to change and challenge that perception. And those efforts resulted in the full integration of flexible work offerings into the company's policies, benefitting employees and, more crucially, fostering an inclusive environment capable of accommodating a diverse workforce. “We diversify because the best results and ideas are born from different minds,” believes Charlotte. “We celebrate that mix, and everybody has a voice at the table.”
Charlotte and Hanna have been behind many practices that promote diversity in the workplace, from providing innovative work options, to collaborating with local academic institutions. To them, fostering diversity is not simply about meeting targets and filling positions — though PME does boast several global ‘firsts’ — but it is also about the grassroots work of cultivating a sense of excitement among youths of all backgrounds, and helping to build foundational skills in young women within male-dominated fields.
Charlotte employs an apt metaphor, “I call us gardeners, in HR. We are gardeners because a plant takes time to grow. But you know what? We will sow the seeds, we will water them, and we will shed some sunlight on them. We will keep those roots alive until the business is ready for them to sprout.”
When it comes to being future-proof, Charlotte believes that the traditional ‘one size fits all’ HR approach will be due a transformation very soon, “Individualization will be the driving force of innovation and the future of working.” It is HR’s onus to view employees as consumers, and to offer them an excellent, polished experience, while also catering to their individual needs. Today, those needs are ever-changing.
With so many changes to come in the world of HR, Charlotte and Hanna will continue to do the all-important work of sowing the seeds, watering the soil, and shedding some light.
And it is especially important, in their field, to shed light on successes, allowing the space for top performers to shine. Charlotte repeatedly uses the words ‘guru’, ‘oracle,’ and ‘expert’ to describe Hanna’s many skills. “Hanna puts the people front, right and centre. I see that perfectionism and support she gives everyone. And honestly, I know Hanna is right for her role because our colleagues used to come and queue up at that office door for me, and now they queue up for Hanna.”
Scene and Passion
