STC's OD Leader and Co-Founder, Layal Abou Ghanem, Champions People-Focused Excellence
Layal Abou Ghanem, the Organizational Development (OD) Manager at C.A.T. Group and Co-Founder of Solutions for Training and Consultancy (STC), is a leading figure in the HR and organizational development sector. Known for her people-centered approach, Abou Ghanem focuses on harmonizing people, purpose, and process to drive organizational excellence[1][2].
A Strategic Approach to HR
Abou Ghanem positions Human Resources (HR) as a strategic partner integral to business growth. She emphasizes that HR must influence organizational culture, drive performance, support innovation, and shape the future workforce—aligning human capital strategy with overarching business objectives[2].
Her approach is rooted in purpose-led leadership, where organizational processes and HR practices are designed to connect individual roles to the company’s broader mission. This ensures that employees see their work as meaningful and are motivated by a shared sense of purpose[5].
Abou Ghanem's impact is grounded in clarity of vision and organizational agility. By enabling clear communication of goals and fostering adaptive processes, she helps organizations respond swiftly to change, as exemplified by initiatives that led hospitals to achieve international accreditation and businesses to transform their operations[3].
Central to her strategy is the belief that empowering employees—through development, recognition, and inclusion—leads to higher engagement and better outcomes. She emphasizes the importance of nurturing leadership at all levels and creating environments where people can grow and innovate[3].
Implementing the Strategy
While no step-by-step blueprint is publicly detailed, Abou Ghanem’s strategy can be summarized as follows:
- Align HR with Business Strategy: Ensure HR initiatives directly support and advance core business goals, making HR a driver of growth, not just a policy enforcer[2].
- Embed Purpose in Processes: Design HR and OD processes that reinforce the organization’s purpose, ensuring every policy, program, and practice reflects and advances the company’s mission[5].
- Foster Agile, Transparent Processes: Develop processes that are clear, adaptable, and transparent, enabling rapid response to internal and external changes[3].
- Invest in People Development: Prioritize continuous learning, leadership development, and employee well-being to build a resilient, innovative workforce[3].
- Measure and Iterate: Use data and feedback to continually refine approaches, ensuring alignment between people, purpose, and process remains dynamic and effective.
Making a Difference
Abou Ghanem’s approach is distinguished by its holistic integration of human, strategic, and operational elements. She is recognized as a transformative force, particularly in sectors requiring rapid adaptation and high standards, such as healthcare accreditation and regional business transformation[3][4].
Her leadership style combines strategic oversight with a genuine focus on individual growth and organizational purpose, creating cultures where excellence is both a collective and individual pursuit[1][3]. In a notable instance, Abou Ghanem worked with a mid-sized healthcare organization to prepare for international accreditation. Not only did the organization pass their accreditation, but they exceeded benchmarks[3].
Staying Inspired and Grounded
Abou Ghanem stays inspired by witnessing growth, transformation, and evolution in the people, teams, and organizations she works with. She believes that HR is essential to organizational resilience, especially after experiencing the results of people-aligned strategies[6].
To maintain a human-centered approach, Abou Ghanem stays grounded in HR by focusing on human connection and learning continuously from teams, clients, and the community[7]. She emphasizes the importance of leaders listening to their teams and creating safe spaces for sharing and contributing[8].
Abou Ghanem defines effective leadership in organizational development as clarity, courage, and connection[9]. She believes that consistency is key in leadership and that leaders should lead by example[10]. To achieve balance between purpose and self-awareness, Abou Ghanem makes time for reflection to see the bigger picture[11].
You can connect with Layal Abou Ghanem on LinkedIn to learn more about her work and insights in HR and organizational development[12].
- Layal Abou Ghanem believes that Human Resources (HR) should not only enforce policies but also drive growth, acting as a strategic partner within a business.
- To create a meaningful and motivated workforce, Abou Ghanem implements purpose-led leadership, connecting individual roles to the company’s broader mission.
- In the realm of home and garden, a business analyst might apply Abou Ghanem's strategic approach in creating innovating interior-design practices, aligning human capital strategy with overarching business objectives, or fostering a lifestyle revolving around plant health and well-being.
