Abubakar Siddiq Alvi
Organization Development / HR / HR Tech
Lahore,PB
Summary
Abubakar is a passionate and high energy HR & OD professional with over 18 years of work experience in Retail, B2B, Consulting, Manufacturing (Durables & FMCG), Non-Profits, and Service industry in Pakistan and the US. A Fulbright Scholar and member of Mensa (Global High IQ Society), who likes solving problems, building systems, and driving change with a goal to make things better and bigger. Daring and caring, Abubakar loves dealing with people, technology and engages flexibly across all levels of a system.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
6
6
years of post-secondary education
2
2
Languages
Work History
Group General Manager HR
Master Group Of Industries
09.2022 - Current
- Developed strong relationships with key stakeholders to facilitate successful partnerships and collaborations across Business Units.
- Promoted a culture of continuous improvement through regular evaluations of processes leading to measurable enhancements.
- Established centralized Policies across group, especially employee benefits and work conditions.
- Digitized entire HR processes, especially employee related transactions, through developments in HRIS and removing paper and reducing approval hierarchy. This directly impacted Emp. experience and turnaround time, ensuring transparency and accuracy.
- Restructured underperforming departments resulting in improved organizational effectiveness, including Sales, Purchase, MIS, Logistics and Administration.
- Championed employee professional development, providing opportunities for skill-building workshops and training sessions. Introduced a Leadership Foundation program for top 200 staff.
- Worked with Operations Excellence to rollout a Lean and Transformation program at all factories, driving KPI based factory operations and monitoring results through defined dashboards, followed by monthly rewards & recognition.
- Inspiring Change across businesses and functions, through leadership collaboration and top-down communication.
- Established standardized policies and procedures for increased consistency across departments. Reworked on 37 Policies and SOP in first year.
- Reduced operational costs, identifying areas for improvement and implementing cost-saving measures with HR and across functions that engaged with HR.
- Maximized efficiency by coaching and mentoring my team, inspiring tech based solutions and employee centric processes for driving engagement and reducing adhoc working in the department.
- Mitigated talent exit in Sales by reviewing competition C&B practices and aligning our compensation to be a step ahead from competition. This increased energy and commitment of our sales force.
- Worked with senior leaders to improve work conditions and environment across locations, with a focus on hygiene, safety and vibrance at work. Gained positive feedback and engagement across sites.
- Talent acquisition improved through effective LinkedIn usage, increase our followers by 8% in first six month through organic posting and social engagement.
- Formalized employee communication, digital and in person meetings to allow more frequency, smaller group interactions and ensure diversity of locations and functions.
- Designed online support to employees on Administrative and IT support, using HRIS as a tool for ticketing and requesting services.
- Rolled out our first ever AI awareness across the Group, an online 4 hour training program on ChatGPT and Prompting, with 400 participants connected online. It was well appreciated and allowed for usage of AI tools in HR, marketing, Finance, MIS and Design department.
- Upgraded existing performance evaluation system, using an objective scoring and evaluation form, designed to be generic yet focused on role specific outcomes. This changed the culture from discretionary appraisals and biased outcomes to an org wide structured and controlled evaluation scores and increments. Initially resisted, but much appreciated by people managers and employees when the results were published.
Country HR Manager
Ontex Pakistan Pvt. Ltd.
02.2018 - 08.2022
- Facilitated organizational change through effective communication and collaboration with senior management. T2G Program was successfully implemented at our Factory within project timelines, without losing talent.
- Evaluated compensation packages competitively against industry benchmarks to attract top talent while managing budgetary constraints effectively. Mercer data guided our Comp. strategy
- Optimized benefits programs, resulting in increased employee satisfaction and reduced turnover rates.
- Conducted internal investigations related to harassment claims and other workplace conflicts, providing resolutions that preserved the integrity of the company''s values.
- Streamlined HR processes for increased efficiency with the use of Success Factors and Decibel (HRIS systems).
- Oversaw payroll functions, ensuring accuracy while maintaining strict confidentiality standards for sensitive employee information.
- Spearheaded successful workforce planning efforts, aligning staffing needs with company objectives, inline with budgets.
- Implemented performance management systems, providing constructive feedback and coaching opportunities for employees.
- Created a structured internship program, fostering strong relationships with educational institutions and attracting new talent to the organization.
- Ensured legal compliance with labor laws by conducting regular audits and updating policies as necessary.
- Reduced recruitment costs by establishing strong relationships with job agencies and universities, also with professional bodies like ICAP.
- Championed organizational health initiatives promoting overall well-being of staff members which resulted in heightened morale and productivity.
- Managed employee relations, investigating and resolving conflicts to maintain a positive work environment.
- Enhanced employee retention by implementing effective onboarding and training programs.
- Maintained payroll and benefits for employees in various locations and diminished financial discrepancies through expert program management.
- Facilitated onboarding sessions and on-the-job training for new hires, bolstering employee job position knowledge and skillset.
- Monitored and handled employee claims involving performance-based and harassment incidents.
- Created vision and goals for HR team and motivated staff to achieve excellence in customer support and core HR processes.
- Developed focused training programs, leadership pipeline and succession plans.
- Increased Engagement Index by 12 points in five years by establishing clear actions and management sponsorship.
- Hosted an International Trainer to rollout a Global training intervention called The 5 Chairs, facilitated by Luise Evans from Italy. Great feedback of that program.
- As Person of Trust, managed confidential investigations and necessary actions, including legal cases, in line with Global Legal team.
- Developed and launched HR Competency framework for Global HR team, by leveraging SHRM body of Knowledge.
- As Focal person, managed the external relations and internal Communication during COVID19 Pandemic, ensuring plant remains operational and that our people are safe and still coming to work.
Principal Consultant
Self Employed
08.2015 - 01.2018
- Dared to embark on a solo mission to be my own boss!
- · Working with multiple clients in the areas of:
- o HR & Business Transformation
- o Organization design and development of Public Sector institutions
- o Job Profiling & Job Description Writing
- o Performance Management & deployment of PM system
- o Soft skill Training Design + Facilitation & Coaching programs
- o Talent Acquisition for a new setup including Job Description and structures
- o Organization Culture interventions and Health Checks
- o Engagement interventions for teams/ Depts. & Org. wide
- Established client relationships across industry with a focus on FMCG, Real Estate / Construction and Service sector.
- Delivered exceptional presentations for C-level executives, showcasing project progress and results.
- Generated significant revenue by securing new business opportunities through effective networking efforts.
- Designed tailored training programs for employees at various levels within the organization, boosting overall skillsets. Key rollout was Ecolean Ambassadors Program.
- Advised clients on change management strategies to ensure smooth transitions during periods of organizational transformation.
- Streamlined internal processes to enhance team efficiency and improve overall project outcomes. Gap Analysis and alignment.
- Evaluated client needs and expectations, establishing clear goals for each consulting engagement. This became my strength.
- Evaluated staff performance and provided coaching to address inefficiencies.
- · Clients Served: World Bank, Adam Smith International, Baluchistan Govt., Punjab Govt. Education Dept., Reem Rice Mills, EcoLean, Crescent Bahuman Retail, Hafiz Group, Stylo Group, Shajar School, Tahir Builders, Shahid Builders, Khubaib Engineering, Hanif Jewellers.
HR Country & Factory Representative
Tetra Pak Pakistan Ltd.
11.2014 - 06.2015
- Overall country level responsibility for Governance & Compliance of:
- o Local Policies
- o Local Rewards
- o Occupational Health & Safety (OHS)
- o Legal Compliances & ER / IR
- o Leading HR Country Committee (governing platform for all HR matters)
- Launched HR 2.0 (SAP Successfactor) in Pakistan and streamlined process and policies with Global. Successfully integrated and launched communication program
- Custodian of Business Code of Conduct, Values and Compliance & its communication
- Responsible for Cross Functional Collaboration and streamlining of policies across Pakistan
- Instituted Country OHS Governance committee & launched action plans for company site as well as customer site compliance
- Triggered Performance Management cycle through Success Factor, trained line managers
- Initiated Day care for female staff, in line with my Gender Diversity Plan for Pakistan
- Successfully managed Zero Increment communication to local employees, mitigating potential resistance and labor agitation & and staff turnover. (Crisis Communication)
- · Partnered with functional heads to launch Matrix Operating Model across functions, unique to Tetrapak and managed complexity and change through engagement and extensive communication in Town Halls and team meetings.
HR Business Partner / Employee Relations Manager
Pepsi Cola International Pvt. Ltd.
12.2009 - 10.2014
- Served as HR business partner for Operations and Commercial teams and delivered full scale HR services, driving all core processes.
- Responsible for managing the Performance Mgmt Cycle from Objective setting to employee input and closure in Success Factor system. Target achievement was 100% completion in stipulated timelines. Involved communication and support to all employees
- Developed and launched My Blue Sky, a frontline Soft Skills Development program with 6 modules. As Lead Trainer, facilitated around 220 staff. Rated Best Practice in AMEA.
- Worked with my Leadership team to launch Business vision (0:60:85) & People Vision (RRRCD). This transformation was leveraged through extensive People Engagement and Communication platforms at all levels. Business turnaround resulted after 1.5 years.
- Delivered productivity through headcount rationalization and outsourcing of non-core jobs at plant, assigning focus on core jobs and channeling Co. C&B more effectively
- Leading a Work stream on Building a Safety Culture – engaging permanent & contractual staff through quizzes, interactive sessions and talks by Leaders
- Key member & contributor of Crisis Management Team for site
- Launched Lean & Agile Operations – a double rest roster system, without increasing headcount, generating productivity & work life balance
- Custodian of Values & Code of Conduct – awareness and reinforcement within Ops
- Launched Gender Sensitization program for Ops team, to support female recruitment & drive companywide Gender Diversity agenda. Increased Gender %age to approx. 10.5%.
- Worked with Food Safety to launch Personal Hygiene Awareness for Labor (Male + Female)
- Developed and conducted PepsiCo Values Awareness sessions for entire 3rd party staff at plant and across the sales force. Trained about 1100 individuals in 6 months, traveling to 20 sales offices across Pakistan. These sessions were multilingual & localized for Pakistan.
- Successfully launched Kenxea – a PepsiCo. Global Recruitment & Onboarding portal. This automation has reduced our Time to Hire from 90 to 60 days. (SAP platform)
- Responsible for frontline Recruitment & induction within Operations team, including two field locations for Agro department. Also introduced new channels of recruitment for technical positions, especially male/ female technicians.
- Launched Frontline Trainee Program (Apprenticeship) for the plant in 2013. This included pre-work on legal and Labor Dept. end and then all the way to launch, access and onboard apprentices.
- Plan & run Summer Internship program “Explore” for Operations.
- Launched Agro Project Internship Program at top Agriculture universities in Pakistan. One of its kind intervention with inclusive participation of top Agri universities of Pakistan.
- Planned & launched Engagement Calendar for Operations including Away Days, Sports activities, Town Halls, Leadership Floor Walks, Orientations, Field Visits/ Plant visits.
- Audited plant operations against 29 identified laws we needed to comply with, and developed a checklist of Labor laws that is quarterly monitored for compliance
- Generated productivity by rationalization of 3rd party headcount at plant. Resulted in 23% saving YoY.
- Active member of PepsiCo Pakistan CSR council called Helping Hands.
- o Planned & Organized Lahore’s biggest Tree Plantation Drive in Sundar Industrial Estate in November 2012, where a record 1500 trees were planted in 1 day.
- o Worked with TCF to create Water Conservation awareness at their schools in 2011
- o Organized Sports Gala at TCF schools in Lahore suburbs in 2010
- Worked with Finance to lock dates for payment to labor contractors for timely disbursement of wages to labor Benchmarked 7 day turnaround time for Pay Day
- Developed a Database of Labor for tracking attendance and monitoring performance. This helped in face fixation, a long standing problem faced by production team.
- Plan & run Summer Internship program “Explore” for Operations. Starting from soliciting project requirements from Depts. to sourcing & onboarding through Campus Activity.
- Instituted monthly Contractor meetings inviting all contractors to a platform to share updates, and to hear and resolve individual/ collective issues and grievances
- Leading the Sundar Sports Committee – organizing healthy sports activities for Ops
- Responsible for contribution in the company newsletter (U&I) on behalf of Operations
Deputy Manager - HR & Learning
Shan Foods (Pvt.) Ltd
09.2008 - 11.2009
- Delivered the following OD interventions by engaging 3 different consulting firms;
- o Organization structure & their reporting protocols
- o Role Profiling (using HAY Method) for about 90 jobs
- o Performance Management (through Balance Score Card) – company wide
- o Compensation Structure (conducting a Salary & Benefits survey)
- o Developing HR policy Manual & Limits of Authority Manual) – company wide
- o Professional Development Program + TNA for over 100 employees
- Annual Training Calendar for Shan along with participations were developed
- Clarified roles and responsibility of all HR & Admin team by conducting job analysis. This has greatly improved individual and collective performance of the two departments
- Facilitated and led a couple of internal training sessions for employee development
- Developed various forms for internal HR operations that helped in process improvement
- Involved in implementation and training of Millennium HRIS in partnership with MIS
- Coordinated with MIS for training of Supply Chain and Finance ERP application to staff
- Supervising Recruitment initiatives for corporate office and plants
- Reduced recruitment turnaround time by 3 weeks, by initiating Online Recruitment tool through Rozee.Pk
- Liaison with Executive Search Firms and Education Institutions for sourcing candidates
- Supervising daily HR operations, monitoring staff performance and constant coaching
- Initiated weekly task activity for HR staff and monitored through MS Project
Assistant Manager Human Resource
Dawlance Group of Companies
06.2005 - 07.2006
- Part of 1st Key Users training for Oracle HRIS implementation
- Created formats for custom data reporting through Oracle HRIS application
- Coordinated with consultants in imparting user training to key users of Oracle ERP
- Worked with consultants on HAY method of Job Profiling for over 50 jobs
- Co-facilitated a session with Heads and managers on Job profiling for the group
- Authored and compiled Corporate Handbook that is placed in over 90 offices reaching a workforce of 3800 employees. It contained HR policies and Company information
- Negotiated with top management to move towards a new paperless recruitment system
- Initiated online recruitment tools for the first time in my company using Bayt.com
- Streamlined screening of 5730 online applications received by designing a new selection system that reduced the recruitment cycle by 50% to only 15 days
- Designed and received approval for an interview evaluation format that measured candidates on Competencies and skills
- Organized a successful team building & two retreats for the management staff
- Initiated the idea of Reward & Recognition - awarding plaques to achievers & performers
- Liaised with graduate business and engineering schools for Management Trainee program
- Developed an IQ test and subject tests used for initial screening of prospective candidates
Senior System Assistant
EY Pakistan (Sidat Hyder Morshed Associates Pvt. Ltd.)
03.2004 - 02.2005
- Co-Facilitated Training Workshops from developing course material to conducting activities and making logistic arrangements
- Worked on Proposal writing (RFP) and report writing for various HR projects.
- Managed 03 mega conferences with an invited audience of 500+ in each
- Meeting clients with Project Manager to understand project needs
- Surveyed compensation structures for multi sector & industry specific salary comparisons
- Worked on Channel Development for a client offering new dealerships in 250 towns. Similar assignment done for a pharmaceutical giant.
- Supported many consultancy documentation and learned report writing.
Education
Master of Science - Organization Development / Strategic HR
The Johns Hopkins University - Carey Business School
Maryland, USA 08.2006 - 06.2008
MBA - Human Resource
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science & Technology
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan 01.2004 - 07.2005
BBA - Marketing / HR
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science & Technology
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan 01.2001 - 12.2003
Skills
Coaching & Mentoring
HR Strategy Development
HR Data Quality
Organization Development
HR Business Partnering
HR Digitization and Automation
Competency Framework
HR Legal Compliance
Governance and Policy
Culture and Change Management
Efficiency and Cost Optimization
Talent Acquisition & Sustainability
Employee Relations
Employee Engagement
Employer Branding
Comp & Benefits Administration
Performance Management
Coaching & Mentoring
Websites
Professional Affiliation
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), www.shrm.org, 2007
- Organization Development Network (OD Network), www.odnetwork.org, 2007
- MENSA Pakistan (Global high IQ Society), http://www.mensapk.org/, 2003
Training Acquired
- The 5 Chairs (Ontex)
- Ability to Execute (Ontex signature program)
- Crisis Management (Tetra Pak)
- OHS Governance & Compliance (Tetra Pak)
- Assessment Center Skills (PepsiCo)
- Behavior Based Safety Culture (PepsiCo)
- Coaching Manager Program (from Coaching Manager Book)
- The Service Punch (Pakistan's Leading Service Consultancy)
- Drive for Results - by Ramiz Allawala (Octara)
- Train The Trainer - Navitus (Pvt.) Ltd.
- How to Win Cooperation & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- STRATEGIC NEGOTIATION SKILLS by Time Lenders
- IMPROVED PROCESS SPECIFICATIONS (IPS) participant in 2011
- GENDER SENSITIZATION AWARENESS by Riz Consulting
- WORK LIFE BALANCE PROGRAM by Octora
- Working at the SPEED OF TRUST by Franklin Covey
- LEADERSHIP FOUNDATIONS by Franklin Covey
- 7 HABITS FOR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE MANAGERS by Franklin Covey
- FIRST TIME MANAGERS, PepsiCo signature program
- LABOR LAWS & COMPLIANCE by ACE Consultants
- SUCCESSFULLY MANAGING PEOPLE by American Management Association
References
References shall gladly be furnished upon your request
Timeline
Group General Manager HR
Master Group Of Industries
09.2022 - Current
Country HR Manager
Ontex Pakistan Pvt. Ltd.
02.2018 - 08.2022
Principal Consultant
Self Employed
08.2015 - 01.2018
HR Country & Factory Representative
Tetra Pak Pakistan Ltd.
11.2014 - 06.2015
HR Business Partner / Employee Relations Manager
Pepsi Cola International Pvt. Ltd.
12.2009 - 10.2014
Deputy Manager - HR & Learning
Shan Foods (Pvt.) Ltd
09.2008 - 11.2009
Master of Science - Organization Development / Strategic HR
The Johns Hopkins University - Carey Business School
08.2006 - 06.2008
Assistant Manager Human Resource
Dawlance Group of Companies
06.2005 - 07.2006
Senior System Assistant
EY Pakistan (Sidat Hyder Morshed Associates Pvt. Ltd.)
03.2004 - 02.2005
MBA - Human Resource
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science & Technology
01.2004 - 07.2005
BBA - Marketing / HR
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science & Technology
01.2001 - 12.2003