Leadership Moves to Create Culture Fueling Success

Culture isn’t a slogan. It’s a felt experience—before a single word is spoken.

In this episode, Dagmara Asbreuk sits down with Emma Davies, Founder of Evolve People Network and Evolve Hub, and a People & Culture leader with 20+ years across the UAE and KSA. Together, they unpack what actually creates a thriving culture that drives business performance—especially in a region where speed, ambition, and constant change are the baseline.

You’ll hear the leadership shifts that move culture from “nice idea” to real-world results: presence over policy, access over hierarchy, and psychological safety as a performance strategy—not a soft perk. Emma also brings a sharp HR lens: why culture can’t sit on HR’s shoulders alone, how HR earns (and keeps) a true seat at the table, and why the best HR leaders translate business strategy into people decisions with clarity and courage.

If you lead people, build teams, or shape culture—this conversation will recalibrate how you think about performance, trust, and what it means to lead the future.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The biggest people challenges emerging in the UAE/KSA talent market (and what leaders must do differently)

• Why “open door policies” often mean the opposite—and what real accessibility looks like

• How to spot culture in seconds (and why surveys don’t always tell the truth)

• The non-negotiables of psychological safety in high-speed environments

• Why pay rises don’t automatically improve culture (and what actually does)

• How leaders build high-performing teams by leading from strengths—and letting go of ego

• The HR-leader partnership dynamic that makes or breaks a company

• Why HR must develop itself—and stop spending its L&D budget only on everyone else

• How the Evolve People Network supports HR leaders to grow, connect, and lead with impact

Guest: Emma Davies — Founder, Evolve People Network & Evolve Hub


About Dagmara Asbreuk
A certified Executive Transformational Partner and keynote speaker, and Founder of Extraordinary Leadership. She brings 15+ years of global experience in Fortune 500 organizations, and 10 years in human and leadership transformation firsthand. Recognized as one of Dubai’s Top 15 Coach and is known for activating higher potential in senior executives and leadership teams, with a unique blend of transformational leadership, ICF PCC, neuroscience and quantum consciousness to help leaders unlock exponential organizational and business growth and be the leaders shaping the future, setting new standards, leading with more ease and from authentic place.


👇 CONNECT WITH DAGMARA :
🔗 LinkedIn: / dagmaraasbreuk
🔗www.theextraordinaryleadership.com

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