Awatif Yahya

Awatif Yahya is a Fulbright Scholar, international leadership expert, and keynote speaker with more than 15 years of global corporate experience. Yahya spent a decade at British American Tobacco, a multinational organization, where she served as head of human resources and sat on the executive board. Her career has taken her to London, Hamburg, Algiers, and Dubai, providing her with a cross-cultural perspective that informs her work in leadership development and organizational strategy.

At British American Tobacco, Yahya held roles in human resources, marketing intelligence, business projects, strategy development, and information technology, giving her a comprehensive understanding of organizational operations at the executive level. Her experience as head of human resources at a Fortune 500 company emphasized the importance of aligning strategic business objectives with employee career aspirations to create a competitive advantage.

Yahya is the founder of Awe Horizons LLC, a company that offers leadership workshops for business managers and entrepreneurs. These workshops cover areas such as coaching, business ethics, diversity and inclusion, bias mitigation, communication, team building, strategy development, change management, performance development, and negotiation. Awe Horizons is built on three core pillars: People Leadership, Operational Leadership, and Strategic Leadership, with a focus on developing holistic leaders who demonstrate skills across all areas.

As an author and thought leader in leadership and human resources, Yahya wrote the book "Embracing Leadership, Not Dictatorship," which explores the differences between leadership and dictatorship styles and their respective legacies. She has delivered talks such as "How can HR help executives embrace leadership, not dictatorship skills," highlighting the role of human resources in fostering cultures of trust, accountability, and excellence. Yahya has also contributed academic research, including the paper "Thriving in the VUCA-BANI World: HR and OD Interventions Using the 'CIP' Framework," which addresses how organizations can navigate disruption and build resilient, high-performing cultures.

Yahya's personal journey includes overcoming a fear of public speaking, which led her to become a speaking coach at TEDxLAU, the first university-based TEDx event in Lebanon. Recognized for her expertise in business development, transformation, and talent strategy, Yahya delivers presentations and actionable strategies at conferences worldwide, including the Wellbeing at Work Summit US, where she shares insights on building healthier, more engaged workplaces.