Ehab AbdElHafez

Head of Talent Acquisition - International at GE HealthCare (53k+ employees)

With 18+ years of global HR leadership experience in diverse industries, Ehab developed a strong expertise in HR Business Partnering, Talent Acquisition, and Talent Management. In his current role, Ehab leads the International Talent Acquisition engine for GE Healthcare, overseeing Talent Acquisition across the company's 150+ markets outside the US and China, a region of 27,000 employees. Alongside my team of 75+ dedicated TA professionals, they bring over 7,000 talents on board every year. Prior to GE HealthCare, Ehab worked with several bluechip organizations like Vodafone in Egypt, PepsiCo and J&J in UAE and the US, e& in UAE, and Delivery Hero in Germany. Ehab is passionate about advancing the field of HR management research, which is why he completed his Global Executive Ph.D. in Management at ESCP Business School, focusing on employee engagement and psychological availability. Additionally, he is a lecturer of Organizational Behavior, Change Management, and Innovation at Berlin International University of Applied Sciences, where he shares his insights and knowledge with the next generation of leaders.

3:00 - 3:30 pm CET

Thursday 22 May 2025

"When Does Employee Engagement Start? The Critical Role of Talent Acquisition"

During this session, Ehab will explore how employee engagement begins far earlier than traditionally assumed — not on the first day of work, but from the very first interaction between a candidate and the organization. Drawing on research insights, Ehab will share how Talent Acquisition teams play a critical role in shaping early perceptions that influence long-term engagement. Specifically, the session will focus on how TA teams can foster the three essential psychological conditions for engagement during the attraction and hiring process: Meaningfulness, Safety, and Availability. Participants will leave with practical strategies to embed engagement thinking into every stage of the candidate journey — from employer branding to interviews to offer management — setting the foundation for stronger, more sustainable employee engagement across the organization.