Greater Chicago Area, Illinois, United States, January 2026 – AbbVie has announced the appointment of Arzu Najjar as Associate Director, Business Human Resources, Clinical Development Operations. In this role, she partners with senior research and development leaders to strengthen people strategy, leadership capability, and organizational effectiveness across AbbVie’s Clinical Development Operations function, supporting the organization’s mission to advance patient-centric innovation.
With over six years at AbbVie, Arzu Najjar has built a distinguished career within the organization, most recently serving as Associate Director, Business HR, Commercial Development Operations (R&D). Prior to this elevation, she spent nearly two years as Business HR Manager, International Marketing and Commercial Operations, where she partnered closely with senior leaders in Immunology and Specialty Care, led succession and talent strategies, advised on high-impact people decisions, and collaborated with global HR Centers of Excellence to embed enterprise capability frameworks and advance a resilient, inclusive, high-performance culture.
Earlier, she undertook a short-term strategic assignment as Business HR Manager, Intercontinental HQ – Commercial & Market Access, where she advised Area VPs on people strategy and led the Intercontinental Area HQ’s talent management review cycle. She also served for over two years as HR Director – Gulf Levant, where she led HR strategy across a ten-country cluster, managed regional HR teams, oversaw large-scale organizational change, supported new business launches, strengthened succession pipelines, and advanced culture and inclusion initiatives across diverse markets.
Before this, Arzu Najjar served as HR Business Partner – Gulf, where she provided strategic HR partnership across Gulf markets, coached leaders on talent and leadership development, led integration and development programs, and served as Acting HR Director during a critical leadership cover period. Her earlier professional foundation was built during her nearly seven-year tenure at BASF, where she held progressive HR leadership roles across the Gulf and Türkiye, managing complex HR partnerships, leading regional HR operations, and supporting large, multi-country workforces. She began her career in global mobility with Crown Relocations and gained early HR exposure as an intern with ING Bank Turkey.
About AbbVie
AbbVie is a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to creating medicines and solutions that put impact first—for patients, communities, and the world. The company focuses on addressing complex health issues and enhancing lives through its core therapeutic areas, including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, aesthetics, and other areas of unmet medical need.
Read Also : When HR “Produces Nothing”: A Response to Jennifer Sey’s Anti-HR Vision
The Fine Balance: Navigating Work, Life, and Mental Wellbeing
Mind the Leadership Gap – From Learning to Real-World Impact
How the Adecco Group is empowering its employees for the future of work
