Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, November 2025 — Hannah Smith has stepped into the role of Head of Performance & Talent Management at AD Ports Group, where she will be leading global performance and talent strategy across a rapidly expanding international footprint. With operations across 50+ countries, the organization represents a vast canvas where future-ready capability building, talent acceleration, and human-centered innovation will be key priorities.
In her new position, Hannah will focus on shaping how the Group identifies, develops, and elevates top talent—strengthening leadership alignment, building predictive capability-development models, and enabling a cohesive, scalable talent architecture across markets. Her role arrives at a pivotal moment as AD Ports Group advances its Human–AI collaboration agenda, reinforced by the insights from its recently published white paper, “Building Human–AI Teams: A Blueprint.”
Before joining AD Ports Group, Hannah Smith served at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) as VP, Talent Management, where she spent close to two years driving talent strategy, development frameworks, and change leadership for one of the region’s most influential financial institutions.
Prior to FAB, Hannah worked with Fidelity International for more than two years, taking on progressive roles including Director, Global Talent Partner, and Associate Director, Talent Development Lead. During her tenure, she played a central role in implementing a global internal mobility platform, securing global stakeholder alignment, and pioneering new talent experience frameworks.
Earlier, Hannah spent close to two years at HSBC as a Global HR Transformation Consultant, where she led solution design for platforms such as GLOAT and Degreed, embedding design thinking and end-user experience into future-skilling and mobility ecosystems.
Before HSBC, Hannah was part of KPMG UK as Manager – Management Consulting, where she contributed to large-scale transformation projects focused on HR operating model redesign, governance, and enterprise-wide strategic enablement.
Her early career includes nearly five years with BT Group across roles in HR transformation, bid management, marketing, and global deployment programs — building her foundation in cross-cultural leadership, process modernization, and global scale delivery.
About AD Ports Group
AD Ports Group is a premier global enabler of trade, logistics, and industry development, operating across five interconnected clusters — Digital, Maritime & Shipping, Logistics, Ports, and Economic Cities & Free Zones. With operations touching multiple continents, the organization has played a pivotal role in advancing global supply chain solutions and shaping regional economic diversification. Backed by ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies, AD Ports Group continues to expand through strategic investments, high-impact partnerships, and innovation-led transformation.
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