Kholoud Hussein
In the rapidly evolving landscape of global business operations, Henkel’s Global Business Solutions+ (GBS+) network stands as a testament to innovation, efficiency, and strategic vision. This exclusive interview with Roland Haefs, Corporate Vice President of GBS+, and Shereen Alaa, Head of GBS+ Cairo, provides invaluable insights into the pivotal role played by GBS+ in Henkel’s global strategy, with a special focus on its expanding footprint in the MENA region.
The conversation explores the strategic foundations of Henkel’s Cairo GBS+ Center, its contributions to Henkel’s operational excellence, and its alignment with regional and global priorities such as digital transformation, sustainability, and talent development. With Egypt positioned as a regional hub for advanced services and solutions, the interview also delves into the potential for growth across the MENA region, including opportunities in Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030.
Sharikat Mubasher presents this exclusive interview, shedding light on how Henkel’s GBS+ continues to redefine business processes, foster innovation, and drive sustainable impact in one of the world’s most dynamic markets.
The following questions are answered by Roland Haefs, Corporate Vice President, Global Business Solutions+ (GBS+):
Could you provide an overview of the current scale and influence of the GBS+ network globally? What are the key goals for expanding its role within Henkel’s global strategy, particularly as it pertains to the MENA region?
Henkel’s GBS+ organization, with a workforce of over 3,600 highly qualified employees, has become a critical component of Henkel’s value chain. Over the past 20 years, it has evolved from a transactional partner to a strategic player, operating across all time zones and languages. Today, GBS+ centers are located in Manila (Philippines), Bratislava (Slovakia), Mexico City (Mexico), Shanghai (China), and Cairo (Egypt).
The organization consists of specialized teams in areas such as finance, HR, IT, planning, sourcing, production, logistics, marketing, and sales. This broad expertise enables Henkel to deliver innovative solutions that meet the diverse needs of our global operations.
With a strong focus on digital transformation and process optimization, GBS+ will continue to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and expand its role in higher value-adding activities. As we look to the future, expanding GBS+’s capabilities in the MENA region will be a key aspect of Henkel’s global strategy, further strengthening our ability to support the company's growth and operational excellence across markets.
What were the strategic factors behind choosing Egypt as a base for Henkel’s GBS+ Center? Additionally, do you foresee opportunities to expand similar operations in Saudi Arabia, and what role could it play within Henkel’s MENA vision?
Henkel chose Egypt as the base for its GBS+ Center for several strategic reasons. First, Egypt’s central geographic location enables it to cover multiple time zones, facilitating real-time collaboration with countries across the EMEA region and beyond. Additionally, Egypt offers a highly skilled, multilingual talent pool, which was instrumental in the establishment of our GBS+ Center. This decision also aligns with Henkel’s long-term goal to strengthen its presence in Egypt and transform the country into a hub for both product and service exports.
The GBS+ Center in Cairo is a critical part of Henkel’s broader strategy to expand its footprint in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. It positions Egypt as a global export hub for Henkel, particularly in terms of digital and technological solutions. The center plays a key role in enhancing Henkel’s service offerings by strengthening our digital capabilities and enabling us to deliver high-impact, value-added solutions across the MEA region and beyond.
By leveraging local talent and advanced technologies, Henkel is driving operational efficiency and innovation in the region. The GBS+ Cairo center is already playing a pivotal role as an exporting hub for digital and technology-driven solutions, supporting Henkel’s global operations.
As for Saudi Arabia, the country’s Vision 2030 focuses on diversification and development across multiple sectors, including technology and innovation. Henkel’s established investments in Saudi Arabia, including manufacturing facilities and an expanding market presence, align closely with the Kingdom's strategic objectives. While there are no immediate plans for expanding GBS+ operations in Saudi Arabia, the country’s growing role in Henkel’s strategy presents potential opportunities for future collaboration in line with Vision 2030’s goals.
How do you envision the Cairo GBS+ Center contributing to Henkel’s standing across the MENA region? What are some specific regional milestones or achievements you anticipate for this center in the near future?
The GBS+ Center in Cairo plays a pivotal role in strengthening Henkel’s presence across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. As a comprehensive organization, it offers a wide range of services that support Henkel's global operations and enable the company to meet the diverse needs of countries worldwide. This is made possible by the center’s strong multilingual talent pool, which allows GBS+ Cairo to operate in eight languages, including Arabic, English, French, German, Turkish, and Spanish. As a result, it provides services and solutions to over 75 countries globally.
Looking ahead, GBS+ Cairo holds significant potential to further contribute to Henkel’s strategic goals. It will remain a key part of Henkel's broader strategy to enhance its regional footprint, positioning Egypt as a hub for both product and technological exports. Henkel's vision includes not only expanding product exports but also strengthening its digital and technological presence by exporting innovative solutions and services.
Furthermore, the Cairo center is expected to play a central role in Henkel’s sustainability and digitalization initiatives, which are integral to the company's regional and global objectives. This will enable GBS+ Cairo to drive value for Henkel while supporting the company’s commitment to sustainable growth and digital transformation in the MEA region.
In what ways will the Cairo GBS+ Center support and enhance Henkel’s operations in the MENA region?
The GBS+ center in Cairo plays a critical role in enhancing Henkel’s operations by streamlining and standardizing processes through the use of automation and digital solutions. With over a decade of experience, GBS+ Cairo is focused on adopting value-added activities that drive greater efficiency and effectiveness across the organization.
The center provides a comprehensive suite of services, including human resources, financial accounting and analysis, sales order processing, customer service, and marketing support. This broad portfolio enables Henkel to optimize operations and improve responsiveness to market demands, leading to better overall business performance.
In recent years, the center has expanded its capabilities to include IT and data analytics, reinforcing Henkel’s competitiveness in an increasingly fast-paced market. Moreover, the expansion of language support from three to eight languages has allowed GBS+ Cairo to serve over 75 countries, further strengthening its global reach and operational impact.
By leveraging local expertise and driving innovative practices, the GBS+ Cairo center supports Henkel’s global strategy, positioning Egypt as a key hub for advanced services and solutions, not just in the MENA region, but on a global scale.
How does the Cairo GBS+ Center fit into your broader vision for Henkel’s GBS+ network, and what unique contributions do you see it making to Henkel’s regional success across MENA, including Saudi Arabia?
The Cairo GBS+ Center is a key element of Henkel’s broader vision for its Global Business Services (GBS+) network. Strategically located in Egypt, the center takes full advantage of the country’s robust infrastructure, skilled workforce, and deep regional market knowledge to optimize essential processes, including finance, IT, and sales.
This aligns with Henkel’s goal of streamlining operations, enhancing digital capabilities, and fostering innovation across the global network. With its focus on process efficiency and service excellence, GBS+ Cairo plays a critical role in supporting Henkel’s growth strategy, both within the MENA region and internationally, including in key markets such as Saudi Arabia.
The following questions are answered by Shereen Alaa, Head of Global Business Solutions+ (GBS+), Cairo:
Can you give us an overview of the Cairo GBS+ office's current scale and scope, including the number of employees, primary services, and areas of specialization?
GBS+ Cairo began in 2014 and has grown significantly since then, now employing 260 talented people. The center provides a wide range of services and solutions in human resources, accounting, and financial analysis, sales order processing and payments, customer service, sales reporting, marketing support, and IT and digital solutions.
This diverse portfolio allows Henkel to streamline operations and contribute to better overall business performance. Additionally, the number of supported languages has increased from three to eight, allowing GBS+ Cairo to offer its services from Egypt to more than 75 countries across the globe.
How does the Cairo GBS+ Center support the development of local talent, particularly young professionals in Egypt? What skill sets are being prioritized to make the workforce competitive on a global scale?
At GBS+ Cairo, we are committed to the continuous development and upskilling of young Egyptian talent by providing unique opportunities for hands-on and practical experience.
We offer on-the-job training programs that strengthen our employees’ expertise and job rotation opportunities to broaden their knowledge beyond their area of expertise.
Additionally, we focus on our young talents in universities and organize multiple programs that prepare them for the job market. These include internships that give them hands-on work experience and job shadowing and case studies sessions to familiarize them with the practical application of their studies. We are proud that 54% of our interns were hired with us.
We aim to enhance skills across all areas, but prioritize expert competencies, digital mindset, and business acumen. This is in addition to soft skills training programs that equip our team members with the skills needed in today’s and tomorrow’s work environment, such as communication, presentation, project management, strategic thinking, and many more.
All these initiatives aim to prepare the workforce for global competitiveness, ensuring that local talent contributes effectively to Henkel’s international operations while also fostering Egypt's talent pool for future growth in the region.
Could you elaborate on the Cairo GBS+ Center’s approach to sustainability and social responsibility, and how it aligns with Henkel’s global standards? What positive impacts have been observed on the local environment and community, and what are your future goals in this area across MENA?
The GBS+ Cairo approach to sustainability and social responsibility aligns closely with Henkel’s global strategy, particularly its commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) objectives, which place a high priority on environmental and community well-being.
At Henkel, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is central to our purpose, focusing on sustainability, social engagement, and ethical business practices.
Our CSR initiatives aim to make a lasting positive impact on the environment and society through education and active community involvement.
At GBS+ Cairo, we are proud of our strong culture of volunteering, with each team member contributing an average of 7.5 hours annually, leading to an impressive total of 10,000 volunteering hours dedicated to community projects over the past decade, such as Children Cancer Hospital, Green school program to name a few. This collective effort highlights our commitment and reflects our core values of equity, inclusivity, and social impact, which align perfectly with Henkel’s global standards.
Both Henkel’s broader goals—such as reducing its environmental footprint, fostering a circular economy, and improving resource efficiency—and GBS+ Cairo's community outreach initiatives are aimed at creating long-term positive impacts on both the environment and society. Moving forward, Henkel’s goals in MENA, including Egypt, will continue to focus on strengthening these sustainability efforts, ensuring they contribute to Henkel’s global vision of a sustainable and equitable future for all.
By prioritizing sustainability, social responsibility, and ethical values, we bring our purpose to life: "Pioneers at Heart for the Good of Generations".
How does the Cairo GBS+ Center promote gender equality and female leadership? What initiatives are in place to increase women’s participation in the workforce, and are there similar plans for other parts of the MENA region?
At Henkel, we strongly believe that our diversity is our strength! We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment that nurtures the growth of all employees.
Since women make up nearly 70% of the workforce, we see this representation as a proud accomplishment that embodies our basic beliefs and ideals rather than merely a figure. For us at GBS+ Cairo, increasing women's involvement in the workforce is essential to attaining inclusivity and balance, which in turn encourages creativity and innovation.
We are committed to fostering an atmosphere that nurtures everyone’s growth and enables women to assume leadership positions and play a part in the company’s success. This is evident with our over 65% female representation in leadership. We see that empowering women to assume leadership positions contributes is integral to shaping and cultivating a culture of collaboration and excellence.
What is the center’s future outlook for growth within the MENA market? What potential do you see for further expansion and impact throughout the region, and what makes MENA a priority for Henkel?
The Cairo-based GBS+ Center is a key component of Henkel's broader strategy to enhance its presence in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region and position Egypt as a global export hub.
Henkel has strengthened its presence in the Middle East and Africa region with GBS+ Cairo positioned as a comprehensive organization, that provides a wide range of high-impact value-adding services and solutions as well as digital and technological solutions that support Henkel's global operations and enables the company to cater to all countries across the globe.
Looking ahead, GBS+ Cairo holds significant potential to further contribute to Henkel’s strategic goals. It will remain a key part of Henkel's broader strategy to strengthen its regional footprint in the dynamic and growing market in the Middle East and Africa region.
Furthermore, the Cairo center is expected to play a central role in Henkel’s sustainability and digitalization initiatives, which are integral to the company's regional and global objectives. This will enable GBS+ Cairo to drive value for Henkel while supporting the company’s commitment to sustainable growth and digital transformation in the MEA region, adding to the region's strategic importance.