In this exclusive interview, Gaylynne Neill, Senior Vice President of People for Asia Pacific at DP World shares how the logistics company is driving a cultural and operational transformation through people.

Neill also discussed reshaping talent strategies, rising women on board, leadership development, and HR’s role, all while balancing the adoption of technology and maintaining a human-centric approach in the logistics sector. 

It’s quite rare to see HR leaders appointed as board directors, and you’ve done it twice in a row. Could you share how that journey unfolded and what the experience has been like for you?

My path into HR has been a bit non-traditional, as I have major experience in running businesses. I bring with me a business mindset and perspective, which I believe has really helped me navigate and make that shift into HR.

It’s allowed me to approach HR strategy and conversations with the executive leadership team, including our CEO, from a business-first approach. I can resonate with the business language, understand the challenges, and then translate that into people-focused strategies that align with what the business actually needs.

As for the board roles, DP World has a number of different business relationships, including joint ventures and partnerships. I’m fortunate to be on some of these boards: Warehousing company in Australia, and a technology company.

Interestingly, for the warehousing business, my background in operations and contract logistics adds value. And in the technology company, where we have a female CEO leading the business, I offer a different perspective, being a role model, and providing guidance to support her leadership journey.

When you are invited to a board, it’s essential to have clarity about the value you are expected to bring. My role is not to overshadow the board's expertise, but to complement it with perspectives on people, leadership, and culture.

What matters is knowing your own strengths and the unique value you bring. That clarity allows you to contribute in a meaningful way.

It’s always a two-way street—you learn a lot from others, and in return, you offer perspectives and insights that genuinely add value to the board.

Isn’t it still rare for boards to think about role models and CEO support when choosing members? Do you see this changing?

Absolutely, and I believe it’s so important. One great example is DP World’s global ‘Women on Boards’ program. It’s aimed at preparing women in leadership to add real value to our various boards across the business.

With so many boards within DP World, this initiative helps build a strong, diverse pipeline.

What I really appreciate is that the focus isn’t just on gender diversity, but on bringing diverse thinking, experience, and perspectives to the boardroom.

Risks and opportunities are interconnected, and given your leadership journey, how do you see people's strategy and business alignment coming together?

Honestly, I think risks and opportunities are two sides of the same coin. Many of the risks we’re facing by default create opportunities as well, so they’re interconnected.

When we talk about business risks—not just for DP World but for the logistics industry overall, they’re quite well known. You’ve got geopolitical risks, which everyone’s aware of. There’s ongoing volatility in certain regions, and then there’s global economic uncertainty.

But beyond that, one of the biggest risks, or challenges, rather, is rising customer expectations. Customers want everything faster, cheaper, and with complete transparency. They want to know exactly how their supply chain operates, and they expect it to be sustainable.

They genuinely care about things like carbon emissions, social impact, and whether companies like us have strong governance practices. So, these are definitely risks in the sense that if you’re not keeping up, you’ll fall behind. But at the same time, they open up huge opportunities for companies that can lead in these areas.

When challenges turn into opportunities

I think, in the logistics sector, DP World is managing all those risks well. The industry has always been quite fragmented. You’d either operate in freight forwarding, or in contract logistics, or in shipping. The opportunity for us, which aligns with our business strategy, is to take a customer-centric approach that spans the entire supply chain.

With our assets and capabilities, we can stitch these services together, offering seamless, end-to-end solutions for our customers. That’s where the opportunity lies—we can do more for our customers.

We can give them the transparency they’re looking for, deliver the customer-centricity they expect, and provide cost efficiencies because we're leveraging our own assets across the supply chain. Plus, with a strong focus on sustainability, this strategy helps us flip those industry risks into growth opportunities. 

For how long has DP World been pursuing this end-to-end strategy?

DP World’s end-to-end strategy was first laid out around 2017, driven by our Chairman and Group CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. In the APAC region specifically, our CEO, Glen Hilton, has been spearheading this transformation.

We’re probably about two years into actively executing this strategy—shifting from being a container terminal operator to a full logistics end-to-end provider. So, I’d say we’re still very much in the transformation phase.

Our goal is to have the people, capabilities, and systems fully aligned by the end of this year. That’s the ambition, and we’ll be in a strong position to focus on scaling and growth in 2026 and 2027.

It’s a bold plan, and I acknowledge it’s quite ambitious. But that’s where the people and capabilities piece becomes so crucial.

How is your people strategy evolving to support the business strategy?

Over the past two years, as we’ve been driving this transformation, we’ve taken a two-pronged approach: growing both organically and inorganically. We’ve made strategic acquisitions to strengthen our capabilities, while simultaneously bringing in talent with highly specific skill sets.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that a people strategy must remain agile. You can’t define it once and expect it to hold. As the business evolves, pivots, and scales, our talent approach has had to evolve in lockstep.

That’s why we’ve focused on both acquiring businesses and hiring talent that brings diverse perspectives and expertise. We’re no longer operating in a purely traditional logistics model. We need people who are masters of their operational domains but who also have the vision to look beyond traditional boundaries.

For instance, freight forwarding and contract logistics remain core pillars of our business, but when you layer customer-centricity on top, it transforms how those functions operate. Our commercial teams are structured agnostically—they aren’t tied to specific business units—which fosters a mindset focused on the end-to-end customer journey rather than siloed operational KPIs.

That’s why finding talent who not only excel in their domain but are also agile thinkers—ready to adapt to the evolving business landscape—has been critical to our success.

This shift clearly requires major change management, for both existing and new talent. Are you now able to hire people with that mindset, or is it still something you build after hiring?

One of the most important things we’ve done is ensure our talent acquisition (TA) teams work hand-in-hand with me and the business leaders. We don’t believe in posting generic job ads and waiting for responses. Our approach is highly targeted.

Our TA teams are deeply embedded in the business. They understand exactly what we need—not just in terms of technical skills, but also mindset and adaptability.

Throughout the recruitment process, we rigorously assess candidates on their agility, openness to non-traditional ways of working, and ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-evolving environment.

You’d be surprised how many people can rise to that challenge—and how many realise it’s not for them. And that’s perfectly fine.

But here’s the thing: you can only be this precise if your talent acquisition team truly understands the business inside out.

That alignment has been absolutely critical. They need to be in sync with our strategic goals, anticipate the future skills we’ll require, and have a clear sense of what “good” looks like at DP World.

So, you first had to upgrade your talent acquisition team before tackling the wider talent pool, right?

Exactly. That’s been a core focus for me—ensuring we have a TA team that operates beyond a transactional, agency-style recruitment model. I’m not criticizing that model; it serves a purpose in certain situations. But for us, building talent is a strategic exercise.

One thing I’m particularly proud of is that most of our recruitment and sourcing is done in-house. That’s made a huge difference. When candidates engage with our TA team, they immediately sense the depth of understanding. They’re often surprised by how well our recruiters know the business. They’re not just reciting job descriptions; they can have real conversations about where we’re headed, the challenges we face, and what the journey looks like.

Building greater trust and clarity for candidates

This transparent approach allows candidates to benchmark where and how they can contribute.

When the TA or HR team clearly outlines both the challenges and opportunities, candidates come in with eyes wide open. They may not know exactly what their day-to-day life will look like, and that’s okay, but they understand their skills will be stretched and developed in ways they likely haven’t experienced before. That’s what attracts people.

You can do legal, comms, or finance anywhere, but being part of a business undergoing real transformation adds a unique edge to your experience. It benefits both sides—the company gets the right-fit talent, and the candidate gains clarity and alignment from day one.

There’s something we always tell candidates—and I’m not apologetic about it at all. In fact, I’m proud of it. We tell them, “The only thing you can be guaranteed of at DP World is change.”

If someone’s seeking stability and doing the same thing every day, we’re probably not the right place for them. But if they want to grow, take on new challenges, think differently, and be part of a dynamic environment, then this is the place for them.

Leadership clearly plays a big role in aligning people's strategy. But, can an HR leader without a strong business background still do this effectively?

I wouldn’t say an HR leader without a business background couldn’t do it, but having a business background has definitely been a distinct advantage. For me, it allowed shaping our people's strategy better and deeply aligned with the business.

What’s unique here is how closely integrated the people team is with the commercial side of the business. There’s no divide where commercial teams operate in isolation and HR is left trying to catch up downstream. We’re in the same room, having the same conversations, debating strategies, and shaping outcomes together.

Our TA team participates in workshops, business reviews, and strategic sessions with commercial teams. They’re not just order-takers filling roles; they’re embedded in the business context, experiencing the challenges firsthand. That level of proximity is absolutely critical.

Unlike many firms where HR comes in later, you’re part of the conversation from the start.

That’s where change happens. I feel very strongly that I, along with my team, contribute to shaping our strategy, not as an afterthought, but as a core part of the process. I’m in business discussions daily, always thinking about how the direction we’re taking impacts every aspect of our people strategy.

Another important point is how we’ve evolved the HR function itself. The HR team I had two years ago looks very different from the team I have today—not just in terms of structure but also in the caliber of people. That evolution has been deliberate.

When we started, especially in regions like Southeast Asia, we were more of a portfolio management business. Australia was more mature, but Southeast Asia had multiple terminal businesses being run as independent portfolios. The size and structure of the HR team needed for that setup were very different from what we require now, as we’ve transitioned into an integrated, end-to-end logistics provider.

One of the biggest lessons for me has been understanding the importance of right-sizing the team at every stage. If I had built today’s HR structure back then, it would have failed—because the business wasn’t ready for it

. You have to scale your team in line with the organization’s growth. Knowing when to do that, and what the trigger points are, is critical. You need to have HR capacity ready for future growth, but you can’t get ahead of yourself.

This is an ideal post-pandemic strategy that HR today strives for, but few have reached such deep business integration.

Right, but timing is everything. For DP World, this is the right time. We’re in a phase of rapid growth, and everything we’re talking about—alignment, collaboration, co-creation—it’s all happening because the business is ready for it.

Other organisations might not be there yet, and that’s perfectly fine. It depends on where the organization is in its growth journey, the mindset of its leadership, and how prepared it is to embrace this level of integration. There’s no one-size-fits-all. The same formula won’t work everywhere.

What does leadership stand for today?

A true leader doesn’t need to have all the answers. It’s about being humble enough to say, “I don’t have the answer right now, but let’s figure it out together.” That humility builds trust.

You also need to create space for others to contribute. Sometimes, your team already knows the answer—they just want validation. If you ask them, “What do you think?” you empower them to own the solution. That’s how you build confidence and capability in your team.

There’s a huge difference between managing and leading. Great leaders take people on the journey with them. Of course, leaders must make decisions—but how you involve your team in shaping those decisions is where leadership truly comes alive.

On the topic of growth, how are you approaching succession and leadership pipelines? Building that mindset early is key—after all, a woman CEO today means starting 40 years ago.

Absolutely, when you're building your talent pipelines, you've to think long-term. You need systems in place to identify talent early, not just when you need them.

If you’re growing for the future, you’ve got to know who’s ready in one to two years, who’s ready in three to five years. It’s not just about developing capabilities—it’s also about retention.

You don’t want to invest in developing people, get them to where you need, and then lose them because you can’t provide the right opportunities. That’s a poor return on investment, and it hurts the business. So yes, succession planning and managing talent potential is absolutely critical.

We have a strong framework for this at DP World. Our global model allows us to look at talent across all seven regions. That’s one of our biggest advantages, we’re a global business, and we provide opportunities beyond borders. We deliberately leverage that.

But to do this well, you need to assess talent consistently across the organisation.

We use a performance and potential model, potential being assessed on aspiration, ability, and engagement, while performance looks at how someone is delivering year-on-year. That helps us build accurate development plans for individuals.

We also have structured programs across different career stages. Our Grow program is for graduates. Then there’s Merge, aimed at mid-level managers, which gives them structured exposure across regions.

At a more senior level, we have Emerge, which preps leaders for executive roles. And then, there’s the ELDP—our Executive Leadership Development Program, which is a flagship global initiative. It’s an exceptional program focused on transformation leadership at the executive level.

I’ve attended it myself, and currently, five of my leaders from APAC are going through it. It’s a privileged program and plays a significant role in shaping future leadership.

How is your HR team progressing with technology adoption and data analytics, especially with the recent digital acceleration?

It’s a work in progress. I’d be lying if I said we’ve nailed it, because its continuously evolving. As you can imagine, with our current business transformation, we've had to pivot very quickly from payroll systems to HRIS to recruitment platforms. And with each of these, we face the typical challenges: data security, integration, speed, and ensuring systems actually integrate seamlessly.

Right now, we're working on a major project to define our HR technology roadmap. We’ve just started implementing a new HRIS system across Southeast Asia and China, which has its own set of challenges because other parts of the business are on different systems.

So, you have to build interfaces, manage different payroll setups, figure out which technologies are the best fit—not just the fastest or the most affordable, but what’s actually fit-for-purpose for us at that time.

We work very closely with our global teams and IT partners to ensure alignment.

But here's the thing: HR people don’t speak IT language, and IT folks often don’t speak HR language. You’ve got to bridge that gap. And business stakeholders have to be part of this conversation too. At the end of the day, any technology we adopt must be business-first. It has to solve real business problems, not just tick the tech box.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. AI, automation—all of it is fantastic in theory, but it has to make sense for our business, for HR, and for where we are in our journey.

So, while I wouldn’t say we’re fully digitized with perfect analytics, we are building a strong platform. The priority is to ensure we have accurate, secure data that can drive meaningful, data-driven decisions. That’s the foundation we’re focusing on right now.