FRACTIONAL HR DIRECTOR · UAE · UK · INTERNATIONAL
When work changes, the decisions around people have to change too.
Senior HR judgement for the moments when the usual answers aren't enough.
I help SME leaders make clearer decisions about people, roles, pay and performance, especially when the situation is more complicated than it first appears.
02 / THE PROBLEM
The informal way of handling people works. Until it doesn't.
In a growing business, people decisions get made on instinct, in between everything else.
Then something shifts. A key hire. A performance issue that won't go away. A restructure. AI changing what a role needs to do.
And the rules keep moving. Labour law changes in the UAE and the UK mean contracts, policies and everyday practice need checking more often than anyone has time for.
Without senior HR in the room, it all lands on you.
Hire, or not yet? · Address it, or wait? · Keep the role, or redesign it? · Still compliant?
03 / HOW I CAN HELP
The right kind of help for the decision in front of you.
FOR BUSINESSES / FRACTIONAL HR DIRECTOR
Senior HR leadership, built around what your business can sustain.
I take ownership of the people priorities that affect your performance and growth. I start with what your business model can sustain, not the market rate or the loudest voice in the room.
I have led HR across six countries: the UAE, the UK, Belgium and India, plus the US and Canada with local support. Multinational teams and cross-border compliance are familiar ground.
How we can work together
An ongoing partnership
Short-term support through a busy period or a particular hurdle
Alongside your existing team, or as your standalone HR
What I take ownership of
Hiring
Defining what a role must deliver before you spend on it, then choosing on evidence, not gut feel.
Performance
Clear expectations, regular check-ins and fair reviews, so issues are dealt with early and nothing in a review is a surprise.
Managers
Managers who resolve issues and develop their people, so problems stop landing on your desk.
Pay and people costs
Salaries, bands and headcount set by what your business can sustain.
Difficult issues
Conduct, conflict, restructures and exits handled fairly, with the people who stay in mind.
HR foundations
The contracts, policies and processes a growing business needs, kept compliant as the law changes and sized to fit you.
People and AI
What AI takes on, where human judgement matters, and how roles need to change.
01 / CULTURE
Office to fully remote overnight, with no playbook.
Built the system from scratch: weekly manager check-ins, peer recognition and small-group sessions with leadership.
15% → 3%
Attrition, within a year
04 / WHY BAL
I've built this before. Here's what changed.
Four moments from my HR leadership career, in businesses where the people side had to catch up with what the business was trying to do.
02 / PAY
A hiring boom pushing salaries beyond what the business could sustain.
Held the salary bands and found a third option: a few targeted hires plus outsourcing.
0
Redundancies a year later, while others were cutting
03 / PERFORMANCE
The business changes every month. Performance shouldn't wait for year-end.
Introduced a continuous performance model with regular check-ins, so issues were picked up and dealt with as the business changed, not saved for the review.
All year round
No surprises at review time
04 / INTERNATIONAL
One team, several countries, each with its own employment law.
Led HR for a UK-headquartered business across the UK, the UAE and Belgium, with local support in the US and Canada. Then for a Danish-headquartered business with people in the UAE, India and the UK.
6 countries
UAE · UK · Belgium · India · US · Canada
Straight and kind. I'll tell you the hard thing clearly, and the relationship survives it.
PEOPLE DECISION REVIEW
Make the right people decision before it becomes more expensive.
You know something isn't right, but not where the problem sits: the employee, the manager, the role or the expectations. One confidential session. You leave with a short written decision note and one clear next step.
AED 1,200 · 60–75 minutes · Google Meet
05 / OTHER WAYS TO WORK WITH ME
Need help with one decision first?
HIRING PLAN SESSION · COMING SOON
Deciding to hire? Get the plan right before you commit a salary.
We set the budget, shape the job description and plan the hiring process, so the role is clear before anyone is interviewed.
ROLE REVIEW · COMING SOON
Someone has left, or AI is changing the work.
Before you refill or redesign, establish what the role now needs to deliver, and what it should cost.
LEADERSHIP COACHING · COMING SOON
Clarity and challenge for leaders facing their next big decision.
A tailored 1:1 engagement for leaders who need clarity, challenge and practical support. Shaped around your situation, not an off-the-shelf programme.
06 / WHAT HAPPENS ON THE EXPLORATORY CALL
You don't need to arrive with the answer. That's the point of the call.
30 minutes, confidential, no obligation.
01
You tell me what's going on
The situation as you see it. No preparation or paperwork needed.
02
I ask the questions that matter
I test assumptions and look beyond the obvious explanation, so we get to what is really happening.
03
You leave with a clear next step
Whether that's working together, a single review, or something you can handle yourself.
07 / WHAT I BELIEVE
Ten things I hold to be true about people and business.
01 HR starts with what the business needs to achieve.
02 People spend should be judged by what it enables.
03 A people problem can be a business design problem.
04 Accountability needs clear ownership and authority.
05 Management capability is business capacity.
06 Good hiring starts with the results you need next.
07 Culture is shaped by what leaders reward and tolerate.
08 Difficult decisions must account for what happens afterwards.
09 Every process must earn its place.
10 AI and people need to be planned together.
08 / ABOUT BAL
HR expertise for decisions that don't come with a template.
I'm Bal Athwal, Founder and Fractional HR Director at Beyond Aspirations. I bring senior HR experience across employee relations, performance management, restructuring and difficult exits, alongside coaching and investigative skills.
My role isn't simply to tell you what the HR process says. It's to help you understand what is really happening, what your options are, and what decision makes sense for your business.
ACIPD · CPP · ELI-MP
09 / A GENTLE REMINDER
The longer you leave the decision, the more expensive it becomes.
Another month of salary, management time and lost productivity, or a role built around work that no longer exists. You don't need to know the answer before you get in touch.
30 minutes, confidential, no obligation.