Built inside,
not beside.
The FIrm
We're a team of practitioners who've spent their careers inside the HR function — not advising from outside it. We build, fix, and prove that people strategy is business strategy. And we do it across markets with one relentless standard.
-250+ ENGAGEMENTS. FOUR MARKETS. ONE STANDARD. · FROM POLICY TO PERFORMANCE. FROM COMPLIANCE TO CULTURE. · THE GAP BETWEEN STRATEGY AND EXECUTION. THAT'S WHERE WE WORK.
The ORIGIN
We built the firm we could not find.
element began with a simple frustration. We repeatedly watched good strategy die between the boardroom and the operating floor — not for lack of ideas, but for lack of ownership.
So we designed the firm around proximity and accountability. Senior judgement, embedded execution and specialist depth, delivered by one team that stays inside the business until the system holds.
"We do not sell reports. We sell a functioning people system and the capability to run it."
Built by practitioners.
Trusted by CEOs.
We sit between Big 4 strategy and local HR agencies — delivering the depth of one and the speed of the other. Since 2023, we've partnered with 250+ organisations across the UAE, India, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia to make HR a genuine source of commercial advantage.
THE CONVICTION
Stay in the building. Prove everything. Finish the work.
No recommendation without evidence. No build without an owner. No handback without demonstrated capability.
These are not just statements; these are the operating contract of element. We have declined engagements, returned fees, and dissolved partnerships to keep them.
Six principles that shape how we think, work, and measure ourselves.
The PRINCIPLES
We grow only when we have a consultant who is ready to lead the next engagement, not when a pipeline says we should. Every partner you meet in a pitch is a partner who does the work.
Senior-led.
By design.
The TEAM
Mayank Sharma
CONSULTANT
Builds high-impact HR systems that help businesses scale with clarity, structure, and control.
Jamal Elagra
CONSULTANT
Brings 20+ years of HR leadership experience turning people strategy into business performance.
Everine Fanai
CSD
Leads client partnerships from expectation to execution with clarity, pace, & commercial ownership.
Jalal Al Noubani
CCO
Leads element’s growth by building strategic partnerships and expanding opportunities across MEA.
Dr. Sanjeev Pradhan ‘Roy’
CONSULTANT
Leads Element Search, connecting leadership search with capability, succession, and long-term success.
The culture
What it actually feels like to work with us. And at element.
Published perspectives.
Selected articles by Mayank Sharma on leadership continuity, workforce design, HR delivery and employer controls in growing UAE businesses.
UAE-Business.com · Published 2026-10-29
HR Outsourcing in the UAE: Six Controls Businesses Should Define Before Signing
Define decision rights, records, approvals and escalation before outsourcing the work. Delivery can be delegated while employer accountability remains clear.
Explore HR outsourcing
ME HR & Learning · Published 2026-08-22
Who Owns HR When the Business Scales?
An HR process becomes useful when the business knows who decides, who delivers and who checks that the work holds.
Explore Fractional CHRO support
Gulf News · Updated 2026-07-14
UAE mid-market firms face rising WPS, gratuity and Emiratisation risks
Payroll, gratuity records and workforce obligations need accountable owners and reliable evidence as a business grows.
Explore Employer HR compliance
Bizpreneur Middle East · Published 2026-07-12
Emiratisation Is No Longer a Quota Exercise: What UAE Companies Need to Build Next.
The role, manager and progression route need to work together if workforce commitments are to become a lasting business capability.
Explore Emiratisation services
Gulf News · Updated 2026-05-21
Senior attrition tax: UAE family businesses are quietly paying
Senior departures can expose decisions, customer relationships and operating knowledge that the business has left dependent on one person.
Explore Employee engagement and retention
Bizpreneur Middle East · Published 2026-05-20
Emiratisation Is No Longer About Quotas. It Is About Operating Design.
Workforce planning belongs inside the operating model: the capabilities required, the roles that carry them and the managers who make them productive.
Explore Strategic HR consulting
