A senior certified professional in Human Resources bringing to the table 20+ years of HR career, Vikki as the HR Director of GCC Services is developing global workforces and facilitating empowering ways of working successfully through a network of teams.

Enthusiasm and passion are contagious, they draw talented people to you and help you see market gaps and innovate. Whether by discovering groundbreaking new HR strategies, improving employee engagement, or getting more women into the workforce or upper management, Vikki Aitken (HR Director, GCC Services) is making a difference every day. As an HR leader, she has made her mark in every role in the field of HR, becoming a prominent voice in the industry and inspiring many women to do the same.

Vikki, who holds extensive experience in the HR space, began her career as an HR Assistant at Cameron. Her persuasive, assertive, and her willingness to take more risks have enabled her to move beyond the status quo and be successful in a male-dominated business world. Throughout her professional career, she has been associated with leading conglomerates in various leadership roles, excelling in all her positions and acquiring success for the organizations and herself.

Currently, Vikki is leveraging her cross-industry experience of working across the US and Dubai for over 20 years, to break from HR’s traditional, process-oriented role into a new, strategic function that solves real business problems while constantly providing operational value, responding to pressing business challenges, and connecting human capital decisions with business strategy.

Let’s hear it from her.
Introduce us to GCC Services. What are your focus areas as the HR Director of the firm?
GCC Services, headquartered in Dubai, is an integrated remote services, construction, engineering, and food procurement company that operate from across the globe. It serves energy, mining, peacekeeping, NGO, defence, and government customers, and provides catering, camp management, construction, logistics, supply chain services, and engineering and construction. As a subsidiary of agility and a global supply chain company, GCC Services focuses on being a leader in technology to enhance supply chain efficiency and sustainability.

As the HR Director, I oversee the entire gamut of HR for GCCS. We have different projects in worldwide locations and employees working at multiple sites come with a unique set of challenges; each HR function grows more complicated with more locations. To manage those complications, I strive to create a strong, unifying mission and culture to connect people across the organization, while allowing the workforce at each site to work as a family. The leadership team at GCCS is committed to employee development and makes sure that we have all the tools to grow within the company.

"I Strive To Create A Strong, Unifying Mission And Culture To Connect People Across The Organization, While Allowing The Workforce At Each Site To Work As A Family"

How has your leadership style evolved to adapt to the changing demands of the HR field?
The pandemic has expanded the role of HR and with that, it has certainly reshaped my leadership style – it has led to a renewed focus on employees. My leadership style involves giving autonomy to employees and giving them the opportunity to take ownership of their own performance, growth, and career development as well as involving them in setting team goals. GCCS involves different people working from different regions and we tend to give employees the freedom to work in a way that suits them, which I believe is extremely critical for innovation, performance, and motivation within teams.

Throw some light on the major challenges you encounter as a woman leader. How do you overcome the said roadblocks?
Being a mother and also in a leadership position in an organization, I believe the biggest challenges come with managing teams while also tending to personal and family needs. It is the constant urge to excel at both work and home. The culture at GCCS plays a huge role in fostering an atmosphere of understanding and empathy in the workplace. The leadership team makes all the difference in helping working moms thrive by empowering them to find their balance. The flexibility at which GCCS functions has been helping me to bring my best self to work every day.

In your opinion what have been the biggest ‘wins’ that you have achieved so far in your professional journey?
I feel my greatest satisfaction lies in watching my team grow and move into senior positions. I have recently been involved in several CSR and Sustainability projects, which are significant focal points for GCC. Notably, I have partnered with a local company called Evolvin’Women that collaborates with underprivileged women in Africa, facilitating their relocation to Dubai for employment opportunities. Throughout their tenure, they gain relevant work experience, undergo training, and acquire new skills. This empowers them to contribute to their local communities and sponsor a woman in need back home. The employees we have hired through this initiative have been exceptional, and I take great pride in being part of such a wonderful program. I look forward to hiring more women under this program in the future.