Ralph Maenen is a partner in Heidrick & Struggles’ Dubai office and a member of the Heidrick Consulting Practice. He has 18 years of consulting experience primarily focusing on strategy development, performance improvement, and organization effectiveness. Ralph has worked on client engagements including capability development of the CFO organization of a Middle East-based utility company, as well as training 150 finance professionals on accounting, cost control, business planning, and performance review. He has reorganized the headquarters of a Saudi-based global leader in petrochemical products and led the design of the new organization’s structure, including developing job descriptions and KPIs. Additional projects include a human resource strategy for a Saudi utility company involving performance evaluation and learning and development, and the design and implementation of a global shared service center for a leading audit company, where he designed an offshore hub along and processes required to carry out the work remotely. He also delivered a performance improvement program for a leading global retailer with more than 40Bn revenue, driving 20% EBIT improvement through enhancing sales and operations. Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, Ralph worked with Booz & Company, McKinsey & Company, and with SparkOptimus, a McKinsey spinoff focusing solely on digital transformation. Ralph has worked in a broad range of industries, including consumer goods and retail, transportation and hospitality, financial services, energy and chemicals, and engineering and construction. He has more than 7 years of work experience in the Middle East (UAE, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon), where he served local clients such as Saudi Aramco, SABIC, SAGIA, SEC, and SWCC, as well as international clients such as Royal Dutch Shell, Jacobs Engineering, and ARCADIS.