Start a conversation ↗

Description

HR and the Executive Committee: Preparing Files, Making the Case and Holding Your Ground

Two days to stop HR items being pushed to the end of the agenda when time has run out

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

The HR manager attends the executive committee but rarely speaks. HR items are scheduled last, when time has run out. When a topic is presented, the questions focus on cost and the figures are not to hand. Decisions affecting the teams are taken without HR in the room.

These 14 hours focus on preparing for and holding your own in discussions with a senior leadership body. Participants learn to select the topics worth raising, build a short and costed decision file, speak up at the right moment in a debate and defend a position without entering into direct confrontation. Each sequence is role-played and then reviewed with the group.

Learning objectives

  • Select the HR topics that deserve to be raised at the executive committee
  • Build a decision file that fits on a single page
  • Speak up in a debate without waiting to be invited
  • Defend a position that differs from the one expressed by a senior leader
  • Restate a decision taken in order to secure its implementation

What makes this programme different

Simulated executive committees with leadership roles holding firm and opposing positions
Each file brought by the participant rewritten until it fits on one page
Interventions filmed and reviewed with a focus on the moment chosen to speak

Programme

1Understanding the Committee

Expectations, pace and power dynamics

  • How an executive committee works and how topics are prioritised
  • What senior leaders expect from the HR function
  • Identifying allies and sensitive topics
  • The space given to HR items on the agenda

2Preparing the File

Decision, figures and scenarios

  • Stating the decision required in the opening line
  • Essential figures and cited sources
  • Presenting two or three scenarios with their consequences
  • Anticipating objections and preparing responses

3Holding the Session

Speaking up and managing the debate

  • Choosing when to intervene in an ongoing discussion
  • Speaking concisely under time pressure
  • Answering a cost question without improvising a figure
  • Responding to an interruption or a direct challenge

4After the Decision

Traceability, commitment and follow-up

  • Restating and confirming what has been decided
  • Written follow-up circulated after the session
  • Handling a decision the HR function considers unworkable
  • Building an ongoing relationship with each committee member

Who is it for

HR managers recently appointed as HR directors in small and medium-sized companies, and function heads called upon to sit on the executive committee.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.