Our Story
We have more in common than most business partners
We grew up ten minutes apart in the same part of England, went to the same secondary school a decade apart and both studied psychology at university. Yet our paths did not cross until 2010, when an interview for a role in the Middle East brought us together back in the same town where we had both gone to school. That conversation started a working relationship and friendship that has now spanned 16 years in the region, and counting.
Thirteen of those years were spent at Worley, one of the world’s largest engineering and project delivery organisations. Between us, we led Talent Acquisition across EMEA, hired and mobilised more than 20,000 people, and later moved into broader People and HR leadership roles. Along the way, we worked closely with operational and commercial leaders on the people, mobilisation and market challenges that can slow growth or delivery.
We both have children who were born, grew up and went to school here, with some still doing so. Sixteen years on, this is where we call home and where we are proud to have built both our families and our careers.
We founded Launchpad Advisory to bring that experience together and give businesses across the GCC practical, senior support on HR, talent, mobilisation and hiring, alongside specialist market advisory for businesses entering or operating in Saudi Arabia.
Mike Smith FCIPD
I have spent 25 years in Talent, People and business leadership, including 18 years in the Middle East. During that time, I have built teams and recruitment operations from the ground up and worked across Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the wider region.
Before co-founding Launchpad Advisory, I held senior Talent and People roles at Worley, AirSwift, Amec and Quest. Thirteen years at Worley included leading Talent Acquisition across EMEA and the GCC, as well as shared ownership of Worley’s global Talent Acquisition function, followed by a later move into a broader People Director role covering Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt.
Before Worley, I was Country Manager for AirSwift in Saudi Arabia, established Quest’s operation in Abu Dhabi, and earlier in my career co-founded a specialist IT recruitment company in London.
I hold a BA in Psychology from the University of Sussex and am a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD. I live in Bahrain with my wife and three sons, all of whom have grown up in the region. I am also a lifelong Southend United supporter, though as any Southend fan knows, you can’t win them all, or sometimes any at all
Mike White
I have spent the last 17 years living and working in the Middle East, building my career predominantly in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. I arrived in Bahrain in 2009 with one suitcase and no job lined up, and have been here ever since.
Before co-founding Launchpad Advisory, I spent thirteen years at Worley in a series of senior regional roles, leading Talent Acquisition across the Middle East and Africa and later across the UK, Europe and Central Asia. Towards the end of my time there, I moved into a broader People Business Partner role covering engineering, construction and project delivery across Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt.
Prior to Worley, I was with AirSwift in Saudi Arabia, supporting the set-up of their Saudi operation, which is also where Mike and I first worked together.
I hold a degree in Social Psychology from Loughborough University and live in Bahrain with my wife and two daughters, both of whom were born and have grown up here. I am a long-suffering Charlton Athletic supporter, which is character building but at least it is marginally less painful than following Southend United!