The Middle East entity of psychological consultancy IntrospeXion has appointed Dr Natalie Robson as Head of Corporate Psychology & Performance, GCC, to expand mental health and wellbeing support for high-pressure industry workforces, including the oil and gas and wider energy market.
In this role, Natalie will strengthen IntrospeXion's regional leadership team, working closely with clients, including major oil and gas operators and supply chain partners, to support leadership, behaviour, and culture across front-line teams, supervisors, and executive-level leadership.
The appointment is part of IntrospeXion's ongoing regional expansion and its support for high-risk industries.
Natalie has over 15 years of experience in energy, engineering, and industrial operations, where she applied her PhD in Industrial & Organisational Psychology to design and deliver workshops and development programmes for leadership, resilience, cultural awareness, and behavioural effectiveness. Combining academic depth with operational familiarity, Natalie has worked to improve psychological safety and workforce resilience in high-risk operations.
With over two decades of regional experience, Natalie has routinely worked with English- and Arabic-speaking workforces and multinational teams across the GCC. Previously working on-site for extended periods, Natalie has supported duty-of-care and welfare requirements for expatriate engineers and contractors in demanding conditions.
Natalie has also held senior leadership positions at the international risk management and assurance organisation, Lloyd's Register. In over a decade with the company, including as Head of HR & Operations - Middle East & Africa, Natalie designed, developed, and implemented HR and administrative operations for major offshore oil and gas projects in the Caspian.
Alongside IntrospeXion's established qualified psychology team, Natalie will support the delivery of several workplace support services, including behavioural assessments, psychological profiling, structured organisational development, and culture change programmes in remote, offshore, and challenging locations.
Natalie holds qualifications and certifications from IOSH, Pearson Assessments, the British Psychological Society, AQR International, Hogan, and Saville. She sits on the Board for the International Centre for Mental Toughness Research and Development and is an active workshop and conference contributor.
On her appointment, Natalie commented: "Those within workforce management and HR know the challenges facing teams in the region: the GCC People Pulse report by Employee Experience Exchange (EXE) found that workplaces here report much higher stress levels than the global average. After 20 years in the region, I have noticed changes in how companies manage wellbeing policies and support initiatives. IntrospeXion’s early success in the Middle East is a clear sign of change.
Shabnum and her team’s ambitions match mine and what I've dedicated my career to; this is an opportunity to make a measurable difference here. The most important thing is to get in front of workforces and embed ourselves in working environments to understand the cultural and operational challenges beneath the surface. With IntrospeXion, I will be able to do that."
IntrospeXion Founder and CEO Shabnum Hanif added: " Natalie brings exactly the combination of expertise and operational understanding that we want to strengthen within IntrospeXion's GCC offering. Her depth of experience in psychology, leadership and industrial environments will add significant value to our clients, particularly those operating in high-risk and high-pressure settings.
The support we provide to offices, sites, and offshore assets is resonating not just with senior leadership and HR managers, but with the front-end teams who often need a trusted voice and safe space the most. With experience working with these teams, Natalie will help add a new layer of confidence in those we are supporting that they are in safe, trusted hands."
Alongside her role with IntrospeXion, Natalie runs her own independent practice, through which she continues to support organisations across the region on human capital, cultural awareness and behavioural assessment.