Deriv Chief Human Resources Officer Seema Hallon has received the Women of Substance Award for Managerial Excellence. The recognition was presented during the Women of Substance Conference & Awards 2026 in Dubai. Hallon leads global human resources at Deriv, supporting talent strategy across the company’s international operations. Her recent work increasingly connects people strategy with technology adoption, workforce development, and changing skills requirements.
Seema Hallon Connects AI Workforce Growth With Talent Strategy
Hallon has led Deriv’s global HR function since joining the company in 2020. Her responsibilities include talent acquisition, talent management, compensation, learning, and organizational development. Deriv currently has more than 900 employees across 19 locations. The company has also increased its focus on developing technical capabilities as artificial intelligence becomes central to its operations.
Building Skills for an AI-Driven Workplace
Under Hallon’s leadership, Deriv has focused on expanding AI capabilities while developing broader workforce readiness. The company has hired 64 AI engineers from university campuses since January 2025. Women represent 25% of those campus AI engineering hires during that period. Deriv says women currently represent 47% of its overall workforce. These figures form part of the company’s broader approach to technology hiring and workforce development.
Hallon has also spoken about the changing skills required in technology-driven workplaces. She has emphasized continuous learning, curiosity, adaptability, and human judgment alongside technical capabilities. Her approach treats AI adoption as a workforce transformation issue rather than solely a technology initiative. This places HR involvement closer to business transformation, skills development, and organizational planning.
Leadership Recognition Highlights Workforce Transformation
The award recognizes Hallon’s contribution to people-focused and future-ready workplace practices. Her recent work has included supporting AI literacy across different employee groups. She has also discussed how technology can change recruitment processes and distribute hiring responsibilities across business teams. Deriv has been experimenting with AI-enabled recruitment while keeping business leaders involved in defining workforce requirements.
Hallon’s recognition arrives as organizations continue reassessing how employees and technology will work together. For HR leaders, this shift creates responsibilities around skills, recruitment, learning, and organizational readiness. Deriv’s approach illustrates how these areas can increasingly intersect within a global technology business. Hallon’s role demonstrates the expanding connection between human resources and technology-led workforce planning.
The recognition also adds to Hallon’s broader HR leadership profile within the technology sector. Her work at Deriv combines talent strategy with organizational development and emerging technology adoption. As businesses continue adapting to AI, HR leaders are increasingly involved in preparing employees for changing roles. Hallon’s 2026 recognition places that evolving responsibility at the center of her leadership story.
