📱Internal Communications Introductions: Meet Mona Nabil

Regional Internal Communications Officer at World Food Programme RBC

Meet Mona

Mona is a humanitarian, a seasoned communications expert and an executive coach with a wealth of international experience for more than 20 years in the field of internal communications, public relations, employee engagement, corporate event management and change management programs.

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What sparked your professional path into Internal Communications? 

I had been working in Public Relations and Events in Lucent Technologies. There was a layoff due to a headcount reduction. As I was thinking about what to do next while finishing my MBA, one of my former colleagues suggested I join his organization, which is now called Vodafone.

He told me about their new internal communications function and described it as internal marketing. It sounded really interesting! I went for a 30 minute interview that turned into three hours. I was offered the job the next day. It was purely by coincidence that I landed in this area. I went into it without much knowledge, but learned an incredible amount and ultimately established the Internal Communications function and built out a team. I started with introductions to find out what employees needed with logistics such as a communications calendar, then it grew from there -- how do we share key strategic initiatives and updates  with employees, promote our values and create an Intranet. 

Ultimately, there was a lot of change in the cell phone industry that I led communications on internally to highlight these topics in the industry, market, and consumer behavior to employees. I would often start every presentation with a slide: “in their shoes.” You have to put yourself in an employee’s shoes -- what do you want them to think, feel or do with the information they received? I always asked myself -- how do I make it more meaningful, connect the dots for our staff and create an evolution to change behavior so that they could take it forward and be a brand ambassador and represent the company values?

I’m proud to share that Vodafone Egypt was known as one of the early companies in the Middle East and in Egypt to focus on internal communications. The internal communications team in Vodafone till to date is very well regarded and acknowledged as one of the strongest if not the best one in the region.

How do you describe internal communications to others?

My translation is that internal communications is like a catalyst. In chemistry, a catalyst is a substance that goes into a reaction to speed it up. Internal communications is that same type of energy that pushes every employee in one direction and speeds up the way they behave and feel about their organisation.

It’s really about connecting the dots -- simplifying company strategy, addressing the right audience and connecting them with senior management at the top. Looking back at 21 years of experience, internal communications is not just about setting up channels, putting up posters or offering comment boxes, it’s about engaging the hearts and minds of our people.

What is one project you are particularly proud to have accomplished? 

Throughout my journey, I’ve focused on change management, managing crisis communications during the Egyptian Revolution and introducing new digital communications. But, what I’m most proud of is building a strong agile team of successors and professional communicators. 

When I left Vodafone, they were able to take over for me. I’m so happy knowing that I built a capable team, made sure they understood how to continue to run the show, and kept the company going as one of the best internal comms functions in the Middle East. 

I want to leave a legacy behind me and transfer knowledge. Internal communications are not about us today, it’s about whoever will take over this function tomorrow. The capability, the team, the system, and the processes are there -- that is what I am most proud of in my career. 

What are the skills that are most important for someone to succeed in Internal Communications?

First and foremost, put yourself in other shoes. This is important before being strategic or creative. You need to ask: what do you want this person to feel or do with this information? This was always my discussion question: what’s in it for me? I always keep asking: so, what?

Then, empathy is a priority. After that, stakeholder engagement is key to building the right network with everyone in the organization. 

Finally, creative solutions are so important to make sure it is presented in the best way and makes sense. With internal communications, you are addressing your own people who are working for you. You should be reaching out and communicating your messages in a novel, simple and creative way to grab their attention and address the “What’s in it for me” factor. 

How do you continue learning about the field of Internal Communications?

On LinkedIn, I am following and connecting with my counterparts in internal comms. I still talk to my mentor and former manager to talk about best practices. I read about trends in HR, digital communications, employee engagement, and sustainability. I also advanced my skills in executive coaching to coach managers and leadership to be better in their job as communicators.

One interesting thing is that I always read internal communications job descriptions to learn what organizations are looking for and how I can enhance my skills. 

You have a really exciting role now with the United Nations and the World Food Programme. Can you share more about what you are doing?

I’m really proud to work for an organization that won the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in 2020. My role is unique. We only have internal communications in the headquarters and my role is the first role to be established outside the headquarters in a regional bureau. It is always great to start up the internal comms function from scratch and establish the internal communications framework that would facilitate the communications across the organization.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies, and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. 

Working in a humanitarian organization at this scale gives you a different perspective on how and what to communicate to your fellow humanitarians who put their lives on the line of fire every day. 

I’ve learned that not everything should be communicated. Your messages should be short, simple, and appealing to address the diversity of our staff. The end in mind must be clear so it makes sense to staff to grab their attention so that they can take the appropriate action. 

During the past 18 months, we have established a well-structured crisis communications framework to communicate effectively during the pandemic. We have also introduced different digital comms channels and held different All Staff engaging events (face -2 face before COVID-19 and then online) and forums to bring staff together, exchange success stories, understand more about the new updates we have in our busy region.