HE Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Awar, Director General of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, today inaugurated the 9th Middle East Human Resources Conference and Expo, on behalf of the UAE Minister of Education and the Chairman of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, Humaid Mohammed Obaid Al Qattami. The Etisalat Academy’s 9th Middle East Human Resources Conference and Expo, is taking place at Atlantis, The Palm Jumeirah. The conference is an annual event that is organized by the Etisalat Academy and is sponsored by Etisalat, Abu Dhabi Police, and the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Awar delivered a keynote at the event on behalf of the Minister of Education in which he said: “The significant topics this conference will discuss emphasizes its importance - including developing organizational work, as well as the plans and strategies which help in developing the employee performance and utilizing their capacities to support the economic and social growth process. Here I must praise the significant role and considerable efforts taken by the Etisalat Academy to contribute to the human resources knowledge pool in the UAE and the region through inviting specialists and experts to participate at in this annual event. The 9th Middle East HR Conference and Expo also gains its exceptional importance because it comes amid very important global developments that have major impacts on communities and individuals.
“The rapid changes taking place in the world require us to develop our plans and strategies in order to cope with the current global circumstances.
“Therefore we must increase our efforts and capabilities, strengthen our training systems and identify the concepts and strategies for managing and developing our human resources.
“We have to link individual performance with organizational performance and make corporate strategy the main engine driving the performance of staff and companies.
“Our wise government realized at an early stage the importance of human resource management, and the magnitude of training the work force and enabling them to keep up with the developments and challenges across different industries. Therefore the government committed itself to incorporate modern concepts of human resource management in a way that compliments the national environment.
“Finally, I would like to reconfirm the necessity of developing human resources to achieve the required goals amidst the current global economic circumstances. The commitment to apply international standards to strengthen performance is a must to sustain our achievements,” he concluded.
David Brennan, the General Manager of the Etisalat Academy said: “Management of human resources has changed over the past years due to increasing employment legislation, education issues, employee awareness, engagement and retention, and changes in demographics. Thus HR managers and business leaders need to find a strategy, which addresses issues of stability and change, to enable effective leadership of staff. This is why we have invited some of the most prominent speakers on HR management to share international best practice and discuss the impact of proactive HR on the organizational success.”
Ayesha Salem Bin Suwira, Director of the HR Conference, said: “We are delighted to welcome some of the world’s top thinkers in human resource management to our ninth HR Conference & expo, who will discuss the most important issues in human resource management sector. The Etisalat Academy's 9th HR Conference & Expo has become one of the most important conferences in the region specialized in human resources area, where participants can get a broad view on latest practices, developments, ideas and international experience in this sector. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of our sponsors and speakers for their esteemed contribution which highly enriched the conference.”
During the first day the conference hosts three presentations that will discuss topics including Organisational alignment and the role of HR in aligning organisations for success, HR’s role in mergers, acquisitions and divestitures – Lessons from Procter and Gamble, and Unleashing the Power of Human Potential through Innovation. Panelists shared stories of successful and not-so-successful attempts at proactive HR management through a dedicated discussion panel.
In the second day, the conference will include five presentations that discuss The Power of Social Learning, Preparing for the Future by Investing in Leaders Today, Getting Ahead on the Talent Curve, Creativity, Art and Intelligence in Corporations, Dramatic Arts and HR Management. During day two, panelists will also share their thoughts in a special panel discussion on how proactive individuals or organisations can be in highly uncertain times.
The 9th Middle East HR Conference and Expo is hosting an assembly of top thinkers and speakers in the HR management world including Judith E. Glaser, CEO, Benchmark Communications, Inc., USA, Bob Livingston, Vice President, Global Operations, Protector and Gamble, USA, Dr. Hitendra Patel, Managing Director/Center for Innovation, Excellence & Leadership, Director/Action Learning Program, Hult International Business School, USA.
The list of speakers also includes Dr. Nancy Nazer, Vice President, Leadership Development and Learning Strategies TD Bank, Canada, Raphaële Bidault-Waddington, Founder, Le Laboratoire d’Ingenierie d’Idees, France, Phil Le Nir, Founder and Executive Director, Coaching Ourselves, Canada, John Cimino, Director, Creative Leaps International, USA, Cindy Nicola, Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition, Electronic Arts.
Mr Abdulaziz Al Sawaleh, Group Chief Human Resource Officer Etisalat, said: “Our employees are one of the key areas of our service and leadership success as an organisation, and we see great value in discussing critical human resources issues and opportunities with leading voices within the industry. As one of the largest companies and employers within the UAE, Etisalat is proud to sponsor ‘The 9th Middle East HR Conference and Expo’, as this event has an excellent history of providing the right environment for sharing ideas and strategies for maintaining leadership.”
Lieutenant Colonel Thani Butti Al Shamsi, Director of the Training Department at Abu Dhabi Police, said: “The Etisalat Academy is a professional institute of learning excellence and we are proud to collaborate again with the Etisalat Academy and help them bring world best practices to the region. We have experienced working with Etisalat Academy in the past and we are positive that they have the best capabilities to provide valuable knowledge in the region.”
The Etisalat Academy is the region’s leading provider of business skills, leadership and government development, telecommunications and IT training, with the capacity to train more than 1,500 professionals per day. Learning programmes are available to all private and public sector organisations. Nestled amongst the palm trees in Al Muhaisnah, Dubai the campus boasts an auditorium, sixty training rooms, overnight accommodation for 260 people, restaurant, coffee shops and a sports and leisure club.
