7th Middle East Human Resources Conference and Expo opens today

The theme of the conference for this year is 'Maximizing People Effectiveness'. The event which is taking place at Dubai's Madinat Jumairah between the 18th and 19th May will be attended by Ahmed Abdul Kareem Julfar, COO, Etisalat, Ali Al Sharid, CEO, Etisalat Services Holding, AbdulAziz Al Sawaleh, Chief Human resources Officer, Eng. Ahmed Bin Ali, VPCC, Etisalat, and management teams from national, regional and international companies and organizations.

The conference will include discussions panel under the topic of 'Moments of Greatness' in which the conference speakers will share their own experience and moments of greatness.

This year's conference will host David Creelman, CEO of Creelman Research, Dany Farha, Chief Operations Officer - Bayt.com, Kenneth Dubin, Adjunct Professor of Human Resources and Strategy, IE Business School, Gus Takkale, Human Resources and Transformation Director, SAP MENA, Karl Moore, Associate Professor, Faculty of Management, McGill University, Terry Edney, Principle Consultant, Oxford Strategic Consulting and Khaled Habib, Managing Director, Key Opinion Business Consultants.

A special exhibition will be held alongside the conference featuring prominent companies that provide products and services in the field of Human Resources consulting and development.

H.E. Eng. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy, said:

'Human resources are the key element for the development of industry. The success and efficiency of any enterprise is closely linked to the effectiveness of its employees and their ability and passion for work. It is crucial for employers to design frameworks and new policies to attract and retain talent as well as to encourage them to achieve the highest standards of performance and meet the objectives of their organizations'.

During his welcome note Dr. Doaa Fares, the General Manager of Etisalat Academy said: 'Organizing this event comes under our main training and development strategy for the year 2008. This conference is considered a milestone and an important annual date for the human resources professionals and managers within the Gulf and the Middle East to find out the latest views and challenges affecting the performance of promising and talented units and teams under a creative timely vision and through competitive systems and encouraging and stimulating environment. The conference aims to discuss the latest methods, practices and intellectual various theories that help in developing HR industry in the region'.

The conference is a good opportunity for participants to learn from forward thinking consultants, professors, authors, and practitioners, explore future trends and best practices in the world of Human Resources especially through maximizing a team's effectiveness, as well as to reconnect with colleagues and expand network of new professional friends from other parts of the globe.

'This annual event has become one of the most important regional conferences specialized in human resources area, where participants can get a broad view on latest practices, developments, ideas and international experience in this sector. It also develops a study of the developments that occur in HR and ways to take advantage of them in order to activate its role and use it to help developing our national skills and prepare them for future leadership.' said AbdulAziz Al Sawaleh, Chief Human resources Officer.

'Our people are the backbone of Etisalat's strength, and they constitute a strategic investment in the long-term growth of the company. Escalating leadership and professional skills plays an essential role in improving the efficiency of the company allowing further growth initiatives, both locally and internationally'.

Ayesha Salem Bin Suwira, Director Training Services at Etisalat Academy and the HR Conference Director, said: 'The conference has become a landmark for the human resources sector in the region. Participants share ideas and expertise to help retain employees, emphasizes their commitment to their careers, apply new management systems, self education, align the applications in human resources management with the organization's strategies, and improve internal communications programs and assessments of employees to enhance performance'.

The conference has achieved exceptional success over the last six years, attracting many executives, decision makers, recruitment teams and Human Resources development managers, training and localization experts, manpower and Human Resources consultants and specialists as well as a large number of those who show interest in performance and statistical indicators in both the GCC and Middle Eastern regions.

The 7th Middle East HR Conference and Exhibition is sponsored by Etisalat, The National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (Tanmia), Bayt.com, eventsmanagementpro.com and HDI MEA.