Etisalat Academy's 3rd regional HR conference opens in Dubai

Senior officials of Etisalat as well as representatives of local and regional businesses and government departments are attending this exciting event.

Addressing the audience during the opening ceremony of the conference, H.E Matar Al Tayer commended the event as one of the most prominent regional conferences organised annually by Etisalat Academy.

'Human resources management has become the cornerstone of development for all businesses and government departments. It's the decisive factor for their success. Hence, the need for organizations to give it priority and to address all issues related to it,' said Al Tayer.

' Such an important event allows us to meet regularly to discuss the latest innovative approaches and its practical implications for administration leaders, HR executives, managers and specialists in order to acquire the needed skills and to manage performance effectively,' he added.

' The utmost importance of the selected topics for this conference emanates from the rapid development of HR practices and its implications to the business community. This conference offers a good opportunity for interaction between HR experts and the management of businesses and government departments to share ideas and discuss successful experiences, especially in the development of highly trained national cadres,' said Abdul Aziz Al Sawaleh, Executive Vice President Human Resources, Etisalat.

' The conference has become one of the most important events held by the Academy annually. It serves as a forum to discuss the latest developments and trends in human resources worldwide and how to use these to enhance the performance of our national cadres,' he added.

'The first day sessions covered the strategic dimension of human resources. Papers presented highlighted sustaining a high performance working environment and stimulating competition, the HR processes and practices and their impact on productivity and results. Other topics included integrated assessment techniques and the reasons behind some people being more successful than others,' said Abdul Aziz

'Day two will focus on the tactical aspects of human resources. Presentations will cover the definition of human capital and ways to build it and maximize its role, the increase of the influence of HR in business success, performance development and its implications for staff and corporate social responsibilities and the role of HR,' he added

More importantly, the conference hosts Dr. Karen Moloney, chairman of the 36th Global HR Management Conference that will take place in Spain next April. Other speakers of the conference include Abdulrahman Al Tuwaijri, Director, Saudi Aramco's Information Technology Continuing Excellence, Sean Harman, Business Development Director, HRMS & Learning Management Solutions, Oracle EMEA, and Dr. Zainab Shalhoub, Associate Dean, School of Business & Management, American University of Sharjah.

'This year's topics include, among others, ways to overcome change management handicaps, career ambition development, the latest techniques and technological applications for employee training, evaluation systems, employee skills testing, training and professional development systems, and the design and management of human resources projects,' said Dr. Doaa Fares, General Manager, Etisalat Academy.

'Many leading regional companies and government departments are taking part in this conference. Participation has exceeded all expectations and covered as varied sectors as telecommunications, banking and oil &gas. This can be ascribed to the benefits reaped by participants and the impressive success of the previous two conferences,' said Ayesha Bin Swira, Operations Manager, Etisalat Academy.

A special session on the main HR references published in 2003 by leading international publishers is being held on the sidelines of the conference. The event also hosts a number of IT and strategic planning specialists who have implemented prominent HR projects in the Middle East in as varied fields as oil, health, manufacturing, education, quality control, etc.

A large number of participants took part in last's year conference. They shared ideas and solutions to common concerns. They also examined new procedures and explored a range of methods to measure and assess performance to add more value to their organisations.