Etisalat Academy's 5th Middle East HR Conference and Expo opens

The conference is being held at Majlis Al Salam ballroom, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, and will be attended by regional and international experts in HR and related streams. The program will consist of sessions led by experts, networking opportunities and an exhibition for specialized consultants and service providers.

Professor Stephane Garelli, of the International Institute for Management Development and the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, will deliver the opening speech on 'International Competitiveness Challenges in 2006.' Professor Garelli has long been closely associated with the business world, in his past positions as permanent senior adviser to the European management of Hewlett-Packard, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum and of the Davos Symposium. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of 'Le Temps', the leading French language Swiss newspaper, author of numerous publications in the field of competitiveness, international trade and investments, and also a columnist in several magazines.

Mr. Abdulaziz Alsawaleh, Executive Vice President - HR, Etisalat will discuss 'Leadership Re-engineered - The Pragmatic Essentials'. He has played a lead role in implementing several key Corporation-wide initiatives to create HR systems and processes, and align them with business strategies. His dedicated efforts in the Nationalization programme have enabled Etisalat to emerge as regional leader in this field and win several awards for nationalization initiatives from both Government and academic authorities in the region.

Abdul Aziz Al Sawaleh said: 'This annual event has now become one of the most important gatherings for the regional and international HR community, and is a great opportunity to experience the latest international applications, ideas and expertise in the field of HR.'

This year will feature many prominent international professionals, among them Mr. Abdulqader Obaid Ali Chairman of Dubai Quality Group, and David Creelman, CEO, Creelman, will give a talk on 'Employee Surveys'.

The sponsors of the event include The Etisalat Telecommunication Corporation - Etisalat -, Emirates Post, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Dubai Quality Group, Administrative Institute, Huawei Technology, and AMIDEAST.

Dr. Doaa Fares, General Manager of Etisalat Academy said:

'The development of Human Resources is one of the key factors that contributes to the progress and success of any organization. We are pleased that this conference has come to address the issue of how HR departments can add value to institutions and establishments.'

Mrs. Ayesha Salim Bin Suwira, HR conference Director said, 'The conference has been exceptionally successful over the last four years, attracting many executives, decision makers, hiring and HR development managers, training and localization experts, manpower and HR consultants and specialists as well as a large number of professionals interested in performance and statistical indicators in both the GCC and Middle Eastern regions.'