Dr. Abdulwahab Al Sadoun, secretary general of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) has hailed the inaugural GPCA Talent Convention, which concluded in Dubai today, as hugely productive.
This was no more evident than on the final day of the 3-day event, which saw the GPCA sign an MOU with the Arabian Society for Human Resource Management (ASHRM), effective immediately. Both organizations have agreed to collaborate in the field of HR management by supporting each other in conducting research, workshops and events.
“The signing of this significant MOU is just the icing on the cake on what has been a hugely productive and successful GPCA Talent Convention. Not only was the high-level program incredibly well-received by delegates and speakers alike, the spirit of dialogue throughout the 3 days was heartening and uplifting,” said Dr. Sadoun.
“Issues such as the importance of human development, creating agile organizations and the implementation of HR best practices have truly been driven home. I am certain that delegates are now well-armed with the knowledge they have garnered here to truly enhance and improve their HR practices till we meet again for the next edition of this event,” he added.
Another highlight of the final day was the launch the GPCA HR Benchmark. This new initiative is designed to take the world’s best performing companies and benchmark GPCA members against these to truly understanding where improvement is required and increase effectiveness and efficiency regionally. The GPCA will liaise with members for participation and collection of details. GPCA members that participate can order the final report from the administrator once data has been collated and analyzed.
The GPCA Talent Convention delivered a speaker programme with some of the most influential figures from the GCC and globally and the final day was no exception.
Human Capital Management was discussed in the first half of the day with delegates being provided with in-depth information on HR as a business partner and value creator, developing human capital, the HO (human versus organization) factor, and talent retention, all pertinent issues across organizations.
Omar Shamma of Borderless Executive Search urged delegates to stop referring to HR as a business partner but actually acknowledge it as a business driver. “It is so integral and must remain within the organization and not be outsourced,” he said. His words were reiterated by David Jones, a consultant with Aon-Hewitt.
Industry spokespeople also spoke about winning the game of talent and bridging the gap during the afternoon session. Ms. Abeer Al Omar, Senior Executive, Equate, Ms. Saira Akbar of Global Management Consultancy, Mr. Samir Sa’ad Ghazal, Chief Executive Consultant, Edaratec Consulting and Dr. Ron Villejo, Managing Director, DRC, all shared their expertise and insight.
