Taking place on 10-11 April 2019 at the Grosvenor House in Dubai, the CIPD Middle East People Conference & Awards will bring together up to 150 senior HR professionals and business leaders to discuss the future of the people profession, network and share good practices.

“Launching this event was a natural step in our journey to championing better work and working lives in the region. It will serve as yet another platform for CIPD members and the wider HR community to come together and collectively support the agenda of empowering the people profession”, comments Ramy Bayyour, General Manager for the Middle East at CIPD. 

Centered around the theme of “HR now and in the future: Leading the change”, the CIPD Middle East People Conference & Awards addresses the most pressing challenges facing the people profession in the region.

The programme will be opened by Peter Cheese, Chief Executive of the CIPD, and feature regional leaders including Dr Ghalib Al Hosni, Chief HR Officer at Omantel; John Harker, Former Chief HR Officer at Al Futtaim Group and Raed Sater, GM HR & Administration at BAPCO. International guests include Louise Fisher, Chair of the CIPD and former European Human Resources Director at Xerox Corporation. 

At a time when many organisations in the region are manoeuvring complex economic challenges and striving to become more competitive, the HR function plays an ever critical role. People professionals are tasked with the restructuring, upskilling and redesigning of their workforces – all while keeping up with technology advancements and enhancing their efficiency. Meanwhile, flexible working continues to gain traction and transform our workplaces – and the way we learn.

To stay ahead of the curve and build capability, crafting learning experiences that work for today’s workforce is namely quickly becoming a priority. Amy Crawford, Managing Director – Professional at AVADO, the event’s Official Digital Learning Partner, says “The future of the people profession in the Middle East is extremely exciting at this moment in time. As the HR landscape keeps changing, it is essential that People teams adapt with the growth and support their employees’ development”.

Commenting on AVADO’s participation to the event, she continues: “We are already working with many leading organisations in the region to upskill their HR functions while giving them the flexibility and expertise to work collaboratively across their sites – and we are excited to continue our work with the CIPD and businesses in the Middle East.”

Colin Kennedy, CEO of ICS Learn, the event’s Gold Sponsor, says: “We are very excited to build on a period of incredible growth in the region, where new technologies and learning methods are vital in helping organisations thrive in the modern economy. We look forward to meeting business leaders and discuss how we can help their people fulfil their potential through online learning.”

Held as part of the event, the CIPD Middle East People Awards will recognise individuals, teams and organisations for their achievements in people management and development and provide a platform for the business community to learn from one another.  

Featuring keynote addresses, interactive panel discussions, townhall meetings, hands-on workshops and facilitated networking sessions, the two-day event is designed to facilitate knowledge sharing, promote the professionation of HR.

The event is being supported by Dubai Knowledge Park. Mohammad Abdullah, Managing Director of Dubai Knowledge Park (DKP) said: “As the UAE continues to grow as an emerging HR hub, events such as the CIPD Middle East People and Conference Awards enable knowledge exchange and allow the community to address important issues. At DKP, we aim to support the HR needs of the region by facilitating collaboration locally as well as with key international HR and training providers. We look forward to many more editions of this conference.”

To find out more about the conference, please visit www.cipdconference.com or email events@cipd.ae.