British Paralympic triathlon champion Karen Darke and Marshall Goldsmith, one of the 15 most influential business speakers in the world as recognised by Forbes magazine, will address hundreds of human resources professionals from the Middle East at the bi-annual global study tomorrow (October 20) at the 11th edition of the HR Summit and Expo in Dubai, UAE.

Darke, whose accolades include taking home a silver medal in the triathlon event of the Paralympic Games in London 2012, the same year as being crowned World Para-triathlon Champion, will discuss her personal approach to embracing change and achieving the ‘unachievable’.

A keen runner and mountaineer before becoming paralysed in a rock-climbing accident, Darke has since found the motivation to pursue alternative ways to access the outdoors including hand-cycling in various corners of the world such as Central Asia and the Himalayas.

Drake’s presentation at the HR Summit will include personal stories, recounting the demands of overcoming challenges and embracing change.  

She said: “Being an adventurer and athlete allows me some privileged and fascinating experiences, along with many challenges. I have begun to see these as a kind of intensified version of the tests and tasks that confront us in so many other contexts of life.  As an HR professional myself I enjoy reflecting on the learning from these experiences and consider how it may relate to and be useful to other people in other situations.”

Marshall Goldsmith, also appearing at tomorrow’s opening day, is a pre-eminent world authority in helping successful leaders achieve positive, lasting change in behaviour for themselves, their people and their teams.

Leading in an era where intellectual capital is the dominant source of value has become increasingly complex.  Drawing on a multitude of best-selling leadership books, Goldsmith will show why the skills of today’s global leaders won’t be enough and why tomorrow’s leaders won’t resemble today’s.

The presentation will explore five new “factors of leadership” which Marshall identifies as being crucial to success and an insight to their implications on the world of work today and tomorrow.

“Speaking at the HR Summit and Expo is very important to me.  At my age and stage of life, I want to leverage my knowledge as far as possible.  I hope those attending my presentation can share what I learn in their organisations and, hopefully, use my material to make a positive difference for many people in the region,” says Goldsmith.

Other guru speakers presenting at the HR Summit & Expo include Mark Foster, former Olympic swimmer and world champion; Rasmus Ankersen, Danish football coach and best-selling author; Dave Ulrich, the most influential person in HR; and Liz Wiseman, author of the Wall Street Journal’s bestseller ‘Multipliers: how the best leaders make everyone smarter.’

The show features more than 60 free-to-attend HR seminars, while an exhibition floor provides a dedicated platform for more than 70 companies to share their latest HR solutions. – TradeArabia News Service