Leading corporate social responsibility (CSR) practitioners are set to share knowledge and address its importance at a summit to be held in Jeddah this month.

The CSR Saudi 2013 will be held at the Park Hyatt Hotel from November 25 to 27. It is being organised by IIR Middle East and Traccs, a leading public relations network in the region.

“We are delighted at bringing the CSR summit to Saudi Arabia for the first time since it is the region’s biggest market and the country where its leading companies have become accomplished and effective practitioners of corporate social responsibility with world class programmes and initiatives that represent outstanding thinking and care for the communities in which they operate,” said Sally Corander, CSR series director, IIRME.

Mohamed Al Ayed, president and CEO of Traccs and a pioneer in CSR, said: “In the kingdom, both the private and public sectors have long recognised the importance of CSR for corporate branding among stakeholders within the community. Saudi companies and organisations are now at the forefront of developing and implementing innovative and sustainable CSR programmes. By participating in this event we aim to share our knowledge and expertise with delegates and inspire other companies to realise the importance of this practice.”

The agenda comprises a well-researched programme reflecting the kingdom’s priorities which include job creation, building a knowledge economy, promoting gender diversity and development of community initiatives, said a statement.

Other features include a pre-conference workshop on the subject of taking CSR mainstream and a post conference workshop on turning CSR into a revenue generating model, it said.

Programme highlights include understanding CSR’s benefits to the kingdom’s socioeconomic landscape; how to embed specific drivers within engagement plans to sustain CSR ROI; how to assess CSR models which align to core business agendas; how to enhance the social value of the supply chain pyramid; how to analyse the direct impact of CSR on a company’s bottom line; how to gain insight into community development initiatives which result in entrepreneurial projects; and how to utilise expert knowledge to initiate gender diverse opportunities. - TradeArabia News Service