Renowned thinkers will discuss key topics in critical leadership and people issues for businesses in the GCC at the Leadership and Talent Forum starting today (November 27) in Dubai.

The two-day forum is presented by Al Khafji Joint Operations (KJO), a joint operation between the national oil and gas companies of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Aramco) and Kuwait (The Kuwait Oil Company) and will be attended by senior business leaders and HR directors from major companies in the GCC.

A keynote seminar by Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice at the London Business School, will spotlight some of the global trends in leadership and talent development, and how the future of work will evolve in advanced economies.

Gratton has been ranked by The Times as one of the top 20 business thinkers in the world today and was selected by The Financial Times as the business thinker most likely to make a real difference over the next decade.  

“Tapping the right talent at every growth phase is the key to a company’s success, said Dr Saleh Salem Al-Marri, superintendent, Planning and Employees Support, KJO.  

“The forum will offer advice on how to identify talent gaps and utilise talent sources while providing a platform to industry experts from some of the world’s top companies to discuss strategies and best practices that lead to talent management success.”   

A group of panellists will discuss the building of sustainable leadership bench strength, developing a pipeline of national business leaders to meet national agendas and national talent development in all organisation layers.

Experts will also deliver a presentation about overcoming talent deficiencies such as a shrinking talent pool and an ageing workforce in the oil and gas sector.

The forum will culminate with the closing session by Mike Forde, former director of football operations at Chelsea Football Club and currently a strategic advisor to the San Antonio Spurs and McLaren Formula 1’s Applied Technologies division about playing in a winning team and talent and team performance lessons from the premier league.

“In modern leadership, it is impossible for organisations to succeed without leaders who know how to attract, retain, develop and manage talent,” said Forde.

“Speaking at The Leadership and Talent Forum provides a great opportunity to be on the same stage as some great thinkers in the world of leadership and talent at a time where the race for talent – across all sectors including sport – and the global nature of talent management, has never been as critical as now.” - TradeArabia News Service