Business & Money | Monday 23 February, 2015 3:12 pm |

The 3rd Edition Kingdom Human Asset Management Summit commenced today at the Novotel Riyadh Al Anoud, Riyadh – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the theme 'A Step towards HR Excellence in the Kingdom'. Speaking about the summit, Stan Abraham, Sr. Producer from Fleming Gulf - organisers of the summit, said “The Kingdom Human Asset Management Summit holds its position as one of the regions' most sought after HR conferences that delves into the various aspects of human resources management with focus on Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”. He added " Over 70 participants, comprising of high ranking company officials from across the region are participating in multiple presentations and panel discussions across the days. In the wake of the current oil-price fluctuations, many companies are now looking to HR to ensure work efficiencies remain high and uncertainty of price recovery does not effect the morale of current workforce."

The summit opened with a talk by Gareth Abdullah Hood, HR Director from AbbVie Saudi Arabia, and chairperson of the summit for day one. It was followed by Special Keynote Address by Ibrahim Al-Moaiqel, Director General of Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) and Faisal Al-Fahhadi, Member of HR Committee of Riyadh Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Day one's presentation and discussion focused on “Understanding the signs of changing workplace dynamics in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” presented by Gareth Abdullah Hood, HR Director of AbbVie Saudi Arabia, 'How do you develop a high performance culture?' Attracting & retaining employees through flexible workplace culture' by Karim Mansour, Regional Human Resources Director of Americana Foods and 'Unemployment in the arab world: Statistics, Problems and Solutions' by Rami Busbait, Head - Talent Development & Knowledge Management of Saudi Aramco, and 'The “Bivalent Attributes” of family businesses' by Ahmad Jannoun, Executive Vice President (HR & Shared Services) from AES Arabia Ltd.

Two interactive panel discussions on 'Preparing for changes and handling challenges – Where does the HR function stand?' and 'Recruiting and retaining high quality employee for managing global challenges' threw out multiple insights and learning that enabled the audience to understand the importance of coupling business objectives with HR goals.

Exhibitors at the event, namely: JobMaster and, Sofomation showcased their portfolio of services the exhibition arena that was coupled with intensive networking amongst delegates, exhibitors and dignitaries.