Live Blogging: Best Practices in Entrepreneurship Policy (BPEP)
We are proud to be live blogging the Best Practices in Entrepreneurship Policy (BPEP)
An Arab Regional Conference of Practitioners & Scholars event hosted by the Dubai School of Government.
The link to the conference info site is here.
To follow the live blogging of the event on November 19 and 20 Click Here
Career UnCovered of Dr. Dale Murphy, Director of Entrepreneurship at Dubai School of Government, UAE
Bio Prof. Dale D. Murphy is Director of Entrepreneurship at the Dubai School of Government, a position he formerly held at Georgetown University where he taught for 10 years. Dr. Murphy received his Ph.D. in International Relations from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His research and teaching spans the study of entrepreneurship, leadership, creativity, CSR, ethics, international political economy and international relations. He is the author of The Structure of Regulatory Competition: Corporations and Public Policies in a Global Economy (Oxford University Press 2007) and many articles. He was an Assistant Vice President of Citicorp and has been involved in a number of start-up ventures, most recently an online news service.
What are your thoughts vis-a- vis living / working in the UAE in specific and ME in general? The Middle East in general and the UAE in specific may be undergoing more dynamic change and growth than any other part of the world. It is an exciting time to be here, to work with talented Emiratis and others in the region to shape the future commercial and entrepreneurial climate. There is a richness in the multicultural environment here that is unsurpassed.
What are your views on the progress of academia in the Middle East in general/ UAE specifically? The last six years have seen a global boom in higher education, with established universities creating or expanding their satellite campuses, and new universities being created from scratch. Universities in the Arab world have become increasingly confident of their intellectual heritage and centuries-old tradition of learning from the best practices that other cultures have to offer. A new generation of educational leaders has emerged here, with direct experience in other educational systems around the world, and they are combining those lessons with local strengths to create synergies in academic institutions. The strongest universities in the region already compete for faculty and students with any university worldwide.
Many challenges remain for others, in creating robust institutions, an understanding and appreciation of academic culture and procedures, autonomy, endowments, research facilities, maintaining the highest academic standards, retaining faculty and staff, and so on. But the prospects are very bright. I am less familiar with primary and secondary education, but I gather from colleagues that there is a great deal of progress going on there as well.
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Interview with Samir Mirza, HR& Organization Director, at M1 Group, Lebanon
Bio Samir graduated with a Masters Degree from INSA School of Engineering in France. Following his graduation, Samir worked as a project manager for several internationally renowned companies such as Air France, France Telecom and Bouygues. He later on returned back to Lebanon and worked for FTML as OD Director – where he developed and implemented the company’s TQM Model- before moving to INVESTOM (currently known as M1 Group) as director of HR & Organization. His prime responsibilities today include setting the organizational strategy of the group and developing the human talent methodology.
How do you like living and working in Lebanon? Lebanon is a multicultural country lodging a pool of talented and energetic professionals, and despite Lebanon’s continuous political instability, its citizens maintain a solid belief system in their country and this is the exact reason why I have returned to Lebanon in 1997. My aim was- and remains- to participate in the development of our nation by enhancing and promoting organizational awareness in national companies .
What is your average day at work like? M1 maintains a family spirit that distinguishes it from other practices, thus allowing a balanced working life for all its staff. We believe in our people’s capabilities, and thus, in return, job commitment and employee loyalty are always achieved. My day at work is like any other dedicated director, challenging, demanding and most definitely exciting!
What is your biggest professional challenge? Globally, HR went through many transformations, from personnel administration to service provider to strategic business partner, managing and developing Human Capital. My challenge is to reinforce the positioning of HR as a strategic partner to any business.
Interview with Hatem al Houshy, HR Advisor at SNC Lavalin, KSA
Biography Hatem is a HR Professional with over 8 years of regional and international experience in HR / Business Consultancy. He is currently employed as a HR Advisor for SNC-LAVALIN in their regional corporate office in KSA.
How do you like living and working in KSA? What I like most about KSA is the great potential of the market and the various opportunities for career development and professional growth that are offered to working professionals.
What is your average day at work like? As my role basically is to enhance HR strategies & plans and to link them to the company vision & business goals, i spend most of my working day immersed in strategic planning activities like meetings with division heads , reviewing reports & analysis , presenting HR plans, etc…
What is your biggest professional challenge? For a long period of time, the HR function in the Middle East region was looked at mostly as only personnel and administration- mainly only with payroll, records keeping and government relations. My biggest professional challenge continues to be the challenge of positioning the HR function as a strategic business partner within the organization.
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Career UnCovered of Faysal El Jurdi, CEO of Vision Group Hospitality Recruitment, Beirut, Lebanon
Bio: Faysal graduated from “Cesar-Ritz”, a renowned hotel management school in Switzerland and has over 13 years of experience in the hospitality industry .Before Vision Group, Faysal held major positions in rooms division and operations management with leading hotel groups like Hotel Angletaire Geneva, Royal Abjar Hotels Dubai, Rotana and Habtoor Hotels Lebanon.
Best career advice I ever got Never sell yourself/ your business cheap, and stick to your pricing strategy especially if you are confident that you are offering your clients quality and value for their money.
Favorite Job task I ever had to do Interviewing a fresh graduate who thinks he owes the world and who would only consider a managerial position to start with! I like it because it reminds me of myself, right after graduating from my Hotel school in Switzerland- I had the same attitude at the time. You later see things clearer: as soon as I started my first job as a reservations officer I knew that I had a lot to learn before I reach my goals.
Networking: Ashraf Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Number 1 Sales Trainer and Author of “The Craft of Selling Yourself”
Life works like a boomerang. What goes around comes around. When you practice the boomerang effect, you may actually notice a sense of relief because you don’t have to control things and keep score anymore. When you concentrate on supporting other people in your network, you’ll receive an abundance of ideas, support and referrals.
The heartbeat of networking is people caring about people. Even if you learn all the skills, say all the right things, networking is only truly powerful when genuine human caring exists.
Networking is an aptitude; it’s a way of life. It’s not just a ritualistic list of things to be done in a specific timeframe. Even though there are some specific rules and tools that you can learn about networking by reading books, but unless you have a networking aptitude, unless you develop a mind-set about networking, the impact will be short-lived and results will be below potential. Read more
Interview with Hana Nimr, HR Manager at EMC², UAE
Biography Hana was born & raised in Dubai. She Holds a BA in Accounting and a CPA from the states. She worked as a senior auditor in PricewaterhouseCoopers for 2 years then joined IBM Middle East in 1999 where she held several positions in finance, latest as business controls program manager. She was appointed HR manager at IBM in 2005, then IBM Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa recruitment operations manager. Hana Joined EMC as Senior HR manager for Middle East, Pakistan & NW Africa in June 2009.
How do you like living and working in Dubai? I was born in Dubai, so its home for me
What is your average day at work like? Meetings, calls, emails, and some travel around the region, since our office covers the whole of Middle East & North West Africa. There is no typical standard day, and I thank God for that J
What is your biggest professional challenge? Balancing the resources of the organization and the needs of employees. Knowing when to fight for something and when to say no, and both are difficult.
Interview with Dina Mehanna, HR Director at Genius Computer Technology, UAE
Biography Dina was born and raised in Dubai, U.A.E. She completed her B.A degree in Elementary Education at the American University of Beirut and further pursued her M.A degree in School Administration and Supervision through the University of Phoenix-Arizona. She loves working in HR – it’s a different world that needs her constant attention and passion. Dina still misses her students and being part of their growth, success and life!
How do you like living and working in UAE? I was born and raised in the U.A.E. (my second home after Lebanon) therefore, living and working in Sharjah/Dubai was never a problem to me. On the contrary, I still love and learn a lot from both emirates, despite the short distance drive between each other, they are far apart in almost everything! That’s exactly why I respect and admire their differences, in terms of diversity, culture, and above all daily life style.
What is your biggest professional challenge? I have many, but I’m specifically interested in being a pioneer in building an authentic, credible and sustainable training/development industry in the Middle East (especially in Lebanon and the U.A.E). I feel that the mind-set of the Middle East (especially GCC) countries is depending heavily on foreign and exported resources (trainers, programs, materials, etc.) and falsely believe that through them, success is guaranteed. That’s the mind-set we should all struggle to change and replace, how? With candidates, GCC Nationals or Arabs, who show commitment, devotion, have successful professional, educational backgrounds and experiences and have the ability to develop and improve our industries.
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Interview With George Kavala, Recruitment & HR Outsourcing at Dulsco, UAE
Biography George Kavala comes with several years of experience in Business Development and Full Cycle Support for Recruitment and Staffing. His interaction with clients at various levels of CXO’s,prospective, job seekers & other stakeholders has enriched his understanding of the HR domain. He nurtures the desire to pursue and acquire relevant knowledge and lives with a passion, culture and discipline that could precede success.
How do you like living and working in UAE?
Working in the UAE is a very lively and charming experience. We get to meet people from different nationalities and cultures. The country itself has such fantastic infrastructure and facilities that it makes living and working here an enjoyable experience. Almost anything and everything is available at an affordable cost and at best quality. I definitely enjoy living and working in the UAE.
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Career UnCovered: Ahmed El Zeftawy, HR Director of Al Jaber Group, UAE
Biography HR Professional with more than 18 years of HR regional and international experience. worked for a Management consultancy firm (in Cairo) an Oil & Gas Multinational for 7 years (in both Egypt and Italy) and in Bechtel as an HR Country Manager for 1 year- Also worked for 10 years in Borouge, a semi governmental Petrochemical Company in the UAE before moving to Al Jaber Group – one of the largest private groups in the UAE and the Middle East- as HR Director.
Best career advice I ever got Sometimes people are surprised to realize what an inside game career management is. In fact, if you are not sure about what major to choose or what career to pursue or what job to look for next, a great first step would be to start envisioning what your ideal career or job looks like. This can only come from the inside! Only you know what you prefer and how you would like to live. Stick to your career beliefs throughout your work journey and do not get drifted by the money only.
