The article describes the synopsis of the Annual HR Conclave hosted by SP Jain School of Global Management. There were 2 panel discussions: Panel Discussion 1 – ‘Innovation, the differentiator in engaging talent’ Panel Discussion 2 – ‘Strategies for motivating and retaining talent’

1. S P JAIN HOSTS THE 3RD EDITION OF
ANNUAL HR CONCLAVE 2013 IN DUBAI
Early arrival of excited guests truly indicated what a successful event the 2nd
HR Conclave held in
Mar’13 was!HR Expertsfromtop-notchfirmsof Middle East were invited to the third edition of HR
Conclave heldinRitzCarlton,DIFC on 14th
May 2014. The theme of the conclave was “Succeeding in
the TalentEconomy of the 21st
Century.” Eminent leaders from across the region gathered to share
theirvaluable insightsandtodiscussextensivelythe challengesfacedby HR Professionals in today’s
world. The conclave focused on the role of HR Managers in turning the tide!
The conclave began with a welcome address by Mr. Nitish Jain, President, S P Jain School of
Global Management, followed by a short presentation on S P Jain’s vision of shaping global
business leaders. Mr. Jain also welcomed the key speaker, Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of
Board of Directors and Director General, Knowledge and Human Development Authority,
Government of Dubai. Thiswas followedby ProfessorChristopherAbraham, Head –Dubai Campus,
S P Jain,highlightingthe inferencesof the survey conducted by SP Jain and setting the stage for the
panel discussions to be followed.
Panel Discussion 1 – ‘Innovation, the differentiator in engaging talent’
Panel chair, Prof. Arindam Banerjee, Assistant Professor, Finance; Director, Student’s Life, SP Jain
School of Global Management, Dubai initiated and continued the discussion of how crucial it is in
today’s era to introduce innovation in engaging talents in any firm, what are the key challenges
facedand howto overcome them.Throughoutthe discussion,Panellists Ms. Suha Haroun (Regional
Sales and HR Director, Bayt.com, Dubai), Mr. Abdulla Al Banna (Head of Compliance and HR, Al
Futtaim Group, Dubai) and Mr. Rajesh GK (Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Business
Excellence, UAEExchange,AbuDhabi) shared their experiences and also helped in addressing pain
pointsof differentorganizations. The excellentquestionsraisedduringthe discussionsconveyed the
importance of stayingfocusedonwell-being, creating a healthy work environment and introducing
right amount of changes in the organisation. The discussion concluded by highlighting the
importance of feedback, cross-cultural adaptability and leveraging technology to keep the
Generation Next and Transit Generation X engaged.
Panel Discussion 2 – ‘Strategies for motivating and retaining talent’
The second panel discussion was chaired by Prof. A. R. Rajagopalan. The panellists included Mr.
David Van Lochem (HR Leader IBM Dubai) along with Ms. Seema Hallon (Associate VP – HR, Eros
Group, Dubai) and Mr. John Rohan De Silva (HR Manager, Danzas DHL AE, Dubai). The discussion
started with defining ‘What is Talent’ and how HR managers can contribute in retaining talented
individuals in an organization which becomes crucial to its success. The debate was quite spirited
with active participation from the audience. The panellists were moving among the crowd and
encouragingthemtoask questionsandcontribute inthe discussion.On the topicsincluded ‘How HR
managerscan encourage employees to contribute most in their organization from their short shelf
life’.All the panellistsgave insightsonpoliciesfollowedintheir particular organizations to motivate

2. employees to give their best. The audience took copious notes and gave their valuable inputs to
consciously increase the two way flow of information which made the discussion such a success.
Expert Session – ‘The Neuroscience of Decision Marking – How Brain Science can help HR
managers make better decisions’
Afterthe vigorousdebate ontalentmanagementProfessorChristopherAbraham, startedhissession
to give some insightsonbrain science to HR professionals present in the audience. In his signature
style of engagingthe audience throughpuzzlesandaskingfrequentquestions he kept the audience
pinned to the session. He shared latest research by neuroscientist across the world which have
proved beyond doubt that human mind is able to achieve unexpected feats when properly
encouraged.
The sessionwas followed by thank you note by Director of Industry Interface Program, Dr Dhrupad
Mathur who whole – heartedly expressed gratitude and congratulated the industry professionals,
academicians and staff members along with the students of the Public relations committee who
helped in making this event a grand success.
Periodiclunchandcoffee breaksfacilitatedinformal networkingandthisencouragedthoughtful and
comfortable exchangeof ideas and knowledge. Last but not the least, an excellent team work was
demonstrated by Corporate Relations Teams – Mr. Chandrasekhar Singh, Mr. Mohamed Raeiz Rafick,
Miss Shierlyn Paduaa and Punita Chandrani and the PR Committee comprising of Deepanshi Jain,
Prajakta Talathi, Shubhanshi Jain, Avinash Singh, Abhinav Choudhry, Edwin Kamarga, Kautilya Tyagi
and Kehsav Agarwal.