Major HR Conference to Focus on Innovation and Business Success

Early June sees HR Leaders in Africa 2013, a major HR conference, taking place in Lagos. HR professionals from leading companies will gather to share ideas and discuss policies at the forum, which is themed Bringing World Class Innovation in Human Resources. It will showcase approaches taken by organisations as they adapt to the upsurge in the economies of regional countries. Following the success of the inaugural HR Leaders in Africa conference last year, this year’s event promises to be a comprehensive learning and networking forum for HR professionals. HR Leaders in Africa 2013 will run from 3 to 6 June at the Four Points by Sheraton in Lagos. As economies boom HR departments are being confronted with new challenges. Regional companies are facing pressure to adapt to global standards of customer satisfaction and business excellence and it is the HR function that has to deliver the valuable human resources. The conference agenda will address practical and proven strategies for identifying, attracting and retaining key talent, managing performance, engaging employees, meeting nationalisation targets and much more. HR Specialist at Economic Community of West African States, Tobi Odunowo said, “It’s vital that we alter the perception of HR within the business. HR’s role is changing in response to the dynamic business environment, thus we’re getting much more involved in setting strategic directions for the business. It is therefore important that HR Departments strive to be truly perceived as being more relevant to the business now than in known history.” Odunowo continued, “HR has to step up to the challenges by helping companies attract, retain and manage the right talent for the present and the future. They have to be seen as working to support the organisation’s strategic objectives and making use of available technology to transform the administrative and transactional personnel functions which are currently perceived by the line to be the main role of HR.” The conference speakers are drawn from leading local and multinational organisations including Etisalat, Cadbury, MTN Communications, Airtel, PZ Cussons, Unilever and GE. Two in-depth workshops will focus on the potential strategic advantage that organisations can gain through best practice and high performance HR.