Saudi telecoms provider Mobily recently won a prestigious human resources award. The company says its employees will be the bedrock of future success as new business opportunities are pursued
Recognising its "innovative" approaches to human resource development, Etihad Etisalat (Mobily), Saudi Arabia's second telecommunications provider, recently received a prestigious award in Dubai.
The company, owned by a consortium led by UAE firm Etisalat, received a certificate of excellence at the 6th Annual MENA HR Excellence Awards, part of the 9th Annual Human Asset Expansion Summit MENA 2014 at the city's Grosvenor House Hotel last month.
Certificates of excellence typically recognise the contributions economic enterprises and organisations make in advancing human resource functions. In Mobily's case the award was given in recognition of its "special role in applying the best approved practices in recruitment, improving the work environment, as well as supporting initiatives that promote employee performance, whether through training or incentives", according to a Mobily statement.
The Dubai summit brought together HR personnel from leading regional organisations, in different sectors, including telecoms. Among the areas explored during this knowledge exchange were recruitment methods, and the most urgent HR issues facing organisations in the region.
Speaking following the awards, where Mobily's acting director of corporate culture Talal Alzeid received the certificate on behalf of the company, chief human resources officer Dr Hamad al Hashemy stressed that the award reflected Mobily's efforts to upgrade the efficiency of its workforce - part of its journey from telecoms company to integrated ICT services provider.
Founded in 2005, Mobily says its motivation to adopt professional best practice in an innovative and efficient work environment is based on its ambition to offer Saudi Arabia's best working environment, and in this regard the company says it has introduced a number of programmes this year, in association with expert companies, to international business benchmarks.
Mobily's focus on human resources comes as it prepares to capitalise on what sees as a booming ICT market in Saudi Arabia. Speaking on the sidelines of the Euromoney Conference 2014 in Riyadh last month - where it was the exclusive communication partner for the fifth consecutive year - chief executive Khalid al Kaf said the company was focused of the health, education and financial sectors in the enterprise segment.
Al Kaf discussed the importance of cloud computing services and the ways in which they provide "great flexibility to not only to subscribers but also for the service provider, ensuring that infrastructure is maximised".
The chief executive was keen to stress that data being hosted through cloud computing was safe, given that Mobily owns several data centres around the kingdom.
The company will expect that, as it taps new ICT opportunities, it will leverage the full talents of its workforce.
© The Gulf 2014
