03 September 2014
CIPD, the UK-based professional body for HR and people development, has made two appointments to engage with and support members and other HR and people development practitioners in the Middle East. The focus will be on engaging with and understanding HR and learning and development (L&D) professional needs in the Middle East, and on exploring new opportunities to support local professionalisation agendas through the development of networks, communities, events and other means.

CIPD has more than 130,000 members internationally, including 2,500 based in the Middle East, and many more working in roles which include some responsibility for the region.

The new appointments are:

The CIPD has appointed Talentize, a Dubai based HR Consultancy firm, to support and coordinate activities as Regional Consultants for the Middle East. Talentize will help the CIPD  develop and implement its strategy for supporting HR and L&D in the Middle East, working closely with the CIPD's New Markets Director and the wider CIPD team.

Rebecca Normand has been appointed as International Business Manager. She will focus on engagement with CIPD members and other professionals in the Middle East, working to support the development of HR networks, communities and events and co-ordinating the efforts of the wider CIPD team with new work on the ground in the region.

Commenting on the appointments, Alan Ovens, New Markets Director at the CIPD, said:

"We already have a large number of members in the region. Our overall purpose at the CIPD is to champion better work and working lives and we can contribute to this important mission in the Middle East by better engaging with our members, other HR and people development professionals, governments and other stakeholders. These appointments will help us to build on the strong reputation we already have in the Middle East for supporting the highest standards and building capabilities in HR and L&D. Our initial objective is to build understanding and engagement on the ground. We will use this to explore the significant opportunities for us to contribute to better work and working lives in the region, provide support for local professionalisation agendas within HR and L&D, and harness knowledge and insight from the Middle East for the benefits of the global profession."

Matthew Mee, CEO of Talentize, said:

"Having worked in HR across the Middle East extensively, I know how important the CIPD brand is to the HR community who live and work in the region. There is an amazing opportunity ahead for the CIPD to work collaboratively with governments, industry, strategic partners and of course CIPD  members and other HR and L&D professionals to really impact working lives - so I'm personally very excited to be involved and that we have been appointed to help support and guide this journey."

Rebecca Normand added:

"We already provide professional recognition and other resources that are valued by our 2,500 members in the Middle East. In my new role I will be focusing on understanding what other support existing and potential new members in the region would value, in particular supporting the development of new local networks, communities and events. I'm looking forward to working with Matthew Mee to engage directly with members in the region, and using the resources of the wider CIPD to deliver on these objectives."

-Ends-

CIPD Press Enquiries
Robert Blevin / Katy Adalar / Isabel Allanwood
Tel: + 44(0)20 8612 6400
Email: press@cipd.co.uk

  • The new appointments are effective immediately.
  • Matthew Mee, Rebecca Normand and Alan Ovens can be contacted for comment via the CIPD press office - see contact details above.
  • The CIPD is the professional body for HR and people development. It has over 130,000 members internationally working in HR, learning and development, people management and consulting across private businesses and organisations in the public and voluntary sectors.  As an independent and not for profit organisation, the CIPD is committed to championing better work and working lives for the benefit of individuals, business, the economy and wider society - because good work and all it entails is good for business and society at large, and what is good for business should also be good for people's working lives. The CIPD brings together extensive research and thought leadership, practical advice and guidance, professional development and rigorous professional standards to drive better capabilities and understanding in how organisations of all kinds operate and perform, and in how they manage and develop their people. A Royal Charter enables the CIPD to confer individual chartered status on members who meet the required standards of knowledge, practice and behaviours.

© Press Release 2014