Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence delivers keynote address at ceremony

Awards recognize businesses’ prowess in leveraging LinkedIn platform to gain competitive advantage in talent acquisition, employer branding

Dubai Municipality, Chalhoub Group, Al-Futtaim among winning companies

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, announced the winners of the 2019 edition of its flagship Talent Awards event in the Middle East and North Africa. Held for the fifth consecutive year, the awards recognize companies for their achievements in the talent acquisition and employer branding space.

This year, the program has gone global with events happening in 12 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. In Dubai, over 200 representatives of leading businesses from the region attended the ceremony this week under the theme of ‘Future of Talent’.

His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, delivered a keynote speech that explored the impact of AI and automation on the workforce across different industries, as well as the evolution of the talents and hiring landscape.

He said: “The world is actively seeking cutting-edge talent and increasingly moving towards advanced solutions such as artificial intelligence, automation and robotics. However, there is a gap between automation and the workforce, which lies in the skills we must possess today. We can bridge that gap by continuously developing our abilities and having the curiosity to learn more."  

Speaking on the impact of the annual awards, Ali Matar, Head of LinkedIn MENA and EMEA Emerging Markets, said: “All the top companies that are part of LinkedIn’s Talent Awards demonstrate a true commitment to understanding, engaging, and developing top talent. LinkedIn is a mine of market insights, which we leverage to provide our clients with powerful talent solutions that help them navigate the ever-changing talent landscape. Together, we can help shape the future of the workforce in the region and beyond”.

This year’s winners included:

LinkedIn Rising Star

NMC Healthcare

Saudi Customs

Best Culture of Learning – MENA Private Sector

Dubai Municipality

Best Talent Acquisition Team – Kuwait

KEO International Consultants

Best Talent Acquisition Team – Saudi Arabia

GAZT – General Authority of Zakat & Tax

Best Talent Acquisition Team – UAE

Chalhoub Group

Dubai Tourism

Best Employer Brand on LinkedIn above 4000 employees – UAE

Al-Futtaim

The LinkedIn Insights team selected the winners based on their ability to leverage LinkedIn Talent and Learning Solutions and other features across the platform to make a significant impact within their organizations. Categories included Best Talent Acquisition Team, Best Employer Brand on LinkedIn, LinkedIn Rising Star, Best Culture of Learning, and Top Innovative Staffing Agency.