GCC countries are continuously striving to achieve successful workforce nationalization by setting up a variety of policies. The lack of skilled and educated workforce contributes as one of the burdens for the complete realization of these initiatives. According to a survey, 70% of CEOs across Middle East stated that lack of key skills is the biggest threat to success.

Talent attraction in the private sector is the growing need for these countries . Qatar has been trying to attract talent to the private sector, but has faced challenges in increasing the awareness of these opportunities among local talent.

Developing, engaging and retaining local talent is also one of the major challenges being faced by these countries. The need of the hour calls for employers to work on their HR Strategies and local talent to work on the their capabilities to ensure a win-win situation for the growing economy of the GCC region.

After receiving tremendous response for six consecutive years, the 7th Annual Managing Local Talent, rotating around the central theme of “ Nationalisation 2.0- Inspire – Connect - Develop - Contribute to the Growth of Nation”, aims to brainstorm and discuss strategies to attract, nurture and develop local talent to meet the organization's nationalization goals and thus boost the economy.

Speaking about previous year's conference, Sharoq Al Malki, Chief Human Capital Resource Officer at Commercial Bank of Qatar said “Networking was excellent. I've been always amazed by Fleming Gulf conferences. Though many conferences related to HR are taking place in the region, nevertheless, the diversity in the topics as well as the varieties in the participants sectors, distinguish Fleming Gulf from other organizers.“

“The event was a great learning experience and a great platform to discuss ideas about managing local talent.” said Noora Hamad Al-Fetais from RasGas Company Limited.

This year, the conference is being held at Intercontinental Doha, Doha - Qatar from 23 - 25 November 2015. It will witness keynote presentations, regional case studies, interactive panel discussions and workshops from HR professionals and key decision makers from leading organizations in the region.

The speakers will be addressing strategies to attract local talent to meet an organization's nationalization targets and key elements of a successful Nationalization programme. They will also focus on the best practices in hiring, developing, engaging and retaining local talent as well as strategies for increasing awareness of exciting private sector opportunities among local nationals.

The conference will feature sessions by industry experts from renowned organizations in the region such as Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (GSDP) - Qatar, Procter & Gamble - KSA, Emirates National Development Program (ENDP), Sidra Medical and Research Center - Qatar , Public Works Authority (ASHGHAL) - Qatar, Al Futtaim Group and Gulf Air - Bahrain among others.