Members of Maersk’s Qatari Leadership Talent Pool during the leadership programme.
A talent pool composed of 44 Qatari employees of Maersk Oil Qatar have participated in an extensive career planning exercise as part of the company’s leadership programme.
Maersk’s Qatari Leadership Talent Pool (QLTP) met recently for the development of personalised career plans for high-performing employees.
Maersk Oil Qatar head of Qatarisation Sheikh Jassin al-Thani said Qatarisation is a “core business priority” for the company.
“We have doubled the number of Qatari employees in the past five years and increased those with a bachelor’s degree but we are committed to attracting, retaining, and developing even more Qataris in the future. By 2017 we aim to quadruple the number of Qataris in leadership or senior specialist positions at Maersk Oil Qatar,” Sheikh Jassin said.
Along with schemes like the Qatari Development Programme, which assists employees early in their careers, the QLTP is a “key pillar” of Maersk Oil’s “revitalised Qatarisation Strategy.”
“The QLTP assists employees to fulfil their potential through coaching and mentoring and helps define a clear, performance-driven path for those who consistently show potential for career progression,” Sheikh Jassim said.
Qatari employees are selected for the QLTP based on a track record of successful performance and an in-depth assessment of their leadership potential.
Two consultants from Percepti, an HR consultancy firm, led the two-day QLTP workshops in Doha.
Percepti senior consultant Anna-Elise Oosterhuis said: “I was impressed by how the group responded during the workshops. We discussed the values of Maersk Oil Qatar as a company and its expectations of leaders. We focused on how they can take personal responsibility for their development through skills such as giving and receiving feedback. It was pleasing to see the group’s positive response.”
One of the participants in the QLTP workshops was Ali Ghareeb, a production chemist at Maersk Oil Qatar, who emphasised the importance of planning.
“I’m not a leader in our company at the moment but these sorts of workshops show us what skills and attributes we need to constantly improve. It’s important to plan so I’m pleased that I’ll co-create a career plan with my supervisors at Maersk Oil Qatar,” Ghareeb said.
Another participant, Tarek Mansour, added: “The workshop has helped me identify different personality types in the workplace and it has given me the tools to adjust my approach accordingly. It also taught me a lot about myself and how I can become a better employee and hopefully a senior leader in the future.”
The QLTP is part of a wider commitment from Maersk Oil Qatar to attract, develop, and retain Qatari leaders or specialists. Recently the company launched the second phase of a multi-media recruitment campaign. More details can be found at www.FindYourPlace.qa
