The FHRD Annual HR Conference was held on Friday, October 21, at the Hilton Conference Centre, Malta.
This year the FHRD’s Annual HR Conference theme was Revitalising HR: Leveraging Employer Branding and it was attended by over 500 HR professionals. During the welcome address, FHRD president Matthew Naudi gave a brief overview of all the events and training courses that The Foundation for Human Resources Development organised over the past year. He also set the tone on employer branding by highlighting how today job seekers are searching more about organisations and making more informed choices before applying and accepting jobs.
The first international keynote speaker at the conference was Johann Driessens, CEO (Chief Enthusiasm Officer and Serial HR Enterpreneur, tHRibe World. Driessens, dressed up as superman spoke about ‘The employer branding experience! Your wake-up call!’ and provided all delegates with a great experience.
Next up was Reinhard Nissl, director HR Talent & Development, Microsoft. Nissl shared Learnings from Microsoft´s cultural transformation journey and how hybrid work is defining the company’s management capabilities.
.The morning progressed with the delivery of two workshops. Maria-Caterina Capurro, executive and team coach, trainer, training designer, and author – PeopleSmart who presented employer branding and selection with emotional intelligence, and Michelle Fenech Seguna, executive communications coach – SpeaktoMove who presented The Influential HR Leader: Beyond a Seat at the Table.
Today job seekers are searching more about organisations and making more informed choices
Next up was a panel entitled ‘Innovative HR in Action’ together with a presentation of the FHRD Pulse Survey 2022. This year’s panelists were Matthew Naudi, FHRD president; Claudine Attard from PWC, Yasmin de Giorgio from Shireurn Software Limited, Sarah Mifsud from GO plc, and Eleanor Busuttil from Finaro. During the panel, these reputable HR professionals discussed findings from the survey as well as innovative HR practices within their organisations.
The morning concluded with the FHRD Quality Mark presentation of certificates. 15 organisations were presented with their certificates by president Matthew Naudi and the FHRD Chief Executive Officer Karen Muscat Baldacchino. The 15 organisations that obtained the FHRD Quality Mark during the 4th application intake are Air X Charter Limited, Alberta Fire & Security Equipment Ltd, AMSM, Arkadia Marketing Limited, Fenech & Fenech Advocates, Fenlex Corporate Services Limited, Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools (FTS), GasanZammit Motors Limited, Institute for Education, MAPFRE Middlesea, MAPFRE MSV Life, Malta Digital Innovation Authority, Mekanika Limited, RS2 Software plc, and Teva.
.After the networking lunch the conference kicked off with an interactive energizer in line with the anticipated World Cup, followed by another two key note speakers. Maria Dinu, Group employer branding manager – Coca Cola delivered the third keynote and explained How Coca-Cola HBC’s senior leaders became employer branding advocates. The final keynote by Frank Kellenberg, global head of organisation development and inclusion – Sandoz (a Novartis Division) focused on employee engagement to strengthen Sandoz’s employer brand in times of uncertainty and change due to a strategic realignment.
The afternoon concluded with delegates either attending one masterclass or a selection of two workshops out of four.
The masterclass entitled ‘HR Employer Branding Issues: The local scenario’ was moderated by Pamela Mamo, senior manager - PwC Academy (Strategy and Innovation). Local HR professionals namely; Nicholas Schembri, Chief HR Officer - Calamatta Cuschieri Investment Services Ltd; Annika Galea, director of human resources - Hilton Malta; Kevin Paris, CEO & Director - FTIAS Ltd. and Nicki Spiteri Paris, CEO - BigBon Group also delivered during this masterclass.
The four workshops were delivered by international and local HR professionals. Lutfur Ali, senior policy advisor – CIPD delivered a workshop entitled ‘How can Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Impact an Employer Brand?’ Peter Grech, founder and CEO - BRND WGN delivered a workshop entitled ‘Challenges encountered to revamp an Organisation’s Employer Branding’. Luke Todd, co-founder & CEO – MadeYou delivered a workshop entitled ‘Starting With Business Leaders – how the Executive team sets the example for the company about Employer Branding, Talent, and Performance’. Stefania Curmi, head of HR (South) – Leo Vegas Gaming plc delivered a workshop entitled ‘Authentic Employer Branding - It starts with engaged employees’.
FHRD would like to thank conference partners APS Bank, Finaro, GO plc, Hilton Malta, Shireburn, MAPFRE MSV Life, Outdoor Living, PwC, Studio Seven, and Times of Malta for their commitment. Thanks also goes to the 27 exhibitors that displayed some of the latest HR products and services on the market in the Expo Lounge.
For further information about the conference and the full results of the survey, visit https://www.fhrd.org