Dubai Knowledge Village, a member of Tecom Investments said Hewitt Associates, a global leader in human resources management, has opened its regional office within the DKV cluster.

With more than 65 years of experience, Hewitt Associates is one of the world's foremost providers of HR outsourcing and consulting services.

The firm consults with more than 2,300 companies globally and administers HR, health care, payroll and retirement programmes on behalf of over 300 companies to millions of employees and retirees worldwide. Located in 33 markets, Hewitt employs approximately 23,000 associates.

Dr Ayoub Kazim, executive director for Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City, said: 'Dubai Knowledge Village is delighted to partner with Hewitt Associates to bring global HR practices to the Middle East. Being at the cutting edge of management research and development, the entry of a global leader is in line with the knowledge cluster's continuous commitment to promoting best management practices in diverse industries across the region.'

As a first initiative, Dubai Knowledge Village and Hewitt have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct the Hewitt Best Employers in Middle East 2009 study. A Middle East-wide research project, the survey aims to identify qualities that make companies in the Middle East the preferred employer of choice for top talent.

Debabrat Mishra, Middle East consulting business leader, Hewitt Associates, said: “Hewitt is pleased to partner with Dubai Knowledge Village as we extend our global Best Employers study to the Middle East. Dubai Knowledge Village has demonstrated its commitment to the development of human capital in the region, as well as to shifting the role of the human resources function from a traditional supporting one to that of a real business partner. There is a definite alignment between the value they are trying to bring to businesses here, and to our mandate, which is to make the Middle East a coveted place for career growth.”

The Best Employers study is projected to be the largest employee research project of its kind in the Middle East. It is expected to unveil detailed insights into how workplaces operate in the region, the common challenges they face, and the solutions that companies have implemented to address major concerns.

The region is unique in terms of talent mobility and economic growth and the study seeks to help participants create better work environments.

Ibrahim Moosa Jamel, Director for Business Development, Dubai Knowledge Village, said: 'DKV’s role as a partner in the Best Employers study demonstrates its commitment to endorsing superior people management practices, employee opinions and engagement and promoting responsible, and sustainable business success.”

Hewitt Associates has partnered with prominent businesses and governmental organisations in the Middle East for more than five years now.

Its service offerings in the region include organisation capability development, organisation structure design, large scale organisation transformation, HR strategy formulation and development, compensation strategy and structure design, competency benchmarking, leadership development and retirement and financial management.

Established in 2003 to create an HRD hub for the region, Dubai Knowledge Village is home to over 400 professional training centres specialized in HR development, professional testing, as well as management training and consultancy services. - TradeArabia News Service