Building indigenous Arab talent is the only way forward for the public relations (PR) industry in the Middle East, said an industry expert.

Mohamed Al Ayed, chief executive officer at Traccs, a leading home-grown public relations network in the Mena, was speaking with reference to Traccs being named the “Best Consultancy to Work For” in Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa by The Holmes Report.

With this, Traccs has become the first regional agency to ever win the prestigious accolade, considered the ultimate benchmark of PR firm culture and workplace performance in an industry whose primary asset remains its people.

The employee-voted recognition is determined by a comprehensive survey of agency employees from around 40 PR firms throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa. The process solicits employee views on a wide range of issues ranging from the integrity of senior management and the quality of professional development to empowerment, risk-taking and compensation.

“This recognition is a huge vote of confidence in our approach to hiring and training Arab PR practitioners and our unwavering belief that a professional and sustainable communications industry needs to be built from the ground up, without relying overly on imported talent,” said Al Ayed.

“Traccs is deeply committed to transforming itself from an ‘executing’ organization to a ‘thinking and learning’ organization. This is a painstaking process that requires coaching, mentoring and integrating new talent within the core teams of the network.”

Al Ayed explained: “Agencies and other industry drivers need to look at building talent within their respective agencies as a strategic imperative rather than something that is part of the HR function. Moreover, in high density, high potential markets such as the Middle East and North Africa, there needs to be concerted efforts to bridge the gap between the educational offering and real requirements within a highly competitive job market.”

Traccs operates countries 13 markets in the region, making it the largest PR network in Mena. Globally, the agency currently ranks #107 among The Holmes Report Top 250 PR Firms in the world.

“Our mandate is to create a strong presence in every market we operate in and the only way to do so is by hiring Arab practitioners who must evolve from being service based to expert driven,” Al Ayed said.

“This in turn facilitates knowledge sharing and skills transfer which lies at the heart of building a strong and collaborative company culture that values employee satisfaction and growth as much as successful business results. Easier said than done – but we are living proof that it is not only possible but successful,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service