Over the past 10 years, the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) employee count has doubled to 40,000 employees located around the world, creating various challenges in terms of not only the company’s recruitment strategy and strategic workforce planning, but also the leadership skills required.

Speaking at the 12th International Arab Society for Human Resources Management (ASHRM) Conference and Exhibition in Dubai, Fahad Al-Sheaibi, executive VP, SABIC HR, said many company employees now need global leadership skills as they work with and direct employees who have a different life and work experience to their own. It is in this context that “getting the best out of our people and leveraging their cultural experience and embracing their diversity can be a major source of competitive advantage.”

On SABIC’s talent management strategy to meet these growing challenges, Al-Sheaibi said that the company has adopted sophisticated talent management practices to identify what are the first, easy steps that the organization can take and to initially focus on those. “For SABIC this meant gradually implementing a global approach to performance appraisal through what we call the Talent Review Process.”

Al-Sheaibi said that attracting the right people to join the company is critical.