Gulf Research Meeting
David Jones
David Jones is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Talent Enterprise, a premier human capital ‘think’ and ‘do’ tank, focusing on creating employability, talent development, and leadership solutions for the MENA region, with a key emphasis on local talent development, youth and female inclusion. Having lived and worked in the GCC for almost 20 years and with a background in labour market economics, David is a senior advisor to policy makers and organisational leaders on strategic human capital issues and challenges. Previously, he was the Chief Consulting Officer for Aon Hewitt for the MENA region. In this role, he advised clients on a wide range of people challenges and directed the development of the firm’s evidence-based consulting. Mr. Jones led the growth and delivery of the entire spectrum of talent solutions and worked on some of the largest human capital projects in the region. He also directed the research efforts of the firm, including Qudurat – the largest workplace research study to date, as well as the Best Employer research and formation of the regional People Risk Index. Prior to this, he held senior HR leadership roles at Emirates Group, Dubai Civil Aviation, and KPMG. 12 Mr. Jones is a regular lecturer at universities including the University of Cambridge, the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin, and the University of Bradford. He is a frequent speaker at conferences across the world as well as a regular commentator in the regional media. He is the co-author of the best-selling book titled “Unlocking the Paradox of Plenty – A Review of the Talent Landscape in the GCC.” In addition, his latest publications include a new book on women in the Arab World titled “Game-Changers” by Motivate Books, edited chapters in books entitled “Employment and Career Motivation in the Arab Gulf States: The Rentier Mentality Revisited” by Gerlach Press and “The Political Economy of Wasta: Use and Abuse of Social Capital Networking” by Springer Publications, as well as other key publications in academic, business journals, and magazines.
