Participants attending today’s Classified HR Conference, “The Quest for Talent – unlocking the strategies to attract, acquire and retain”, will be treated to a high-end mix of presentations and panel discussions that turn the spotlight on cutting-edge HR practices, current trends, issues, and challenges.

Taking place at the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui, the day-long conference will provide a platform for learning and networking. Speakers from both multinational and local companies will reveal their different strategies for talent acquisition, retention and development, providing valuable insights for human resources practitioners and the organisations they work for.

Alex Ho, general manager, recruitment, circulation, syndication business at South China Morning Post Publishers, notes how the Classified Post HR Conferences focuses on opening doors to new ideas from renowned speakers. “We are very excited about the insights that participants can learn from this conference,” says Ho, who highlights that speakers are drawn from a representation of the companies that thrive in an era of digital transformation, a multi-generational workforce and diversity.

“They will offer fresh perspectives and inspiring stories that enhance the knowledge of participants and deepen their understanding of leadership, motivation and strategic talent engagement,” says Ho, who also notes that Classified events draw practitioners and participants from the highest levels of the HR community. For example, the three HR Conferences held in 2017 attracted over 600 such professionals, over 90 per cent of whom stated that they gleaned new insights and information that would have a positive impact on their organisations or careers.

Focusing on strategies for talent acquisition, retention and creativity, during his morning keynote presentation, Professor Yaping Gong, head of the Department of Management at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), says he will draw attention to the need for organisations to tap into the creativity of their employees to enable organisations to strengthen their sustainability and competitiveness.

“As artificial intelligence and robotics become more dominant in the workplace, creative work will probably become one of the few types of work options left to human beings,” says Gong. However, because of companies’ hierarchical structures, which is especially the case in large organisations, creative ideas generated by employees are often lost in the layers of command.

Highlighting how Canon Hongkong has navigated rapid headcount growth and company structural changes necessitated by market developments, Shunichi Morinaga, president and CEO Canon Hongkong, says his presentation will focus on the challenges, the outcomes and how they were achieved. “It is commonly believed that company structural change is the biggest nightmare for both the employee and HR, but I will say ‘crisis creates opportunities’. It was tough at the beginning, we have to overcome it and shape Canon Hongkong into a better company,” says Morinaga.

 The reason is that when Canon embarked on its change of regional role, it was vital that HR department could execute his vision to motivate employees to “challenge for change”.

“To be successful, we need to ensure our HR department functions as a true business partner,” says Morinaga.

Meanwhile, in her “Building a Better Working World for our People” case study presentation, Clare Allum, tax talent leader at “big four” accounting network EY, will explain how the diversification of the services the company offers, and the increasing use of automation and artificial intelligence, is also diversifying the type of work EY people are engaged to perform.

 To meet these needs – in recruiting, for example – EY has undertaken a number of key initiatives to attract STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) students to EY, while still continuing to recruit from more traditional sources of accountants and business students.

“The talent acquisition and retention strategies that we are adopting aim to ensure we give the people who work in EY an exceptional experience in line with our people promise to provide ‘an exceptional experience that lasts a lifetime’,” says Allum, who adds that EY has embraced the “gig economy” by creating a platform called GigNow.

 “GigNow is a global marketplace, providing opportunities within EY to contractors seeking more flexibility or short-term assignments,” explains Allum. She believes the input from different speakers at the Classified HR Conference will offer participants a prime opportunity to gather new ideas, gain new insights and to reflect on how they might do things differently within their own organisations.

There will then follow the first of two panel discussions of the day, on the subject of “Hiring, Retention and Performance”, moderated by Cecilia Kwok, business director, recruitment business at the South China Morning Post. She will be joined by Shunichi Morinaga, Clare Allum and Professor Yaping Gong.

While retaining a positive and motivated staff is vital to an organisation’s success, Teddy Liu, general manager, corporate and talent development at the New World Development Company, believes there is a difference between retaining staff and retaining the proactive staff the company needs.

During his afternoon keynote presentation, “Redefining Talent Retention – from Career to Self-Actualisation”, Liu will highlight some of the strategies his company has put in place to motivate staff and allow them to develop their own careers, and in so doing, contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of the company. “It’s about supporting staff, empowering them with the resources and platforms they need to grow and develop,” explains Liu, who believes the strategy is particularly welcomed by the millennial generation.

“In effect, the millennial generation want to be their own bosses within an organisation so the by-product of their success becomes the success for the organisation,” says Liu.

In Hong Kong’s talent-squeezed labour market where demand for talent often exceeds supply, Carmen Chong, director of talent at Lalamove says her case study will focus on the way her company uses a combination of the human touch and human resources-related technology to create a smooth and engaging journey attracting and acquiring candidates. “Offering a seamless and exceptional recruitment experience is especially relevant when many companies, corporate entities and start-ups are competing for the same talent,” Chong says.

Setting up a winning talent acquisition framework to achieve hiring goals has taken time and commitment from the senior management leadership team, for the on-demand logistics company that matches users and drivers to provide same-day delivery and courier services.

Stan Tang, chairman of Stan Group (Holdings), which employs about 1,500 staff says it is not enough to simply say that employees are recognised as an integral part of a business strategy and long-term success. The commitment needs to be demonstrated. Tang says that, during his “Value Creation to Social Inclusion: People Management” presentation, he will offer insights into the various ways the Stan Group fosters a culture of respect and inclusiveness.

“We believe it is crucial to be transparent about how we operate and what we offer that we are well placed not only to attract talent, but to work together for a strong, beneficial future,” says Tang, who believes the Classified HR Conference will provide a perfect opportunity for networking and sharing different industry experiences about the challenges HR practitioners face and how they can overcome them.

The final order of the day will be the second panel discussion, moderated by Cecilia Kwok, with Teddy Liu, Carmen Chong and Stan Tang.

Conference Rundown

Morning Keynote

Strategies for Talent Acquisition, Retention and Creativity

PROFESSOR YAPING GONG

Head of Department of Management,

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Case Study 1: How Canon in Hong Kong Grew Their Business by Putting Focus on People

SHUNICHI MORINAGA

President and CEO, Canon Hongkong

Case Study 2: Building a Better Working World for Our People

CLARE ALLUM

Tax Talent Leader, Asia-Pacific, EY

Panel Discussion: Challenges and Strategies on People – Hiring, Retention and Performance

SHUNICHI MORINAGA, CLARE ALLUM, PROFESSOR YAPING GONG

Redefining Talent Retention – from Career to Self-Actualisation

TEDDY LIU

General Manager – Corporate and Talent Development,

New World Development

Case Study 3: Lalamove SEA – Building a Scalable Talent Acquisition Function

CARMEN CHONG

Director of Talent, Lalamove

Case Study 4: Value Creation to Social Inclusion: People Management

STAN TANG, Chairman, Stan Group (Holdings)

Panel Discussion: Talent Engagement and Retention through Development, Culture Alignment and More…

TEDDY LIU, CARMEN CHONG, STAN TANG