We speak with the Co-Founder and Chairman of CLO-ME as they rebrand and reposition to ME HR & Learning

Chief Learning Officer Middle East (CLO ME) has been informing regional HR and L&D professionals for over ten years. Tell us why you decided to reposition Clo-me as ME HR.

Its been a time of consolidation through mergers and acquisitions, and I believe that the opportunity to offer enhanced and more intuitive services to our members, our strategic partners, and our stakeholders. We are doing this by firstly, rebranding and repositioning Clo-me and secondly by partnering with a successful and innovative UAE-based media and events business. We have added considerable value to the regional Human Resources & Learning and Development (HR and L&D) professions, but have been limited in what we can undertake because of the voluntary nature of our initiatives as part of our CSR services for the HR and Learning community.

Have the changes you are making to CLO -ME reflect growing recognition of the importance and stature of HR and L&D professionals to regional business and industry? 

It is fair to say that we, along with the profession, have come of age.
Since the onset of the pandemic, we have seen such a dramatic change in learning and HR, where technology has advanced significantly and the new conditions of employment and skills development have pushed HR and L&D higher up the priority scale and into the boardrooms of an increasing number of businesses. So, it is exactly these changes that have prompted us to initiate our metamorphosis in order that we can be a leading voice in the region’s HR and Learning community.

Why did Clo-ME partner with  MEA-Finance/business to launch ME HR? 

MEA Finance and MEA Business are successful and well-regarded media platforms in the Creative Middle East Media stable. Their talented team is a perfect fit for us to help transition into not only a commercially successful company but also enhance our long-held values and vision of helping HR and Learning professionals by highlighting their growing importance to business in the region and keeping them up to date with the latest trends in our marketplace

How will the business model for ME HR & Learning change with the rebranding and repositioning? 

From our inception, because of our voluntary approach, we have not had a “commercial” model. However, we will now transition from our volunteer’s website to a commercial enterprise.

We have done an amazing job over the past 10 years, producing great content for our members, keeping them informed of the latest developments, jobs and up-to-date reports and data.

The new company will have a much wider array of offers, including digital and print publishing, providing updated news and opinions, events, and market networking opportunities which will enhance our stakeholder value and give opportunities for our strategic alliance partners to have the ability to expand their services to our members and readership.

How will the delivery of news and information to the market change under the new format? 

We want to reflect the growing prioritization and prestige of the HR and L&D professionals in business in the region, and I believe the whole look and feel will be more contemporary and professional with deeper and richer news and content from a broader variety of contributors, not only from the Middle East but internationally too.

Will ME HR be developing new ideas for interaction and networking in the regional HR and L&D arenas? 

Absolutely. The options are almost limitless but for right now, I suggest you watch this space for new and exciting initiatives coming in the form of new publishing, events, networking opportunities, and lead-generation exercises from this new, bigger, and revitalized entity.