Towers Watson, a leading human resources consultancy, said on Wednesday that it is expanding its services in the Middle East by opening a new office in Riyadh in May. With over 20 years' experience in the region, Towers Watson seeks to address the growing needs of human capital services in Saudi Arabia, which currently makes up for 60 percent of its business requirements. Dr. Ahmad Waarie, Managing Director of Towers Watson, said: “We are very excited about this expansion as Saudi Arabia is one of the largest growing economies in the world and there is a strong need and will to operate at the highest international standards. We at Towers Watson will work with our partners to help them achieve this.” Towers Watson will meet the growing demand by providing talent-and-rewards services, investment consultancy, risk and financial services and benefits and retirement solutions to various industries including oil and gas, telecom, finance, healthcare, construction, government and family-owned businesses. “As the Saudi market rapidly expands with substantial investment in manufacturing, construction, professional services, healthcare and education, the requirement to attract and retain key talents has become critical,” said Jim Matthewman, Lead Consultant at Towers Watson. “Organizations in both private and public sectors are looking for major re-organization requiring holistic, integrated solutions covering organization design, workforce planning, talent management, reward, employee engagement, change management and communication,” he added. “In essence they want better corporate governance, focus and clarity around roles plus a highly skilled, energized workforce.” Towers Watson has had a long standing relationship with its clients, offering qualified training and performance management services through its on the ground bi-lingual consultants. The Global Workforce Survey 2013 (GWS), a recent study conducted by Towers Watson, reflects that Saudi employees are hitting a “productivity wall”. Only 6 out of 10 employees believe they have the necessary tools and resources to achieve performance and even fewer feel they have access to the training needed for them to be productive. – SG
