THE NEWS OF AL HABTOOR LEIGHTON GROUP Dubai - UAE ...

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NEW Perspective
• Planning led by Jafar Khair.
• Information Technology led by Naghman Akhtar.
• QHSE led by Ian Ratcliffe in an acting capacity.
Corporate Affairs is led by Lina Sadek who will report directly
to the MD and will be supported by the Leighton International
Corporate Affairs Team. The corporate team members will
work on systems and policies that will define processes and
guidelines executed at the divisional levels. They will thus
maintain the strategic control while the divisional counterpart
will manage the operative control.
What the merger means to the employees
The company is undergoing a transition phase including
reshuffling of people with the right expertise into the right
places. This has given rise to speculation about job security
and company management as would occur in any merger
and acquisition situation. Queries about how the merger
would function and what would be the impact on the merged
company’s internal and external environment are being raised
from all sides. As a result management is taking various
steps to announce and communicate the new systems and
plans. One of the important aspects of this partnership is
that all employees have positives changes to look forward
to. The Al Habtoor Leighton merger necessitated some
changes to encourage further growth. These include
organizational restructuring to manage the current growth
and encourage further development. Management believes
that people perform better when given greater autonomy
and responsibility. This was a key factor in the restructuring
distinct market and areas of experience which includes multi
use buildings structure. Gulf Leighton’s primary expertise lies
in civil infrastructure works. Thus both operate as two distinct
brands in this market – Al Habtoor and Leighton – but they
are part of the same group. Both brands attract very different
clients, so HLG stands to benefit by having both brands operate
here.
David Savage pointed out that, “Robust systems are an
essential ingredient in moving into a new market, as are clear
and concise policies and procedures. Having strong systems
makes it significantly easier for new recruits to assimilate
into an organisation and begin operating as the company
expects them to. When systems and procedures are clearly
documented, new staff quickly learn what they are required to
do, and how they are required to do it, and are able to adapt
with much less supervision” David further explained, “Getting
the structure right is the first step to a successful international
expansion, and part of this is providing senior management with
suitable autonomy and responsibility. The keys to successful
international expansion, includes systems, flexibility, marketing
and branding, patience, presence and, most importantly,
people trust and confidence in our people, providing them the
opportunity to grow and enhance themselves is one of the
major focuses of the company.
Communication Plan
Internal
To communicate the new structure, presentations were
conducted in Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Each General
process of the organization. Stronger systems and enhanced
policies are being developed. Staff development programs
are being introduced. More details of these programs will be
discussed in the forthcoming issues.
What the merger means to the Industry
A critical element of the restructuring process is that there is
no change in the Al Habtoor brand and logo. HEE has its own
Manager was formally introduced. Their roles and
responsibilities were communicated to all. Each division
explained their responsibilities and accountabilities to their
respective teams.
The first session was held in Qatar with Nasr A. Nasr, the
General Manager of HEE Qatar, giving a presentation to his
team. He also introduced David Savage who spoke about the
AKHBAR ALDAR - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2007
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