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Maldives Association of Human Resource Professionals (MAHRP) has successfully concluded the first ever virtual learning and development conference in Maldives.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and related challenges, MAHRP could not host the event as planned. The event was shifted to a virtual platform.

Hosted on July 11 and 12, the virtual learning and development conference was themed as, “Creating a Value-Driven Learning Culture”. It was attended by over 380 participants, and featured speakers from the Maldives, India, Trinidad and Tobago and Singapore.

Ron Kaufman was the keynote speaker and chief guest of the conference. He brought in so much value by explaining the opportunities ahead to elevate personal and professional life and drive it through a transformation.

Eddie Lee touched upon the topic of coaching and how organisational leaders can bring a cultural change through in-house coaches. He also highlighted the role coaches can play in creating a value-driven learning culture.

Ahmed Ibrahim delivered a keynote on the topic of agility and transformation, and the mindset organisational leaders need. He shared examples from the days of the Industrial Revolution to the current concepts of human capital development.

Aminath Irasha presented a case study on how Islanders Education Group brought a revolution in digital learning through their schools and learning institutions. She was joined by Mauroofa from Billabong High International School, and together they shared the knowledge and transformative experienced gained during the school closures in the wake of the pandemic.

Iyaz Waheed brought with him his favourite topic: growth mindset and how organisations can drive growth mindset. His belief on instilling growth mindset through schools and education institutions was well shared.

Mohamed Ashraf brought an excellent case study on how the nation’s leading bank, Bank of Maldives, created a learning culture, challenged the status quo, and brought a complete transformation to their organisational performance through a continuous learning process.

Aminath Adhala highlighted the importance of living a life driven by values. She gave a significant closing remark; that we should be asking every day, “How do we want others to remember us when we are gone?”

Ahmed Nasir shared a thought-provoking concept and approach. He invited all training providers and organisations to join TVET in transforming learning into practical certifications and skill-based experiences through apprenticeship programmes or set of work experience initiatives.

Mavis Mazhura joined the conference from South Africa, sharing her insights on building emotional resilience and critical elements that will help us to transform our lives.

Hawwa Leesha, Hawwa Shaheena and Dr Safeeya Mohammed conducted an important panel discussion on wellness, wellbeing, happiness and creating a culture of gratitude within an organisation. They shared relevant global and local best practices.

Kiruba Shanker shared his wisdom on building a professional brand image as speakers, learning and development professionals. He showed with practical examples the opportunities we have through social media platforms and how we can use them to our advantage.

Zakariya ‘Zaki’ Easa presented a world-class case study on how Crown & Champa Resorts handled the challenges stemming from the Covid-19 crisis and used learning and development functions to drive the strategy to keep their teams engaged.

Sara Ballinger shared a practical approach to identify, develop and grow talents within our community.

Ibrahim Inaz touched upon the culture of learning and the role of operational managers.

Hassan Shamman, a champion of good HR practices, shared his insights on how we can transform the traditional recruitment process to a value-driven one by challenging the status quo.

Ahmed Saeid presented a thoughtful approach to how cognitive apprenticeship can change organisational learning cultures.

Imelda Sutisna delivered an incredible closing speech on how mentoring can play a crucial role in growing and developing talents within any organisation.

“I should share a moment of gratitude to MAHRP exco and advisory team. Their guidance made this conference a success. Ali Adam, your thoughtful approach in creating our virtual studio, added so much value to our event,” MAHRP President Hussain Afeef, who also serves as the Regional Director of Training, Development and Quality Assurance at LUX* Resorts, said.

“I share this moment of gratitude to all speakers as a reminder that we must celebrate and always be grateful for every success and learning.”

Since the coronavirus pandemic hit our routine, MAHRP has conducted several virtual learning experiences covering topics ranging from HR challenges in force majeure, emotional intelligence, workplace wellness and mental wellbeing, post-pandemic HR leadership requirements, and techniques to follow and engage teams when working from home.