World renowned HR experts promote youth talent

An international forum focusing on the career development of young professionals in global companies was held in Putuo District yesterday.

The 2018 World Renowned Enterprises Youth Talent Development Forum invited 20 chief executives from companies with business in China to give speeches and take part in roundtables on sourcing and training top professionals when operating in China.

The forum was organized by the Shanghai Youth League, China International Intellectech Co, a human resources company, and the government of Putuo District.

The executives were from multinationals based in the US, Japan, France, Germany and Switzerland, among others, in the fields of technology, automobiles, finance, medicine, trade and consumer goods. They included Celina Chew, President of Bayer China, Maarten Bijl, CEO at SHV Energy China, Alain Crozier, CEO of Microsoft China Region and Rashid Aleem Qureshi, President and CEO of Nestle China.

The executives made keynote speeches on the “local talent strategies for multinational companies,” “how to empower people in the era of artificial intelligence” as well as “the upgrade and evolution of professionals.” They also attended a closed-door meeting during the forum to discuss ways to draw more top professionals to Shanghai and improve the city’s business environment.

Boosting confidence

“We aim to offer a platform for young professionals to communicate with each other and for Chinese and global companies to share their best practices in human resource development,” said Liu Wei, a vice secretary of Shanghai Youth League. “We also hope to boost the confidence of global companies to do business in Shanghai and China,” he added.

Foreign-invested companies in Shanghai employ one in five people and contribute over 30 percent of the government’s tax income, Liu said.

The forum was held at the Shanghai Convention and Exhibition Center of International Sourcing, which dedicated to better attracting and training top professionals from across the world.

As part of the efforts, the Putuo government has issued a Talent Card for top professionals in the district to better enjoy preferential policies in education, health, scientific innovation and culture.

The first batch of cards, with a golden serial number on each, has been released to 103 professionals. They can enjoy bespoke services in 12 areas covering children’s schooling and tutoring, medical services, physical checks and movies.

“We have unprecedented eagerness for outstanding professionals, and face unprecedented opportunities to lead high-quality development driven by talent,” said Cao Liqiang, the Party chief of Putuo. “So we also have a sense of urgency in attracting talent.”

Winning card

The Talent Card is among the latest innovative efforts of Putuo District to create a satisfying development atmosphere for top professionals and a “fertile soil” for startups, according to the district government.

In the next step, the district will further expand the services involved in the card. Currently, the holders can enjoy a fast green channel for medical services or physical checks at nearby hospitals. Their children will have a preferential qualification to be enrolled to local schools. They can also have a more convenient way to watch movies or buy tickets for other cultural and recreational events, according to the district government.

The district has held an annual innovative entrepreneurship competition since 2014 to attract more entrepreneurs and investors. Many startup firms have set up base in Putuo through the competition, as well as receiving support from both the government and investors.

This year, the competition concentrated on entrepreneurs and innovative professionals from abroad. With the help of Chinese consulates and embassies around the world, the competition attracted 35 startup teams, including 10 from overseas. They cover electronic information, Internet and mobile Internet, environmental protection and advanced manufacturing.