Tony McCarthy

BAE Systems, the defence, security and aerospace company, employs 105,000 people worldwide, including 4,600 in Saudi Arabia, where it’s had a presence since 1973. More than 55 per cent of the firm’s workforce there are Saudi nationals. The country is BAE Systems’ third-largest market after the US and the UK.My role includes heading HR and operations at board level in Saudi Arabia, which gives me responsibility for learning and development. This is a pivotal area if the business is to fulfil its aspirations. The capabilities of our local staff are key in this growing market and we realised that we had to integrate our L&D framework with the business strategy to ensure that the best L&D solution was implemented. we ensure that local employees have the necessary skills to work at the cutting edge of technology. This process (“Saudisation”) is one of the ways in which global companies act locally in the Saudi home market.