A hotbed for HR

A string of global HR associations are establishing a base in Singapore, bringing industry-specific knowledge and expertise into the region.

UK based Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), Europe’s largest HR Association with 135,000 members across the globe, announced their arrival at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Workforce Development Agency Summit back in September 2011.

“We were attracted by the unique context of Asia – high growth, with human capital unequivocally positioned as a critical enabler of that growth,” said Sarah Miles, Managing Director, CIPD Asia. “The government’s commitment to establishing Singapore as a talent hub for Asia made this an even more natural location for our regional base – and they encouraged us to locate here for that reason.”

Hot on their heels is the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world’s largest HR association with some 260,000 members. “We are setting up our presence in Singapore. Not necessarily opening an office,” said G. Ravindran, Member, Global Leadership Team, SHRM.

The move is part of SHRM’s plans to refresh its global focus in 2012, especially in the Asia Pacific region. “Singapore is critical to anchor this effort in the long term,” Ravindran said. SHRM will engage its stakeholders through various services such as professional development & certification programmes, advisory services and academic initiatives.

When asked if they are looking to attract new members in Singapore and Asia, Ravindran said, “We have a good platform to start from. As a not-for-profit professional association, we are keen to build the community as this would enhance knowledge sharing & development of ‘next’ practices.”

CIPD too, is working with existing HR practitioners to provide professional accreditation and is also partnering with academic institutions in Singapore to groom a new generation of HR talent, Miles said. “We’re confident we’ll continue to attract many new members across Asia, motivated by the gold standard CIPD membership represents, and by the opportunities for continuous, career-enhancing development that maintaining CIPD membership entails.”

Other players in the burgeoning local HR scene include the American Society for Training and Development Global Network Singapore (ASTD GNS) and the Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI). Apart from promoting networking between professionals, these bodies also conduct professional training courses and industry events.

MOM told HRM that  the presence of more HR associations in Singapore adds to the vibrancy of the local industry. “It bears recognition of Singapore’s effort to establish itself as a talent capital and a thought leader in human capital development and management,” said a MOM spokesperson.

The new knowledge, ideas and networks that these HR associations bring with them will likely lead to even more strategic HR conversations conducted in Singapore, the MOM spokesperson said. “This will result in greater perspectives, richer ideas and more innovative solutions that address people challenges locally and regionally.”

Is Singapore large enough to sustain so many HR associations? According to MOM, there are abundant opportunities for everyone. “Most of these HR organisations do not just serve the local market. They see Singapore as the ideal platform to serve the Asia-Pacific market, given our strong base of multicultural and cosmopolitan talent, the strong presence of MNC regional HQs in Singapore, as well as our high connectivity and accessibility to the rest of Asia,” the spokesperson added.

ASTD GNS believes that there is room for specialisation as it serves Learning & Performance (L&P) professionals in Singapore. “We are not restricting ourselves to HRM or HRD,” said its Vice President, Raymond Yap.

HR associations that HRM spoke to also said that they are keen to collaborate with their peers. ASTD GNS for example, partners with the Singapore Training and Development Association (STADA) as well as other HR and training organisations to present conferences and events.

CIPD plans to do the same. “We’ll continue to work with organisations like SHRM and SHRI in pursuit of our mutual goals of supporting and raising the profile and influence of our global profession,” Miles said.