Collab Stories: When Connections Turn Into Opportunities

Paul Michael Gledhill, ME-HR & Learning CEO extolls the virtue of collaboration and shares the excitement of what's coming next.

OPINION PIECE

ME-HR & Learning - Paul Michael Gledhill

11/12/20263 min read

There is something I have always believed: the real value of a network isn't how many people you know, but what happens when those people get to know each other.

Over the last few months, we have seen some lovely examples of this happening within the ME HR & Learning community. Some have been driven by us, others have developed organically, and a few have taken directions that perhaps nobody initially anticipated.

I thought it was worth sharing a few of these stories because they demonstrate something that is becoming increasingly important to what we are building at ME HR & Learning.

We aren't simply bringing HR and Learning professionals together. We are creating opportunities for people to collaborate, share expertise, develop business relationships and, hopefully, create something bigger than they could achieve individually.

Two strategic partnerships for SkillUp MENA

Let's start with SkillUp MENA, whose Founder and CEO, Talal Alafghani, has recently signed two strategic partnerships with fellow members.

The first is with Sorbojeet Chatterjee and Happcoach. Sorbojeet brings an interesting combination of experience, having previously held senior marketing positions with Zee Entertainment and India Today Group. Happcoach specialises in engaging e-learning content, microlearning, coaching and design thinking.

The second partnership is with Hani Algabba and Leenium. Hani has an extensive background in media production and technology, with Leenium specialising in Metaverse, AI and immersive experiences, including applications in education and training.

These partnerships bring together complementary capabilities in learning, technology and content development. It is a great example of how businesses can combine their strengths to create more comprehensive solutions for the market.

And importantly, these aren't just conversations over coffee. They are strategic business partnerships with the potential to deliver real value.

Bringing education expertise to Repton School

Another collaboration came about through Uzair Hassan, who helped Repton School organise an event for its parent community.

Uzair brought together three other ME HR & Learning members to contribute their expertise: Sara Haboubi, Maddy Scott and Willem (Willie) Maritz.

All three bring different perspectives and experience from the education and learning landscape.

Sara combines engineering, education and coaching, with over 20 years of experience designing learning programmes. Maddy is a business psychologist and talent development professional, with a particular interest in supporting working parents and helping organisations create environments where family and career can coexist. Willie brings two decades of experience in leadership development, organisational change and learning innovation.

What I particularly like about this example is that it demonstrates how our members can contribute beyond their immediate professional networks. A connection made within ME HR & Learning helped bring together expertise that could benefit an entirely different community.

In this case, Repton's parents.

Taking learning into another dimension – literally!

Our newest VR member, Hannah Hayes of High5VR, has also started creating opportunities within the community.

High5VR is developing some exciting opportunities around virtual reality, immersive learning and virtual events. Hannah has been looking for speakers to participate in their virtual events and has selected two of our members, Sara Haboubi and Elena Buriani, to join them in what promises to be a first-of-its-kind VR event.

Sara brings her experience in learning and personal development, while Elena brings more than 25 years of HR experience, leadership expertise and executive and team coaching.

It's a fascinating combination, and another example of how traditional professional expertise can find a new platform through emerging technology.

Who knows, perhaps this is how we'll all be attending conferences in the future? Although I suspect some of us will still be looking for the coffee station!

And then there are the conversations we can't talk about... yet!

Without giving anything away, we are also aware of potential merger and acquisition discussions involving two members of our community.

Naturally, these matters are confidential, so I won't be saying anything more. But it is another illustration of the level of business opportunity that can emerge when the right people connect.

Sometimes collaboration is about sharing knowledge. Sometimes it is about winning business together. And sometimes it can lead to much bigger strategic opportunities.

This is what community should look like.

I could probably list more examples, and I am sure there will be plenty more to come.

What excites me most isn't necessarily the individual announcements, but the pattern that is beginning to emerge.

We have people working together who might never otherwise have met. Businesses finding complementary partners. Experts being introduced to new audiences. Members opening doors for one another.

Some of these connections will lead to long-term partnerships, others to individual projects or one-off events. Not every introduction will turn into something, and that's perfectly fine. The important thing is creating the environment where these opportunities can happen.

At ME HR & Learning, we have always wanted to be more than a directory of professionals or another online platform. We want to build a community that has genuine value for its members.

And if these recent examples are anything to go by, we are moving in the right direction.

So, if you are a member and see an opportunity to collaborate with someone else in the community, don't be shy. Reach out, have a conversation and see where it leads.

You never quite know what might happen when the right people connect.

Watch this space. There are more Collab Stories to come!