The Phillips Group announces JV with Digital Analytica in light of COVID-19 digital recruitment drive

(MENAFN- A Communications) The Phillips Group (TPG), the Executive Search and HR Consulting Firm, today announces its joint venture with IT digital transformation and analytics solutions entity, Digital Analytica (DA). The JV is set to fill a booming gap in the current market for internal and external technology requirements amongst corporate entities across the GCC region.
According to LinkedIn data, while the job market overall is beginning to recover from the drop seen in the first quarter of this year, the IT skillset has remained in demand throughout the crisis. Software and IT services proved the most resilient sector in the UAE during the pandemic, with job postings on LinkedIn increasing by 66 per cent from 2020.
The joint venture combines two of the region's top search and technology brands. The new merger will allow TPG to source, assess, and acquire top senior digital talent for its clients, which is accomplished using TPG’s unique and established screening processes, coupled with its technology savvy team at DA. TPG can then assess which services are required and not being met by the client’s IT department and is now able to provide all necessary digital transformation services, offering a 360 IT solution to clients.
The Philips Group reports three significant trends across the IT industry in 2021, which CEO's and board level positions need to be aware of:
• Increase in investment into technology departments and the digital ecosystem
• A demand for digital competency amongst C Level staff and Board Members
• Demand for digital transformation
"Clients are driving digital innovation in the front, middle and back-office and new skillsets for each. A CIO may be focused on increasing efficiency and reducing costs through digital automation, but may not have the answer to what innovative digital product will boost sales, for example. On the revenue side you will need different skills. Senior hiring managers are looking for candidates with expert levels of competency in specific IT solutions and tools to aid responses to new demands of the shifting IT landscape." Said Shane Phillips, CEO at TPG and board member at DA.
"Digital transformation efforts, in particular projects aimed at curbing operational cash outlays, are increasing the demand for certain supporting roles in the UAE. Just about every industry or sector is looking at digitisation, with particular movement across financial services and government sectors." He added.
According to TPG there has been a rise in Chief Information Officers moving into more senior roles during the pandemic. Chief Operation Officers and Chief Executive Officers are now required to have technical skillsets to stay safe and profitable moving forward, and businesses such as ADIB, GEMS Education and Emirates Investment bank have all seen their CIO's move into COO or CEO roles in 2021. The Covid-19 crisis

has seen a surge in demand for the roles of CISOs and CDOs, while the CIO role is headed for an on-demand model among the small and medium enterprises, says the firm.
Nasser Zagha, Founder and CEO of DA, was formerly the VP of Technology at Bank of America, CIO of Bank of Jordan, and CTO at IGI and has led many of their digitisation initiatives. Zagha brings an inside view to the technology hiring process.
Zagha said: "Covid has accelerated corporate entities path to digitisation. At DA we have seen a massive 60 per cent growth in provision of digital transformation solutions, this year alone, especially from financial, retail, insurance, and manufacturing firms in the region.”
This merger is intended to safeguard GCC corporate entities against data breaches and profit loss through the pandemic and beyond with 78 per cent of GCC businesses stating they will not be returning to a “normal office environment”.

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