Jonathan Lavender
Jonathan Lavender is a British national and has spent over 20 years in the MENA region and has amassed a comprehensive behavioral understanding from operating within a multi-cultural environment with experience in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. A former Regional Talent Director for some of the world’s leading organizations in financial services, logistics, local Government and media. He brings with him vast experience of integrating talent management strategies to meet the needs of both local and expatriate employees to both international and locally based organizations and has faced the challenges set by meeting the requirements of the many diverse local labor laws, obligations and restriction across the MENA region.
Jonathan is a talent management and organisational transformation specialist with a warm consultative approach, strong commercial acumen and experience of working between board and operational level. His successes have included the creation & implementation of integrated HR solutions, performance management systems, talent acquisition strategies, benefit & rewards structures, induction initiatives, career mapping, succession planning, training & development, and employee retention schemes. Jonathan is a specialist in the design, creation, and delivery of progressive management development and competency-based employee skills training programmes integrated with succession planning and performance monitoring and evaluation systems.
Jonathan’s career began in the financial services sector in the UK and after 10 years’ experience, he relocated to the Middle-East to take up the position of Head of Learning & Development at Eagle Star / Zurich Insurance in 1994. The role was focused on establishing world-class training & development for local and expatriate employees based across the Gulf region and the local HR operations in Bahrain. During his tenure, Jonathan was responsible for the creation and design of a structured initial and developmental sales training program and a career development model with ongoing regional training & development responsibility for over 300 sales consultants of European, Asian and Arab nationalities of diverse experience, skill sets and abilities.
