North Africa (and the Middle East) is set to have its own LinkedIn office to service and support the region’s growing membership and client base. This will be the first office in the region for the world’s largest professional social network.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is said to have five million LinkedIn members, and 1 million are based in the United Arab Emirates.
The new regional headquarters will be located in Dubai’s Internet City
LinkedIn’s Dubai office will service the needs of member and clients across the MENA region, including the UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen.
Farhan Syed, Director, Global Sales Strategy, LinkedIn said: “We are very excited to be opening an office here in Dubai – a city recognized by the world as a crossroads for global business exchange. Members are already networking in over 2,000 LinkedIn Groups in the region, exchanging strategic business insights and exploring opportunities together. Having a strong local presence will help serve our members better here, ultimately making them more productive and successful.”
Speaking at the local launch of LinkedIn, Fadi Salem, Director, Governance and Innovation Program, Dubai School of Government, said: “Our research in the Arab Social Media Report series shows that the MENA region has witnessed exponential growth in social media usage, with usage trends shifting from primarily fulfilling social needs back in 2010 to political and societal usage in 2011.
“In 2012 strong growth continues, coupled with maturity and yet another shift in usage trends, where a critical mass of users now heavily relying on such social media platforms to develop new business and entrepreneurial initiatives. We are witnessing increased opportunities for employment, start-ups and social entrepreneurship leading to economic empowerment of a large group of youth in the region.”
With this growing customer base in the region, the professional social network has gone on to appoint Ali Matar as Head of Hiring Solutions, MENA.
This latest expansion follows the opening of LinkedIn’s Spanish office in March, and brings the number of LinkedIn offices in EMEA (Europe middle East and Africa) to ten, including Paris, Milan, Stockholm, London, Munich, Milan, Dublin, Amsterdam, Madrid and now Dubai.
LinkedIn MENA – Fast Facts
The top three industries by LinkedIn membership:
Oil & energy
Construction
Information technology and services
The top three regions in MENA by LinkedIn membership:
Pakistan
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
The three companies in MENA with the most employees on LinkedIn:
Saudi Aramco
Emirates
Etisalat
Most common LinkedIn job titles in MENA:
Owner
Manager
Engineer
