LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD), the worlds largest professional network on the Internet with more than 347 million members, has marked an exciting milestone with the launch of its Arabic version. The announcement was made at an event held today at the companys new regional headquarters in Dubai, and keynoted by Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, Chief Executive Officer of the Media Zone Authority - Abu Dhabi (twofour54).

Speaking at the event, HE Noura Al Kaabi, said: The launch of LinkedIn Arabic is a significant step towards strengthening the Arabic media sector, developing local content and nurturing Arabic talent. LinkedIn Arabic will enable greater communication among individuals and major companies within the region and support career building efforts with the ability to search for opportunities that fit with their skills and potential.

Arabic is spoken by over 300 million of the global population, more than French and Portuguese, yet it is underrepresented on the Internet. As speakers of this great language, it is our duty to be proactive, collaborate and strengthen the content available online in our language, and to initiate new sites and platforms, such as LinkedIn Arabic, that will cater for Arab youth and the generations to come. I commend those driving the development of LinkedIns Arabic initiative and wish them every success in developing this socially-significant, Arabic-led tool, she added.

The launch of Arabic - the first bi-directional language on LinkedIn - brings the total number of languages available to 24. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a fast growing region for LinkedIn, growing from five million members in October 2012 when the company opened their local office in Dubai, to more than 14 million today.

His Excellency Eng. Adel M. Fakeih, Minister of Labor, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said: LinkedIn has been working with us to match talent in the Kingdom with the right opportunity, and with Arabic, this benefit can be rolled-out to a much wider member base. LinkedIn will continue to be a useful tool for us as we use technology to communicate the need for nationals to up-skill themselves and take advantage of the strong economic climate and significant job-creation in the Kingdom. Being a part of a global network also helps youth identify the key demand areas, and build their qualifications accordingly.

We already have more than 14 million members here in the MENA region using LinkedIn in English. The launch of an Arabic version will provide a more relevant experience to our members and customers in the region, said Ali Matar, Head of LinkedIn MENA Talent Solutions.

This will open up opportunities for hundreds of millions of Arabic speaking professionals to connect and engage with other professionals and employers across the world, and for companies to find and attract the best talent, connect their brand with our audience, and engage with their customers, continued Matar.

LinkedIn Arabic
New members can now sign up for LinkedIn in Arabic by visiting the site and registering a new account. LinkedIn members who have been using the site in English can switch their language settings to Arabic, should they wish to do so, by following this link [linkd.in/changelanguage]

ADDITIONAL QUOTES

LinkedIn is an increasingly major part of our talent strategy in the region, and we congratulate them on the launch of the Arabic version. In Saudi Arabia, connecting talent with the right opportunity is a priority driven by Government and the private sector, and the changing competitive landscape has placed a premium on quality talent. We look forward to driving more of our talent and customer engagement, and deriving more benefit, from our presence and activity on LinkedIn, commented Amjad Shacker, STC Corporate Communication GM.

John Harker, Chief Marketing and HR Officer, Al Futtaim Group, said: We have used LinkedIn as a key component of our marketing and hiring strategy across the Group since September 2013, and we have had huge success in acquiring talent as well as building our employer brand. With nearly 100 companies in the Group, it is a matter of competitive advantage to be seen as employer and brand of choice, and now with Arabic on the platform, we can strengthen our access to our key audiences across the region.

Yousef Tuqan Tuqan, Chief Innovation Officer, Leo Burnett/Publicis Group MENA, said: With the reach, unique context, and opportunity that LinkedIn creates for brands, its important that they integrate it as part of their social media mix. At Leo Burnett, our marketing efforts are directed towards addressing human needs and, with the availability of Arabic on the LinkedIn platform, it presents an opportunity for a wider audience to connect with brands that can make an impact in their lives.

Haitham Hidmi, Managing Director, Medium Rare Advertising, said: LinkedIn has proven to be a great platform for us as we recently expanded in the region, and was the most effective tool when we first set-up our Doha branch in 2012. In the GCC, like in many other regions, it can be quite challenging to source experienced creative personnel in the advertising and communications industry. We found LinkedIns member base to be a treasure-trove of profiles of interesting candidates from middle-level to senior staff including art directors and account managers. Factors that helped us identify the right people included their level of attention to detail on their LinkedIn profiles, their frequency in updating their professional information, and the significant value added to their profiles through multimedia content and case-studies.

For more information: LinkedIn.com/Arabic.