Stefano Colli-Lanzi is one the staffing gurus of the modern corporate structure. The founder and CEO of the Italy-based Gi Group is also a professor of business economics at the Milan Catholic University in Italy.

While Colli-Lanzi likes to maintain a low profile, his work does reach out to the top honchos of the industries.  Here we bring to you some excerpts of the interaction we at the Arabian Gazette had with him.

While he thinks that the MENA region needs to get rid of the outdated labour laws, he also feels that talent is being appreciated even in the so-called recessionary trends.

Gi Group Milano 28/09/2007

Do you think there is a difference in the recruitment systems of the different continents that you cater to?

Yes there are different systems that operate in different continents. Europe is more advanced in many ways as compared to South America and Asia. Different countries have their own challenges and its about coming with best possible solutions which are client focussed and enhance the value proposition that we want to deliver.

Which region is contributing the most to your revenues?

We are a company that originated in Italy and even today Italy gives us the maximum revenue.

How do you think the staffing in the MENA region is different from the other countries?

Some of the countries in MENA work with labour laws that are really old and have outlived their existence. Countries need to change and adapt to new situations. On the other hand, India is looking promising as it is making an effort in that direction even as some of the other countries are not doing that.

What are your forecasts for the coming financial year for the Middle East? 

Middle East is a growth market and we are seeing good revenue numbers in them.

Companies and people are spending, the retail industry is thriving. However, employees complain that all the recessionary trends show up only during performance appraisals. What do you feel about this? Are companies under the pretext of a slowdown, not sharing profits with the employees? 

I do not agree with that. Today there is a war for talent and all organisations want to retain the talent that they have. In WUCA times it is all the more important to be transparent and share your profitability with employees. A lot of companies have bonus systems which are linked with the profitability of the organisation. Increments in India for example have always been in double digits as compared to the West and Australia or say Japan.

Source: Arabian Gazette