HR + LD Innovation Tech Fest

22-23 June 2026

The Marriott Hotel - Melrose Arch, Johannesburg

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Time	Topic	Speaker(s)
08:30 - 08:45	Day 1 - Welcome & Conference Opening
08:45 - 09:15	Leading with Judgment, Clarity, and Velocity in an AI World: Turning AI into Strategic Advantage	Darren Nerland (USA)
09:20 - 09:50	Unleashing your Power	Kameka McLean (UK)
09:55 - 10:25	Turning Workforce Insight into Strategic Action	Siwe Sibeko
09:55 - 10:25	The Leadership ROI Illusion: Why Most Development Programs Fail to Create Organisational Impact	Yolanda Nobanda
10:25 - 10:55	Tea Break
10:55 - 11:25	From Capability Gap to Competitive Advantage: How Intelligent Learning Orchestration is Redefining Workforce Performance	Christo Smit
10:55 - 11:25	The Intelligence Paradox: Upskilling and Reskilling for a World That No Longer Rewards What You Know	Charlotte Mahlaka
11:30 - 12:00	Smart HR, Smarter People: Creating a Culture of Continuous Growth through Automation	Paolo Urzi
11:30 - 12:00	Scaling Immersive Learning Where It Matters Most	Charl Nel
12:05 - 12:35	PI vs AI: Why People Intelligence Is the Real Competitive Advantage	Prof. Francois Sieberhagen
12:05 - 12:35	Is Your AI Looking in the Rear-View Mirror?	Tracey Benettolo
12:35 - 13:25	Lunch Break
13:25 - 13:55	Building AI Fluency	Steve van der Westhuizen
14:00 - 14:30	HR System Reliability: The Foundation of Trust, Accuracy and Innovation	Chrisna van den Berg
14:00 - 14:30	From Learning Activity to Business Impact: How MTN Is Driving Workforce Readiness and Digital Skills Across Africa	Julie Stack
14:35 - 15:05	Reframe Frustration IntoIinnovation – Automation for a Frictionless Employee Experience	Aba Ayirebi
14:35 - 15:05	Taming the Trickster: Three key imperatives for AI adoption in HCM and L&D	Jannie Malan
15:10 - 15:40	Smarter Skills for a Messy World	Gary Cookson (UK)
15:45 - 16:15	Seeing the Invisible	Kele Boakgomo Mika Valoyi
16:15 - 16:30	Grab a drink!
16:30 - 17:00	Designing Work Worth Experiencing: The Engagement Continuum	Jazmin Webster (USA)
17:00 - 19:00	Networking Drinks
08:30 - 08:40	Day 2 - Welcome & Conference Opening
08:40 - 09:15	The New Work Paradigm – A Manifesto for Organisational Transformation	Gary Cookson (UK)
09:15 - 09:45	Designing the Workforce of the Future: From Foresight to Capability & Skills	Darren Nerland (USA)
09:50 - 10:20	Master the 5Ps of Shared Leadership – A Strategic Guide for Driving Meaningful and Progressive Impact Everywhere	Caroline Marwisa
09:50 - 10:20	Beyond the Hype: Turning Random Acts of AI into real Organisational Capability	Yandri Pienaar Dewald Lindeque
10:20 - 10:45	Tea Break
10:45 - 11:15	From AI Tools to Organisational Capability: Building AI Fluency at Enterprise Scale	Kira Koopman
10:45 - 11:15		Prof. Hayley Pearson
11:20 - 11:50	Recruitment Integrity in the AI Era: What to Allow, What to Verify	Mercy Chigoma-Musekiwa
11:20 - 11:50		Di Frost
11:50 - 12:30	AI Fluency: The Missing Link Between Adoption and Impact	Dan Stillerman
12:30 - 13:15	Lunch Break
13:15 - 13:45	You Launched It… So, Why Aren’t They Using It? Rethinking Adoption in HR & L&D Technology	Sheree Comninellis
13:15 - 13:45	From Content to Value: Simple Engagement Strategies That Turn Training Into Experience	Christyl Potgieter
13:50 - 14:20	No One Is Me – And That Is My Power: Leading HR With Integrity When the Odds Feel Stacked Against You	Kameka McLean (UK)
13:50 - 14:20	From Content to Value: Simple Engagement Strategies That Turn Training Into Experience	Jazmin Webster (USA)
14:25 - 14:55	Panel Discussion: From Insight to Impact: Driving Meaningful Change
15:00 - 15:15	Conference Closing