Agenda @ HRM Summit 2026

Opening Remarks

Keynote: Agile HR - The "Firm-eye Paradox"?

In the world of future work, we are told that everything will change and keep on changing. How is HR going to keep ahead? What will go away, and what just won't? Let's keep our eyes on the Stars, see what 'good, better, best' is shaping up to be for HR in leading organisations, and take a shot at how we will, formally and future-ly, steer an agile path to helping our Firms, and our HR people, succeed.

Keynote: Culture as Strategy: Aligning Mindsets for Performance

Gabriele will share the story of Ericsson's biggest culture transformation in its 140+ year history — a five-year program she led that shifted mindsets, behaviors and HR systems to drive performance and agility. She'll open with the business context and goals, addresses challenges and pitfalls to finally provide HR practitioners with a series of practical tools that enabled a true shift in behavior. Attendees will leave with a clear, practical playbook to start experiments.

Expo Tour - Tour of the Exhibition by the delegates

Keynote: AI and the Future of Work

This session explores the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on the future of work & how AI is reshaping industries, redefining job roles, and creating new opportunities across sectors. The key note will highlight key trends, practical use cases, and the essential skills needed to thrive in an AI-powered workplace

Panel: Where is HR headed in 2026 and beyond?

The role of Human Resources is undergoing a seismic shift, moving from a support function to a central strategic driver of business innovation and resilience. As we look to 2026 and beyond, HR stands at a critical crossroads, shaped by artificial intelligence, the evolution of the workplace, and a redefined employee value proposition.
This pivotal panel discussion will explore the future landscape of HR. We will delve into how AI and automation are streamlining administrative tasks, freeing up HR leaders to focus on strategic people initiatives like talent development and cultural transformation. Our experts will examine the ongoing challenges of mastering the hybrid work model and building an inclusive, connected culture in a dispersed environment. Furthermore, we will address the urgent need for workforce upskilling to meet the demands of a rapidly changing digital economy.
Join us for a forward-looking conversation that will provide essential insights into how HR can harness these transformative forces to build more agile, human-centric, and future-ready organizations.

THE SUPER10 ROUNDTABLES

At the HRM Summit, we believe in creating innovative ways to increase deeper engagement of our delegates. Through our 10 Exclusive Roundtables, each table will be led by one of our esteemed Leadership and HR experts, who will facilitate a focused discussion on a specific topic. These roundtables are designed to foster intimate, in-depth conversations, allowing delegates to ask questions and explore key subjects with a subject-matter expert. These sessions will be more than just discussions—they will serve as impromptu, fireside chats where participants can dive deep into the topics that matter most to them. It's a rare chance to engage directly with industry thought leaders in a personalized setting, gaining insights that can directly impact you and your organization. Here are the Topics:

Panel: The Workforce of Tomorrow - Skills and Competencies needed for the NextGen HR Leaders

Prepare for the future of HR management by exploring the skills and competencies required for the next generation of HR leaders. This session will discuss emerging trends in HR, the evolving role of HR managers, remote-work, the GenZ workforce, workplace safety and wellness demands, Tech and AI disruptions and the importance of adaptability in a rapidly changing business environment. Learn how to equip yourself and your team to meet the demands of tomorrow’s workforce and discuss some of the abilities and qualities that you’ll need to future proof yourself for the next revolution, that is imminent!

Group Photo

A group photo of all delegates, speakers and VIPs

Prayer and Lunch Break

Keynote: Corporate Wellness - How companies promote the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of their employees

Explore the critical role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related Tech in modern Corporate Wellness practices. This session will delve into how AI and Tech can transform your Corporate Wellness Program. relevant yet often underrepresented topic is that of corporate wellness—i.e., how companies can promote the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of their employees—and the role that AI/tech can play. The focus here is that of Lifestyle Medicine as a medical-based framework that uses lifestyle and behavioral interventions to prevent, treat, and often reverse chronic diseases (read stress, anxiety, obesity, diabetes etc.). Based on six pillars: movement, nutrition, sleep, stress management, substance avoidance and social connection. And from the technology side, how we can use AI and wearables (e.g., Whoop, Fitbit, etc.) to inform corporate wellness and enhance people’s healthspans.

Panel: From HR Officer to People Officer: The Evolving Role of HR Leaders

The traditional HR function is being radically redefined. Today's HR leaders are no longer just administrative officers; they are strategic People Officers, architects of culture, and drivers of business value through human capital. This roundtable discussion will delve into this critical evolution. We will explore how top HR professionals are shifting from process management to people advocacy, building resilient and future-ready talent pipelines, leveraging data and AI for empathy and insights, and designing workplaces that foster productivity, well-being, and belonging. Join us to uncover the new skills, mindsets, and strategies required to lead the people function into a dynamic and human-centric future.

Keynote: Building a Skill First Organisation - Shift from Job Profiles to Skill Profiles

Today’s world of work is moving faster than static job descriptions can keep up. Titles don’t always reflect the real skills employees bring or the agility organisations need. In this keynote, we’ll explore how leading companies are re-imagining talent through a skills-first lens: reducing hiring time by redeploying existing staff, boosting engagement through skill-based career paths, and driving retention with transparent growth opportunities. Attendees will discover how organisations can leverage AI-powered skill inferences and multi-channel skills validation to create accurate, trusted skill profiles. The audience will leave with one clear principle: hire for skills, grow for skills, reward for skills. The future of work will be powered by skills, not job titles.

END OF DAY ONE

MASTERCLASS 1: People-Centricity – “What’s EX Got To Do With It?”

In this highly interactive 1.5-hour session, Peter will help spark realization, insights and energy around why a great employee experience matters to our customers and businesses, where we’ll try out practical tools and exercises to frame our understanding and identify useful tools and frameworks to get our EX act together. Questions we will run with - What really matters? Where to begin? Are we living up to ‘the values’? What do we do? And along the way, we’ll get into tips on building our metrics and business cases, topping off with a short brainstorming on future EX journey challenges.

Peter Kelly

Peter Kelly joined National Bank of Kuwait, one of Kuwait’s leading Banking Group, in 2024, as Deputy Head (DGM/EVP) Group Human Resources. He has over 30 years’ experience across multiple geographies and industries, predominantly based in the Middle East, covering the wider region (Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan) as well as expansion and operations in the UK, the US, Europe, and several APAC countries.
He has worked, as a leader and as a consultant, in Oil and Gas, Engineering, Procurement and Construction, Retail, Telecoms, Family-Owned Conglomerates and Banking and Financial Services, including the Kuwait Oil Sector, as well as high-profile Kuwait businesses such as MH Alshaya, Kharafi National and Alghanim Industries.
Regionally and Internationally, his other significant roles were in Al Jaber Group and ADCB in the UAE, and globally with Chiyoda Corporation, Japan.
His consistent focus has been structuring organisations to deliver business results through their people and people systems. Peter is a Fellow of the UK’s Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and has a Master’s in HR from the University of Westminster.

Networking Break

MASTERCLASS 2: MINDSHIFTING FOR IMPACT: TRANSFORMING HOW LEADERS THINK, ACT & INFLUENCE

What if the real barrier to your leadership impact isn’t your skills, but a shift waiting to happen within you?
In today’s AI-driven, unpredictable workplace and in the future of work, the difference between leaders who adapt and those who struggle is not knowledge. What is it?

Pause. Think. Consider:

How do you navigate the toughest leadership moments - when resistance, underperformance, or shifting cultures slow progress, or when HR ends up playing referee between a manager’s demands and an employee’s needs, often without a rulebook? What within YOU needs to SHIFT to lead differently?
Just as strategy fails, not for lack of ideas, but for lack of execution. Leadership fails not for lack of vision, but for lack of mindset. Execution isn’t just about processes and KPIs. It’s about how people think, decide, adapt, and act under pressure.
In this high-energy, interactive Masterclass of inner-work, we will explore:
• The blind spots that quietly hold back your leadership and how to uncover them.
• How default thought patterns silently shape your influence and how to break free.
• What it takes to turn resistance, underperformance, or uncertainty into springboards for growth and success.
• Why authentic connection and realignment of behaviours start, first, with your own inner shift.
• Interactive Q&A and Discussion

Through interactive exercises and real-world scenarios, you’ll experience your own mindshift in real time, one that can cascade into measurable results for yourself, your team, and your organisation.
You will leave with simple yet powerful tools to rewire how you approach challenges in work and in life.

Helen Lobo

Helen Lobo is a seasoned ICF Accredited Certified Mindset and Transformation Coach, Director of Roshcomm (Bahrain), and Director of Impact Global (India). She has over three decades of experience having worked for multi national companies in India and Bahrain in human resource management, risk management, international business partnerships, business development and marketing. Beyond Coaching, HL is a dedicated counselor and influencer, championing women entrepreneurs worldwide through Womennovators—a Not-for-Profit virtual incubator aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-5.
Certified as a UNCTAD Empretec, she advances entrepreneurship and supports sustainable development and inclusive growth. HL's coaching journey encompasses C-Suite executives, managers, supervisors, startups, and women entrepreneurs from diverse industries in Bahrain and globally. Her specialty lies in guiding individuals to find clarity and confidence amidst life's complexities, enabling them to transcend personal and professional barriers to achieve exceptional results. Driven by a passion for personal transformation, she has empowered clients to embrace uncertainty with self-awareness and purpose, asking, "Who am I?" Helen’s forthcoming book, slated for publication soon, highlights the internal struggles of women, showcasing their triumphant journey from victimhood to victory. Additionally, her inspirational poems are poised for publication, further enriching the lives of those she reaches.

Prayer and Lunch Break

MASTERCLASS 3: PAY PARITY IN PRACTICE

This activity-based workshop is designed to provide HR professionals, managers, and business leaders with the practical tools and strategic knowledge necessary to tackle pay inequity within their organizations. The primary objective is to move beyond theory and equip participants with actionable skills to proactively audit their compensation structures. Through interactive exercises and data-driven scenarios, attendees will learn to effectively detect subtle and systemic pay disparities based on gender, nationality, tenure, and other potential biases. Furthermore, the workshop focuses on developing fair and legally-sound strategies to address any identified gaps, ensuring corrective actions are both equitable and sustainable. Participants will engage in role-playing and collaborative problem-solving to practice conducting difficult compensation conversations and implementing transparent pay policies. The final crucial component is prevention; the session will provide frameworks for establishing ongoing monitoring systems and embedding equitable principles into hiring, promotion, and bonus allocation processes. Ultimately, the goal is to empower organizations to build a more fair, competitive, and trustworthy workplace by strategically eliminating compensation bias.

Petar Mihaylov

Skilled in Total Rewards, HR Policies creation, Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS), and Performance Management. Strong Compensation and Benefits professional with a Master`s degree focused in Management and Development of Human Resources from New Bulgarian University.