5 minute read
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
At HR Tech Festival Asia Online 2020, over 70 of the world’s leading HR thought leaders will discuss the technologies, trends and solutions as a new era of HR and people management continues to be shaped. In particular, these cuttingedge visionaries will be leading the discussion on how you can plan your recovery from the pandemic.
To be held across the three days of HR Tech Festival Asia Online 2020 from September 29 to October 1, these sessions will bring all event delegates and participants together for a shared learning experience on a virtual platform.
The lineup of distinguished speakers will discuss key topics such as the future of HR, learning and development (L&D) needs in the post-pandemic world, new challenges for HR and its support for the organisation, as well as how technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) is helping to create augmented workforces.
Josephine Teo
Mrs Josephine Teo was appointed Singapore’s Minister for Manpower and concurrently the Second Minister for Home Affairs on 1 May 2018. As Minister for Manpower, she is a member of the National Jobs Council and the Future Economy Council. Mrs Teo previously served in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Finance, Transport and Foreign Affairs ministries.
A member of Parliament since 2006, Mrs Teo was formerly Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education and Assistant Secretary – General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). She represented the labour movement on the government-appointed Economic Strategies Committee and co-chaired the sub-committee on Fostering Inclusive Growth.
Mrs Teo joins HR Tech Festival Asia 2020 as the official Guest of Honour and will open the event on Tuesday, September 29, at 10am (SGT) when she makes her keynote address.
Dave Ulrich
Known affectionately as the “father of modern HR”, Dave Ulrich is the Rensis Likert Professor at the Ross School of Business University of Michigan and a partner at the RBL Group, a consulting firm focused on helping organisations and leaders deliver value. He has published over 200 articles and book chapters and over 30 books, and is known for continually learning, turning complex ideas into simple solutions, and creating real value to those he works with in three fields.
Ulrich will deliver a keynote presentation on Tuesday, September 29, at 12.30pm (SGT), titled The future of HR, where he will review five principals, three targets or outcomes and two HR actions that will help people and organisations deliver increased value as they emerge from COVID-19.
“The world has been shaped by many external factors, then along comes COVID-19, which dramatically intensifies where, how and what work is done. In this context, HR has to continue to create sustainable value,” Ulrich said.
Josh Bersin
Josh Bersin is a global industry analyst, author, educator and thought leader, focusing on the global talent market and the challenges and trends impacting business workforces around the world. He studies the world of work, HR and leadership practices, and the broad talent technology market.
Bersin is often cited as one of the leading HR and workplace industry analysts in the world, and most recently launched the Josh Bersin Academy, the world’s first global development academy for HR and talent professionals at all levels and across all industries. Serving as the Academy’s dean, Bersin guides its programme offerings, interacts with members, and shares relevant research and insights to help HR and talent professionals stay current on the trends and practices needed to drive success in the modern world of work. He will deliver a keynote presentation on Wednesday, September 30 at 10am. Abhijit Bhaduri Abhijit Bhaduri is a digital transformation coach who works with organisations in transforming their leadership teams, talent strategy and culture. His clients range from Fortune 50 companies to medium-sized businesses.
He is an alumnus of Wipro, Microsoft, Pepsi and Colgate. He has led global HR teams in US, Asia-Pacific and India and has been voted as a top influencer in Human Resources. He is the author of the popular book The Digital Tsunami and has been published in Harvard Business Review, HBR Ascend, Wall St Journal and by Duke University.
Bhaduri will deliver a keynote presentation on Wednesday, September 30 at 12pm (SGT), titled How to prepare the L&D team for the post-pandemic world, where he will highlight what organisations should be doing to upskill their workforce as the home turns into the workplace in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brian Sommer
Brian Sommer is an award-winning technology analyst, strategy consultant and writer, who has keynoted numerous software and HR conferences globally. He has been named a 2019 and 2020 Top 100 HR Tech Influencer by Human Resource Executive magazine, and has advised hundreds of clients on software selection, process design and contract negotiations.
Sommer will deliver a keynote presentation on Thursday, October 1, at 10am (SGT), titled Productivity: The new challenge for HR and its support for the organisation, where he will address issues such as how current events have created a new set of requirements for HR, and how HR will balance old and new requirements with new technology and processes.
“While it’s tempting to wait until a new technology is in use by hundreds or thousands of other companies before your firm takes the plunge, this ‘strategy’ will certainly doom your HR group to mediocrity. Great firms look to what is the art of the possible not the art of the past. Being a leader is about looking forward, not behind,”
said Sommer.
John Sumser
John Sumser is a US-based futurist and technology commentator and principal analyst for HRExaminer, a HR technology analyst firm. An engineer by trade and philosopher by education, he has surveyed the evolution of HR technology for 25 years.
Sumser’s work includes deep research into the nooks and crannies of HR technology to identify and explain rapidly evolving trends. Known for his ability to simplify, desire to understand, and ability to see through hype, he is fully devoted to making the next wave of technology intelligible to its users.
Sumser will deliver a keynote presentation on Thursday, October 1 at 12pm (SGT), titled Moving towards an AI augmented workforce, where he will sketch a vision of a future in which much of work remains distributed.
The technology for meeting, collaboration, learning and belonging will all evolve considerably, driven by the innovation inspired by today’s crises, Sumser added, as he attempts to help organisations move into the future by taking the right direction.
