Our Take: 5 must attend sessions at UNLEASH America 2025

In a month, UNLEASH America returns to fabulous Las Vegas.

This year’s International Festival of HR marks my seventh show in my four years as an UNLEASH reporter – I have a feeling this is going to be a standout event.

My amazing UNLEASH colleagues have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring our HR community an incredible show.

The line-up is star studded – not only have we got the CHROs from huge American brands like Toshiba, Microsoft, Atlassian, Intel, Land O’Lakes and SAP speaking at UNLEASH America, we also got fantastic keynotes from outside the HR space.

This year’s UNLEASH America will welcome our first Chief AI Officer, Lenovo’s Doug Fisher, as well as keynotes from MIT’s Max Tegmark and Dr Joy Buolamwini from Algorithmic Justice League.

There’s so much to choose from across the three-day show, but here are some standout session for me.

Feeling the FOMO? Don’t worry, there’s still time to grab a pass and join me in Las Vegas 6-8 May.

1. Unmasking AI: Protecting What is Human in a World of Machines

Opening Day One of UNLEASH America 2025 is Dr Joy Buolamwini, a groundbreaking researcher in the era of AI.

This is set to be a very different type of session as Dr Buolamwini describes herself as an AI artist and is known as the ‘conscience of the AI revolution’.

Be prepared for hard truths about the biases and potential harms associated with AI, yet a focus on innovation and guiding with care.

Honestly, I can’t wait for this keynote.

2. The Role of the CHRO: Developing Humanistic Leadership & Performance

Courageous leadership is a major theme of UNLEASH America 2025 – how can organizations balance business success with people-centric values?

We’ve got a few sessions that aim to answer this question, but one standout is on Day Two, May 8, featuring Google’s Chief Talent & Learning Officer Brian J Glaser and Matt Breitfelder, Global Head of Human Capital at Apollo Global Management.

This star line-up will discuss how HR professionals can truly support leaders to be inspiring and get the most out of their teams.

I’ve got the pleasure of digging in deeper with Brian from Google on video at the event – so stay tuned for that interview.

3. How Mastercard is Unlocking Operational Excellence with AI

“We say at Mastercard that the only AI is responsible and ethical AI”, Mastercard’s EVP of People Operations and Insights, Anshul Sheopuri, told my Editorial colleague Lucy Buchholz.

Anshul sat down with Lucy to share a sneak peek into his session at UNLEASH America 2025, which explores how the payments giant is using AI to unlock operational excellence by driving a more engagement workforce.

For any HR leaders struggling with the use case for AI – something we hear a lot from practitioners – this is a great case study of a success story. So make sure to add it to your agenda for Day One, May 7.

Mastercard executives have spoken at previous UNLEASH America shows, and they are always excellent and super thought provoking speakers.

4. DEI at a Crossroads: Navigating Pushback, Progress, Industry and Current Affairs

DEI is under threat, particularly in the US. Under pressure from President Donald Trump, large swathes of corporate America are rolling back their diversity policies.

The UNLEASH Editorial team has been tracking the companies that have rolled back their commitments – you can read the latest news here.

In this context, on Day One, May 7, we’ve got a panel of HR leaders at Alcon, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Venetian Resort Las Vegas to discuss the future of DEI.

It’s time to look beyond the headlines and explore the strategies HR leaders can employ to continue pushing for more diverse, inclusive and equitable workplaces (which are proven to be good for business) despite the political context.

This is a must-attend session.

5. Breaking Down Silos: A Real Skills-Powered Enterprise

Last but not least, skills are the topic of the moment in the HR space.

Everyone is trying to figure out how to become a skills-based organization.

One organization that is ahead of the curve is EPAM Systems, a product engineering company – EPAM has been skills-first since it was founded in the 1990s.

On Day One at UNLEASH America, it’s Chief Learning Scientist Dr Sandra Loughlin is sharing the secrets to success, and particularly the essential role of AI.

I know this is going to be a great session as I sat down with Sandra to get a preview, and she’s just a fountain of knowledge and insight on this business critical subject.

That was just a snippet of our incredible agenda for UNLEASH America 2025 – worried that you’re going to miss out on some essential learnings? It’s not too late to buy a pass and join me in Las Vegas in a month’s time.