Our Take: 5 must attend sessions at UNLEASH World 2024

UNLEASH World 2024 is back! The most influential HR conference and exhibition in the World returns to Paris next week.

This show marks my sixth in my three and a half years as a journalist at UNLEASH.

All of my UNLEASH colleagues have been working so hard behind the scenes to bring you a bigger and even better show.

The themes of UNLEASH World 2024 are AI-driven HR, talent for the future and authentic leadership.

Not only do we have keynote sessions from the likes of Josh Bersin, Amy Webb, Peter Hinssen, Anabel Fall, Gary Bolles and Kristin Ferguson sharing insights into how to move the needle in these areas, but we’ve also packed the two days of conference full of breakouts and roundtables.

In these sessions, HR leaders from the world’s largest brands (whether that’s Google, PepsiCo, Zurich, Baker Hughes, Cisco, Coca-Cola or Microsoft) and our stellar analyst community will share practical tips, tricks and case studies on these HR topics.

There is so much to choose from across the two-day show, but here are some of the standout sessions for me. There’s still time to buy a pass and join us in Paris next week.

1. Scenes from the future: How work will look in 2030 and beyond

World-renowned futurist and CEO of the Future Today Institute Amy Webb is closing out the show on Day 1, Wednesday 16^th October.

In this mind-bending session, Webb will share snapshots of the impact of technology on businesses and society in the near and far future.

This promises to be a fantastic opportunity for HR and business leaders to get ahead of the curve, and really probe how they can leverage technology to shape the future of their organizations (and the world as we know it).

I’ve been buzzing for Webb’s keynote since it was announced – I’ve made sure to carve out her hour slot in my event schedule.

I am now even more excited following the sneak peeks in UNLEASH’s Editor-in-Chief Nima Sherpa Green’s Path to Paris interview with Webb.

Webb shares: “The future doesn’t just show up fully formed.

It is the result of decisions that are made in the present. And if you can make good decisions based on data and reliable research, and a good understanding of a company – and the way it co-creates value with its partners – then you have more control over what your future will look like.”

2. Ethical AI in HR: Google’s approach to balancing empathy and innovation

AI is undoubtedly the topic of the moment – and organizations are grappling with how to adopt it in their businesses.

In interviews with HR leaders, vendors and analysts, we hear that organizations’ top priority is thinking about the ethics of AI and ensuring that organizations use the technology to create better, fairer future of work.

Google is a key player in the AI space, and I am so excited that, at UNLEASH World 2024, we’ve got Ola Fadipe, Senior Director of People Experience, sharing how the tech giant is pioneering a bold, yet responsible, approach to AI in HR.

Google is really innovative with how it tackles HR topics – I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing senior executives at the tech giant in the past – and this session is a must-attend for all leaders figuring out how to remain human-centric in a world of work powered by technology.

3. Mastering emotion management: Boosting performance and wellbeing

Technology is going to play a crucial role in the future of work, but people are also going to be essential. This is a theme that Amy Webb will bring out in her keynote, and fits in with our focus on authentic leadership.

We’ve got the likes of Cardinal Group Management’s CPO Peter Lynch, Dannii Portsmouth, CPO at PepsiCo Europe, and Zurich Insurance’s Group CPO Jolanda Grob speaking about how being people-first is good for business.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Grob and Portsmouth ahead of UNLEASH World to discuss how their organizations are prioritizing people, purpose and sustainability, and how that is driving tangible business benefits.

Portsmouth shares: “Every step forward that we take is because of our people”, and the food and drinks giant is on a mission to provide their people with more than just jobs, but a true purpose.

While, for Grob and Zurich, people are the key differentiator – that’s what drives business success.

Sharing an academic perspective on Day 2 (17th October) at UNLEASH World is Dr Ethan Kross from the University of Michigan.

He will be talking about emotions at work, and how emotion management can truly boost performance and wellbeing at work.

This session is truly going to help HR leaders in their jobs, as well as help them better support leaders, managers and employees to be their best selves at work.

4. Brewing Innovation: How Heineken is bridging opportunities with tech innovation

Everyone knows HEINEKEN beer. The brewer has a reputation as an innovative company; this begs the question, how does that play out in HR?

On Thursday 17^th October, at UNLEASH World, Herman Rolfers, Head of Global Digital HR Transformation at The HEINEKEN Company, and Kyle Lagunas, Principal Analyst and Head of Strategy at Aptitude Research, will be exploring how the brewer streamlined HR processes and technologies for its 90,000 employees worldwide.

Rolfers and Lagunas will also dig into HEINEKEN’s Brewhouse initiative, which is an open innovation program for HR tech startups, and that the brewer recently won an award for!

I personally want to hear more about that innovation program; it seems like a great way for organizations, big and small, to learn how to practically cultivate HR innovation and find new ways to solve big HR challenges.

5. CEO & HR synergy: Elevating HR’s role in business

At UNLEASH World last year, we hosted a CEO panel on Stage 1. It was so popular – in fact, The Josh Bersin Company’s SVP of Research Kathi Enderes told me it was her highlight of the 2023 show – that we decided to do it again.

This year’s session is with the CEOs of Morrisons, SAUR and Group VYV, and the moderator is Dr Charles-Henri Besseyre des Horts, Professor Emeritus at HEC Paris.

They will discuss the dynamic between the HR department and the CEO, and how that continues to evolve in this ever-changing work landscape.

Want help with your business case and getting executive sponsorship? You need to add this session to your schedule for the event.

That was just some snippets of our incredible agenda for UNLEASH World 2024 – worried about feeling the FOMO? It’s not too late to grab a pass and join us in Paris, 16 to 17 October.