Our Take: Three must attend sessions at UNLEASH World 2023

It’s here! UNLEASH World 2023 goes live, and we will be opening our doors to over 5,000 people.

This marks my fourth UNLEASH event in my two- and half-year tenure as a journalist here, but I know this one is going to be the best show yet.

The entire UNLEASH team has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring you the top voices in the world of HR and tech.

Kicking off on day one is industry stalwart Josh Bersin with the topic of the moment: AI.

And then we are thrilled that closing out day one is rugby legends, Jonny Wilkinson and Serge Betsen.

As a huge rugby fan, I cannot wait to hear from Jonny and Serge about their top tips to success in high stress environments.

AI is also top of the agenda on day two – Volker Hirsch from the Medicines Discovery Catapult will be kicking off the day with a session on automation and life in a hyper-connected world.

And then closing out the entire conference is the one and only: Gary Bolles.

Beyond the keynotes, we’ve also got an amazing line-up of HR leaders from the world’s biggest, and best known, brands.

Here are the ones I am most excited about attending at UNLEASH World this year.

1. People Analytics as a Workforce Transformation Catalyst

All organizations want to make the best decisions they possibly can – and the best way to do this by leveraging people data and analytics.

Of course, this is much easier said than done. However, on day one at UNLEASH World, we have three incredible people analytics leaders sharing their secrets to success.

I cannot wait to hear from Standard Bank’s CPO Sharon Taylor, Julien Legret, global HR digital and data officer at Cartier, and Bertelsmann’s SVP of corporate HR strategy and systems Kai Wehmeyer all about their challenges, and how they overcame them to drive progress in their organizations.

RADICL’s Dan Riley has kindly agreed to moderate this fascinating session.

I will also be digging in more with Legret and Taylor in on-site interviews – so stay tuned for those upcoming articles!

2. Neurodiversity – Looking Into Untapped Talent Pools

Diversity is a core focus for us at UNLEASH. Our conferences, but also our editorial content, really shines a light on which businesses are leading the way around diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

We talk a lot about the gender and race elements of DEIB, but we always strive to have a wider lens and discuss the overlooked groups.

Neurodiversity is top of mind for myself and the editorial team – we have spoken to brands like EY and BrewDog about their work on neurodiversity. And this is being mirrored by a dedicated session at UNLEASH World 2023.

We a thrilled that Ubisoft’s neurodiversity talent program director Pierre Escaich and Dr Marcia Goddard, chief culture officer at The Contentment Foundation, will be shedding light on practical ways to create inclusive workplaces for neurodiverse employees.

A huge thanks to Bas van de Haterd, founder and MD at Digitaal-Werven, for moderating this critical discussion.

3. Elevating the Social Contract: CEO Insights

At UNLEASH, we love that HR has been elevated to a new status since the pandemic.

Employees and their welfare and wellbeing is now very clearly seen as not just something that’s the responsibility of HR leaders.

Of course, there are some brands that have always seen the HR and People function in that way, and we are excited to be bringing leading European CEO voices to the stage in Paris this year.

I cannot wait to see Barbara Lavernos, deputy CEO of L’Oréal, Aliaxis’ CEO Eric Olsen and Jérémie Lecha, CEO of the Rouiller Group, on stage one on day one.

The session will be moderated by HEC Paris’ professor Emeritus Dr. Charles-Henri Besseyre des Horts, and it will see the CEOs debate the future of employee value proposition in the post-COVID-19 world, and how that intersects with tech and innovation.

Frankly, this is a must-see at UNLEASH World 2023. It’s not too late to grab your ticket!