International Opening Keynote

Moving Up the Value Chain: L&D and HR’s Future Role in Driving Sustainable Impact

To create long-term value, organizations must rely on their most valuable asset—their people—to succeed. HR and learning departments are no longer support functions but integral strategic partners in shaping the future of work. This keynote presentation shares global best practices that equip HR leaders with the tools to drive organizational transformation and innovation through effective talent management strategies, employee engagement, and culture development. Attendees will learn how to:

·        Transform L&D into a strategic business partner in an organization through practical steps.

·        Demonstrate the levels of HR contributions to the business for superior performance.

·        Examine HR’s biggest opportunities to increase credibility and value to the organization.

Plenary Panel Debate

The Evolution of the CHRO and CLO: Navigating Changing Times

Organizations must be agile and adaptable to stay competitive in a rapidly changing business landscape. As organizations navigate a rapidly changing business landscape, chief HR officers (CHROs) and chief learning officers (CLOs) are responsible for ensuring their workforce is equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the future of work. Featuring local and regional HR and learning leaders, this interactive panel will discuss how to:

·        Build flexible teams and develop skills to adapt quickly to new challenges and opportunities.

·        Adapt to the impact of emerging technologies.

·        Lead structural change to reduce turnover and retain top talent.

Speed Networking—A Structured Networking Session

This unique facilitated session will allow you to shake hands with your peers from companies representing different sectors in the region. Bring a lot of business cards.

Local Case Study

Driving Business Success Through Strategic HR and Talent Development: A Kuwaiti Case Study

Kuwait is experiencing a rapid transformation in its business environment, making it crucial for organizations to invest in strategic HR and talent development initiatives. What do CEOs currently need from HR and TD leaders in Kuwait? During this practice session, we will explore the importance of developing a comprehensive talent management strategy—from recruitment and retention to leadership development and succession planning. Attendees will learn how to:

·        Find and attract qualified talent in a scarce market.

·        Develop practical strategies for driving business success.

·        Measure the effectiveness of HR and talent development initiatives.

Regional Case Study

Developing Future Leaders Post-pandemic: Key Characteristics and Training Framework

The post-pandemic business environment requires a new breed of leaders with unique skills and characteristics to navigate the challenges ahead. Leadership development programs must go through fundamental restructuring to assess and establish the skill sets required for leaders to drive success. This session will explore the importance of developing leaders possessing emotional intelligence, adaptability, and the ability to think strategically. Attendees will understand:

·        How leaders adapt to times of change and uncertainty and the main outcomes of effective leadership beyond business results

·        Top-down versus bottom-up leadership—the benefits and challenges of each

·        How to empower leaders to foster a culture of innovation and learning

TED-Style Talk

Breaking Barriers: Are Women Treated Fairly in the Kuwaiti Workplace?

Despite progress towards gender equity in many parts of the world, women continue to face significant challenges and barriers to their success in the workplace. To what degree is this true in the Kuwaiti workplace? This TED-style talk will examine the current state of gender equity, focusing on:

·        The challenges faced by women in entering and advancing in the workplace

·        A woman’s perspective on how to create a more inclusive and equitable working environment

·        The skills needed to become an effective leader in male-dominated industries

Regional Case Study

Walking the Talk: Translating Learning Strategy Into Actual Business Value

Many organizations invest in L&D programs but struggle to measure the impact of these programs on the bottom line. Featuring a regional HR and learning leader, this case study session will explore how to curate a high-impact learning strategy that supports the core business and fosters a learning culture to deliver future capabilities. Attend this session to learn best practices to:

·        Align learning objectives with business goals.

·        Engage stakeholders and ensure buy-in for learning initiatives.

·        Measure the effectiveness of learning programs and link L&D programs to business outcomes.

Panel Discussion

Human Skills in the Digital Era: Harnessing Technology to Drive Organizational Excellence

Technology, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and quantum computers will soon replace human labour. As a result, businesses must reorganize the learning process to develop their employees’ social and creative skills. This interactive panel will feature HR and business leaders sharing their insights and experiences on leveraging technology to augment human skills and enhance organizational performance. What disruptive trends in learning and TD will revolutionize how we learn? What will L&D look like in 2050? Attendees will learn how to:

·        Develop and nurture human skills—communication, empathy, and critical thinking—in the age of automation.

·        Measure the outcomes of digital automation and machine learning.

·        Embrace a culture of innovation and continuous learning to support the development of technology and human skills.

Closing Keynote

Enabling Flexible and Agile Working: Revolutionizing the Employee Experience

As organizations go through transformative journeys, employees must adopt flexible and agile work styles. This session will delve into embracing change, which is increasingly important in the modern workplace. Attendees will gain insight into the advantages of adaptable and agile work policies, such as increased employee satisfaction, productivity, and cost-effectiveness, and how technology can support an agile workforce and enhance the employee experience. Attend this session to learn best practices to:

·        Foster a sense of community among remote and on-site workers.

·        Implement flexible and agile work policies that align with business goals and employee needs.

·        Build a people-centred, forward-thinking culture.

ATD Opening Address

Future-Proofing Your Organization: Building Resilience in a Dynamic World of Work 

The future of work is constantly evolving, and organizations must stay ahead of the curve. As organizations navigate the ever-changing landscape of the modern world of work, it has become increasingly important to focus on building resilience and future-proofing operations. This opening address will examine the key trends and challenges organizations face in today’s rapidly evolving business environment and provide practical insights and actionable tips for building resilience to navigate and adapt to these changes effectively.

International Keynote Presentation

Adopting Hybrid Learning: Strategies, Tools, and Techniques for Maximizing Benefits

As organizations continue to adopt hybrid training, it is essential to have a plan and guidelines for maximizing the benefits of this approach. This session will demonstrate how to effectively implement interactive hybrid learning programs to bridge the gap between in-person and online learning. Key takeaways include how to:

·        Develop an applicable plan and guidelines for hybrid L&D and select the tools and technologies to support that modality.

·        Design engaging and interactive learning experiences.

·        Measure L&D’s effectiveness to create a culture of continuous improvement.

Local Case Study

Strategic Employee Incentive Plan to Drive Organizational Growth in a Continuously Changing Economy

As companies strive for growth and innovation, having a strategic compensation and benefit plan is crucial to motivating and retaining top talent. The workforce is expected to be flexible and acquire new skills to embrace change and drive growth. This case study session will share real-life practices for developing a strategic employee incentive plan aligning with organizational goals and nurturing change. Attend this session to walk away with a toolkit to:

·        Design a strategic incentive plan for driving growth.

·        Align incentives with your organization’s strategic priorities.

·        Recognize employees who acquire new skills to embrace transformation.

Expert Insight

10 Steps for Proving the Value of Human Capital Investments

As investments in human capital continue to grow, the issue of accountability becomes more important for HR professionals. When measuring the success of HR initiatives, no metric is more important to top executives than business impact and return on investment (ROI). In this session, you will hear five reasons why you need to prove the value of human capital investments and 10 easy steps which can validate that the initiatives you are undertaking provide a monetary benefit to your organization. This helps you secure funding for future initiatives, thus aligning your human capital initiatives with your organization’s strategic outlook.

Panel Discussion:

Navigating the Talent Drought: Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Top Talent

As organizations continue to expand and the competition for top talent becomes more intense, finding, attracting, and retaining the right talent has become increasingly difficult. The current job market is characterized by a talent scarcity that has made it hard for companies to attract and retain skilled employees. You can foster an employee journey experience culture to retain top talent. Attend this panel to learn:

·        Effective recruitment and retention strategies in a scarce talent market

·        Organizational branding methods that create a positive candidate experience

·        Non-traditional compensation and benefit options to win the battle for top talent

Regional Case Study:

The Power of Marketing for Professional Development: Communicating and Promoting Value 

As the workforce continues to evolve and the competition for top talent intensifies, organizations must invest in learning programs to retain employees and stay ahead of the competition. Professional development is essential for employees to acquire new skills and advance their careers, yet many organizations struggle to effectively communicate and promote the value of these opportunities. So, how do you overcome employee disengagement due to the highly competitive talent market? This case study session will share best practices to:

·        Develop a marketing strategy to communicate the value of learning effectively.

·        Create a culture of continuous learning and development within the organization.

·        Motivate employees to take ownership and be accountable for their learning.

Breakout Discussions

Hackathon Challenge: Solving Real-Life Business Case Studies

This session is an advanced learning opportunity to dive deeper into your most important L&D priorities and partake in expert-led, facilitated peer-to-peer discussions on specific topics—an intensive series of brainstorming and collaboration opportunities to answer and overcome a specific challenge. The session will be interactive breakout discussions in the main summit room with peer-learning activities and dialogue.

Breakout discussion topics include:

·        L&D Roundtable: Staying relevant and valuable with the changing times

·        Action learning coaching: How to be a catalyst for transformation

·        Neuroscience and leadership agility

Closing Keynote

The Future of HR Tech: Leveraging Digital Learning to Transform Your HR Practice

As the world becomes more digital, HR practices must evolve to keep up with the changing landscape. HR technology, specifically digital learning, has become increasingly important in transforming traditional people management practices. This keynote session aims to equip attendees with the necessary tools and strategies to navigate the future of HR tech and digital learning. Once you understand the current state and future trends of HR tech and digital learning, key takeaways include how to:

·        Develop an implementation framework for digital learning.

·        Identify and address potential disruptions during the early stages of implementation.

·        Optimize the learner experience (LXP) to improve performance and engagement.