CHROs: At the Intersection of People, Technology, and Business Success
The success of any business lies in its people.
This summit provides a comprehensive exploration of modern talent management, employee engagement, and the role of technology in hiring. From developing diverse strategies that power business success at every level to navigating employee engagement trends for 2025, we dive into the strategic approaches needed to build a cohesive and resilient workforce. Attendees will also gain insights on how to effectively integrate AI into their hiring processes while maintaining a human-centered approach.
Prepare to walk away with actionable strategies and best practices to elevate your organization’s HR capabilities for long-term success.
Immerse yourself in thought-provoking insights
Exclusively curated from our previous
HR Physical Summit
Core Themes
Breaking the AI Barrier in HR: Overcoming Hesitancy and Building Confidence
AI adoption in HR often meets resistance due to misconceptions, lack of training, or fear of job displacement. This session explores how to address these hesitations, leverage AI to enhance—not replace—human roles, and build trust through transparency and education.
Future-Ready Leadership: Preparing Leaders for Tomorrow's Challenges
As the workplace evolves, leaders must adapt to navigate complexities like remote work, diverse teams, and rapid technological change. Learn strategies to upskill leadership, foster agility, and equip them with the tools to lead effectively in a fast-changing world.
Investing in Culture: Building a Resilient and Thriving Organization
A strong culture is the foundation of an adaptable and future-ready workforce. This session dives into strategies for embedding resilience into organizational values, enhancing employee engagement, and fostering a culture that withstands disruptions and thrives through innovation.
Speakers
Aryeh Lehrer
Edward Marx
Stacy Winsett
Janine Pajot
Dr. Norma Tirado
Cyril George
Renee Konzelman
Zack Kelem
Agenda
1:10 pm - 1:35 pm
Keynote
1:40 pm - 2:20 pm
Panel
Breaking the AI Barrier in HR: From Hesitancy to Confidence
Despite its transformative potential, AI adoption in HR often encounters resistance rooted in misconceptions and fears about its impact on jobs and human connections. This panel will explore practical strategies for overcoming hesitancy, building trust, and empowering HR teams to embrace AI as a tool for innovation. Join experts as they discuss how to demystify AI and position it as a partner in creating more effective and human-centered workplaces.
Key Discussion Points:
- Demystifying AI: Learn how to educate teams on AI's true potential to support, not replace, human decision-making in HR processes
- Fostering Trust and Transparency: Explore ways to increase confidence in AI by involving employees in implementation processes and providing clarity on its use and limitations
- Upskilling for Success: Discover training strategies to equip HR professionals with the skills needed to effectively use AI tools and integrate them into everyday workflows
2:20 pm - 2:45 pm
Keynote
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Roundtables
Track 1: Hiring Analytics with AI: Unlocking Efficiency, Safety, and Success
Discover how AI-driven analytics can revolutionize hiring processes by enabling faster and fairer decisions while maximizing organizational safety. Learn how businesses are diagnosing hiring health and enhancing background checks by leveraging underutilized data. Hear insights into how actionable analytics drive better outcomes and empower HR leaders to make smarter decisions.
Key Takeaways:
- Efficiency & Fairness: Explore how AI enhances hiring speed while ensuring fairness and equity in decision-making.
- Background Check Optimization: Learn how to leverage background check analytics to improve processes and outcomes.
- Diagnosing and Acting on Data: Gain actionable insights into hiring health and strategies to transform raw data into measurable success.
Track 2: Transforming Workplace Culture: Building a Best-in-Class Recognition Strategy
Recognition is the cornerstone of an engaged and motivated workforce. Discover how to create a recognition strategy that fosters peer-to-peer appreciation, strengthens employee-manager connections, and celebrates key milestones. Learn actionable insights to build a culture of acknowledgment that drives productivity and employee satisfaction.
Key Takeaways:
- Peer-to-Peer Recognition: Empower employees to recognize each other's contributions and build a collaborative culture.
- Manager-Employee Relationships: Strengthen trust and engagement through meaningful recognition from leadership.
- Celebrating Milestones: Establish impactful ways to honor employee achievements and key career moments.
Track 3: Streamlining Workforce Management: Creating Scalable and Seamless Employee Experiences
Efficient workforce management is essential for saving time, reducing costs, and navigating everyday challenges. Explore strategies to optimize operations, minimize friction, and ensure new hires seamlessly assimilate into their roles. Learn how to create scalable experiences that enhance productivity and support long-term organizational success.
Key Takeaways:
- Seamless Onboarding: Discover ways to simplify new hire processes for faster assimilation and better first impressions.
- Operational Efficiency: Learn strategies to streamline workforce management and tackle daily challenges with ease.
- Cost and Time Savings: Explore scalable solutions to reduce inefficiencies and maximize ROI on workforce investments.
3:00 pm - 6:30 pm
1:1 Meetings
4:10 pm - 4:40 pm
Learning Lab
4:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Workshop
5:20 pm - 5:50 pm
Interactive Session
Igniting Organizational Performance by Enhancing Organizational Effectiveness
In today's fast-paced business world, HR leaders must go beyond traditional roles to build and sustain high-performing teams. This session will delve into the challenges of being more than a standard HR leader and helping your organization improve organizational effectiveness using the Galbraith Star Model as a framework for strategic thinking. Explore the strategies that have led to success and ask yourself: How can you enhance your approach to HR leadership for a profound and lasting impact?
Key Takeaways Include:
- Galbraith Star Model Application: Learn how to utilize the Galbraith Star Model to diagnose and enhance organizational effectiveness
- Innovative HR Strategies: Understand how to foster a vibrant, people-first culture that keeps employees motivated and dedicated
- Driving Business Impact: Gain insights into aligning HR practices with business goals to drive productivity and efficiency
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Gala Dinner
8:30 pm - 8:55 pm
Dinner Keynote
Boosting Workplace Culture in the Digital Age without Losing the Human Spark
Digital is the rage and here to stay, reinventing life and work as we know it. AI utilization alone introduces high speed change with new iteration, invention and marvel each day. What can leaders like us do to maintain the core of who we are and not lose our identity to the machine? How do we strike healthy balance between technological transformation and humanness? Marx shares 4 things he is learning to enhance workforce culture while maintaining the human connection in the digital world.
8:00 am - 8:40 am
Panel
Future-Ready Leadership: Navigating the Challenges of Tomorrow
The evolving workplace demands leaders who can adapt to complexities like remote work, diversity, and constant technological innovation. This panel will delve into strategies for fostering agility, upskilling leadership teams, and cultivating resilience in the face of change. Join industry experts to discover how to prepare leaders to thrive in a fast-changing, future-oriented landscape.
Key Discussion Points:
- Upskilling for the Future: Explore effective programs and tools to equip leaders with the skills needed to manage evolving workforce dynamics and technological advancements.
- Leading with Agility: Learn how to foster adaptability in leadership to handle uncertainty, rapid change, and global disruptions.
- Building Resilient Teams: Discuss how leaders can create supportive, inclusive, and empowered teams to drive innovation and long-term success.
8:40 am - 9:10 am
Keynote
9:20 am - 12:10 pm
1:1 Meetings
9:20 am - 10:20 am
Roundtables
Track 1: Hiring Analytics with AI: Unlocking Efficiency, Safety, and Success
Discover how AI-driven analytics can revolutionize hiring processes by enabling faster and fairer decisions while maximizing organizational safety. Learn how businesses are diagnosing hiring health and enhancing background checks by leveraging underutilized data. Hear insights into how actionable analytics drive better outcomes and empower HR leaders to make smarter decisions.
Key Takeaways:
- Efficiency & Fairness: Explore how AI enhances hiring speed while ensuring fairness and equity in decision-making.
- Background Check Optimization: Learn how to leverage background check analytics to improve processes and outcomes.
- Diagnosing and Acting on Data: Gain actionable insights into hiring health and strategies to transform raw data into measurable success.
Track 2: Transforming Workplace Culture: Building a Best-in-Class Recognition Strategy
Recognition is the cornerstone of an engaged and motivated workforce. Discover how to create a recognition strategy that fosters peer-to-peer appreciation, strengthens employee-manager connections, and celebrates key milestones. Learn actionable insights to build a culture of acknowledgment that drives productivity and employee satisfaction.
Key Takeaways:
- Peer-to-Peer Recognition: Empower employees to recognize each other's contributions and build a collaborative culture.
- Manager-Employee Relationships: Strengthen trust and engagement through meaningful recognition from leadership.
- Celebrating Milestones: Establish impactful ways to honor employee achievements and key career moments.
Track 3: Streamlining Workforce Management: Creating Scalable and Seamless Employee Experiences
Efficient workforce management is essential for saving time, reducing costs, and navigating everyday challenges. Explore strategies to optimize operations, minimize friction, and ensure new hires seamlessly assimilate into their roles. Learn how to create scalable experiences that enhance productivity and support long-term organizational success.
Key Takeaways:
- Seamless Onboarding: Discover ways to simplify new hire processes for faster assimilation and better first impressions.
- Operational Efficiency: Learn strategies to streamline workforce management and tackle daily challenges with ease.
- Cost and Time Savings: Explore scalable solutions to reduce inefficiencies and maximize ROI on workforce investments.
10:30 am - 11:00 am
Future Focus Speakers
De-Romanticising AI: Practical Lessons and Next Steps for HR Professionals
As organizations increasingly look to AI for transformative solutions, it’s easy to get swept up in the romance of futuristic possibilities. However, real success lies in understanding and implementing AI practically. This session begins by deconstructing the hype around AI, offering a realistic perspective on what AI can and cannot achieve in HR. We will then explore the next critical step: how to leverage the business to prioritise HR use cases for AI. This involves focusing on impactful problems, ensuring alignment with organizational needs, and creating a roadmap for AI adoption. Finally, the session will share practical lessons from real-world implementations, providing attendees with actionable insights to make AI work effectively in their organizations.
Session Highlights:
- De-Romanticising AI: Gain a clear understanding of what AI realistically offers HR and how to avoid being misled by exaggerated promises
- Prioritizing HR Cases: Learn how to evaluate and rank AI use cases for HR, balancing strategic importance with feasibility
- Practical Lessons for Success: Explore best practices for integrating AI solutions into HR processes, including leveraging APIs, simple orchestrations, and working effectively with IT systems
12:35 pm - 1:00 pm
Closing Keynote
Culture as a Competitive Edge – Lessons from One of Canada’s Most Admired Cultures
Culture is the backbone of any successful organization, but maintaining it during times of major transformation is a challenge. As businesses evolve—whether through global expansion, digital transformation, or industry shifts—preserving the essence of a strong workplace culture requires intentional effort. This keynote will explore how organizations can lead transformation from the heart, maintain cultural integrity, and create environments where employees feel heard, supported, and empowered.
Session highlights:
- Leading Transformation Without Losing Identity
Learn how to navigate major global transformations while staying true to the values and culture that define your organization - Building Connection Through Communication
Discover the power of continuous communication, regular team check-ins, and providing safe spaces for leaders to be open and vulnerable - Culture-First Decision Making
Explore key considerations for ensuring that every transformation initiative aligns with and strengthens company culture rather than eroding it
1:05 pm - 2:10 pm
1:1 Meetings
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm
Beyond the Challenges
Eaglewood Resort - Chicago IL
Eaglewood Resort & Spa offers a unique resort experience combining scenic beauty, sporty diversions, and technically savvy meeting space. An escape to experience.
Why attend?
Connect with like-minded senior leaders for a curated agenda, focused on tackling your current business critical challenges and driving industry forward.
Be a part of exclusive shared learning, horizon scanning and actionable insights enabling organizations to deliver transformative strategies.
Build meaningful relationships with solution providers matched to your business priorities to help accelerate your projects and deliver your objectives.
