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HR Tech Mena Summit
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HR TECH MENA SUMMIT
DAY 1: Wednesday, 13th May 2026
AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS. STRATEGIC LEADERS. THE NEXT EVOLUTION OF HR TECH.
08:00 – 08:50
REGISTRATION, NETWORKING AND WELCOME REFRESHMENTS
08:55 – 09:00
OPENING REMARKS FROM THE ORGANISER
Sidh NC
Director,
QNA International
09:00 – 09:05
WELCOME NOTE
09:10 – 09:40
OPENING INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE
Execution at Machine Speed: Leading in the Age of Autonomous Intelligence
- The Agentic Shift: When Machines Act and Decide
- Leadership Rewritten for Autonomous Intelligence
- Designing Organisations Built for AI-Speed Performance
Speaker
Dr.Oleg Konovalov
#1 Global Leading Coach and the Da Vinci of Visionary Leadership,
United Kingdom
09:45 – 10:10
C-LEVEL KEYNOTE
The Sovereign Workforce System: Building a Self-Sufficient Talent Nation
- From Vision to Value: Turning AI Ambition into Measurable Impact
- Rewiring the organization: Talent, Trust & Transformation at Scale
- Competing at Global Speed: Building Regionally Resilient Organizations
10:15 – 10:35
TECH KEYNOTE
The Intelligent HR Core: One Platform, One Truth
- Unified Data, Unified Decisions: Fragmentation is the enemy of intelligence - breaking silos Across the Enterprise
- Embedded AI in Every Workflow: From Insight to Instant Action, an AI that works where you work
- From Automation to Augmentation: Elevating Human Potential at Scale & measuring what really matters
Speaker
James Tarbit
Global Head of EX,
Ipsos, UK
10:40 – 11:15
PANEL DISCUSSION
The Bold Frontier: HR as a Driver of Strategic Advantage
- Is HR Ready to Lead the Business, or Just Support It? – An honest look at readiness
- The GCC's Boldest HR Experiments – What's working, what's failing, what's next
- One Move Every CHRO Should Make in 2026 – A practical, high-impact takeaway
11:20 – 11:55
COFFEE & NETWORKING BREAK AND VISIT TO BOUTIQUE EXHIBITION LOUNGE
12:00 – 12:35
FIRESIDE CHAT
Leading at the Edge: People, Tech & the AI-Driven Future
- Beyond Technology Adoption: Rewriting Talent Strategy
- Culture in a Hyper-Automated World: Keeping Humanity at the Core
- Innovation Through Strategic Partnerships: CHRO, CTO & Tech Partners in Sync
12:40 – 13:00
KEYNOTE
Empowering People with AI: Driving Workforce Impact Beyond Technology
- AI for Human-Centric Outcomes: Amplifying employee experience, engagement, and productivity
- Scaling AI Responsibly: Ethics, trust, and bias-free adoption at scale
- From Insights to Action: Turning data into measurable HR impact and strategic results
13:00 – 13:30
COFFEE & NETWORKING BREAK AND VISIT TO BOUTIQUE EXHIBITION LOUNGE
13:35 – 14:00
FIRESIDE CHAT
From Data to Decisions: The New Era of Talent Transformation
- Turning Insights into Action: From AI-driven recruitment and smarter hiring to scaling solutions that help organisations attract, retain, and upskill critical talent
- Designing Experience, Not Just Systems: real-time feedback, sentiment analysis, and adaptive learning & enhance engagement without fragmenting culture
- Future-Ready Talent in the GCC Context: Building resilient leadership pipelines and regional talent strategies, predictive insights and dashboards for informed, fast HR decision-making
14:05 - 14:35
CXO PANEL
Bridging the Divide: HR + IT, The Power Duo Driving Transformation
- When HR and IT speak the same language, transformation actually happens
- Breaking silos, co-creating experiences, and delivering digital impact at scale
- From misalignment to mastery: How HR and IT together shape the AI-powered workforce
14:20 – 14:40
TEAM BUILDING AND ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY
14:40 – 14:45
CLOSING REMARKS FOR DAY 1
14:45 – 15:45
NETWORKING LUNCHEON
DAY 2: Thursday, 14th May 2026
The Human-Side of AI: Where Technology Meets Heart
08:00 – 09:00
REGISTRATION, NETWORKING AND WELCOME REFRESHMENTS
09:00 – 09:05
WELCOME REMARKS & EARLY RISER RAFFLE WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT
09:05 – 09:35
OPENING INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE
The Human Edge: Leading Change When AI Never Sleeps
- The Change Paradox: Technology moves at machine speed. Humans move at human speed. Winning organizations design change that respects how we adapt and commit.
- Culture as Your OS: AI optimizes processes. It cannot build trust. In an automated world, culture is your only sustainable advantage - shaped and measured in real time.
- Leading with Courage, Not Just Competence: Vulnerability and empathy matter more than technical fluency. Lead so people feel safe enough to change.
Speaker
Dr.Oleg Konovalov
#1 Global Leading Coach and the Da Vinci of Visionary Leadership,
United Kingdom
09:40 – 10:15
PANEL DISCUSSION
Culture Collision: Leading Five Generations in the Modern GCC Workplace
- The Digital Native Generation vs. Organizational Reality: The Future of Work belongs to the Youth. What the next generation actually wants & where organizations struggle
- Experience as an Asset: Activating seasoned wisdom without slowing innovation & reimagining reverse mentoring where junior leaders coach senior executives on digital fluency; seniors transfer context, judgment, and networks
- Mentorship Rebooted: Measuring real capability transfer- promotions, skill acquisition, cross-generational collaboration. AI-enabled matching based on skill gaps and career aspirations
10:20 – 11:15
CASE STUDY SHOWCASE
Performance Management Reinvented: From Annual Reviews to Always-On Impact
Four stations. Four real-world stories. You choose where to go.
- Real-Time Feedback: How a GCC organizations replaced - annual reviews with continuous coaching
- Manager as Coach: Training front-line leaders to have better conversations
- Agile KPIs & Tech in Action: Aligning individual goals with quarterly business pivots & Live demo of performance management software
Speaker
James Tarbit
Global Head of EX,
Ipsos, UK
11:20 – 11:55
COFFEE & NETWORKING BREAK AND VISIT TO BOUTIQUE EXHIBITION LOUNGE
12:00 – 12:25
ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY
The AI-Augmented Human Challenge
Teams compete to complete a real HR task fastest and best using AI tools.
12:30 – 12:55
KEYNOTE
Compensation Without Borders: Rewards, Equity & Total Rewards in a Distributed World
- Dynamic Pay Models: Value-based pay that secures top talent globally, without pay cuts that workers reject
- Personalized Benefits Across Borders: AI-driven benefits reflecting diverse employee needs across cultures and life stages
- Total Reward Storytelling: Communicating full value beyond salary, wellbeing, flexibility, learning stipends, equity across continents
13:00 – 13:30
COFFEE & NETWORKING BREAK AND VISIT TO BOUTIQUE EXHIBITION LOUNGE
13:35 – 14:25
HACKATHON
Keeping Talent in a Hyper-Competitive Market
An interactive, high-impact challenge where HR and technology leaders collaborate to solve real workforce problems using AI and digital tools.
Teams will ideate, build, and present practical solutions — moving beyond discussion into live innovation and execution.