07:30 – 08:15 Registration and morning tea 

08:15 – 08:30 Chairperson’s welcome and opening remarks

08:30 – 09:15: Navigating the future: Economic, Technological, and Political Shifts

• How global economic changes are reshaping business models
• Embracing technological disruption: what’s next for digital transformation?
• The impact of political and geopolitical changes on organisational strategy

Graeme Codrington, Futurist, Unlearner, Global Speaker, Tomorrow Today

09:15 – 10:15 Business Leaders Panel: leading through change

Join Business leaders from leading organisations as they share their experiences on: 

• How Business leaders are navigating economic and technological disruptions
• Balancing short-term challenges with long-term strategic goals
• Innovative approaches to driving organisational growth and resilience

Lerato Mahlasela, Managing Executive:  Corporate Education, GIBS

Sive Nododa, Executive Director, 21st Century 

Navasha Chetty, HR Executive, JSE

Panel facilitated by Sabelo Myeni, CEO, Sisekelo Sustainability Institute

10:15 – 11:45 Mid-morning Tea 

11:45 – 11:30 Building Resilient Individuals and Resilient Organisations

Mark Orpen Lyall, Founder, SynEnergy 

11:30 – 12:15 Transforming organisational culture: best practices and strategies

• Leading culture change: effective strategies for transformation
• Managing organisational culture during major transitions
• Case study: A leading organisation’s successful cultural transformation journey

Sthembiso Phakathi, Managing Director, SP Enterprises

12:15 – 13:00 

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch break

14:00 – 14:45 Overcoming moral disengagement: ethical leadership and practices

• Tackling moral disengagement: building a culture of integrity and ethics
• The role of leaders in preventing and addressing ethical lapses
• Case study: A leading organisation’s journey for combating moral disengagement

Andisa Liba, Chief People Officer, Floatpays

14:45 – 15:45 HR Director Panel: Shaping the future of work

In this session, HR Directors will share their strategies, success stories, and insights into what the future of work holds—and how we can pivot to meet those challenges today.

• Pioneering HR Innovations: Adapting to emerging workplace trends and evolving employee expectations
• Proven Strategies for driving Organisational Change and boosting Employee Engagement
• Navigating the future workforce: Preparing for the next generation of talent and leadership

Dr Sane Ngidi, Africa Human Resources Lead, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 

Abey Kgotle, Executive Director Human Resources and Corporate Affairs,
Mercedes Benz 

Andisa Liba, Chief People Officer, Floatpays 

Johan Botes, Partner: Employment & Compensation at Baker & McKenzie

15:45 – 16:30 Closing keynote: Building Effective organisations through technological advances

Tech is the ultimate game-changer, but the real power ignites where tech meets talent and culture. This talk reveals how Google, Meta, and Discovery became unstoppable forces by fusing breakthrough technology with high-performance cultures that drive results. Google’s AI, Meta’s virtual realities, Discovery’s data-driven edge—they’re not just using tech; they’re rewriting the playbook. The secret? Building teams that don’t just adapt but thrive, innovate, and push boundaries. This is how you create a culture of excellence and build organizations that don’t just compete—they dominate.

• Tech + Talent = Unstoppable Force: Google, Meta, and Discovery aren’t just tech-savvy—they fuse cutting-edge innovation with powerhouse teams and cultures that set the pace.
• Tech That Grows People, People That Drive Tech: These trailblazers use technology not just to advance their business but to amplify human potential, turning breakthroughs into powerful catalysts for personal and team growth
• High-Performance, High Stakes: By embedding a fierce, high-performance culture, they’ve built organizations that don’t just play the game—they own it, setting the gold standard in their fields.

Terrence Taylor Executive Chair, African Academy of Artificial Intelligence

16:30 – 16:45 Wrap up and closing remarks for day 1: Key learnings from the day’s proceedings

16h45 – 17:30 Lounge & Networking (Light music)

07:30 – 08:15 Registration and morning tea

08:15 – 08:30 Chairperson’s opening remarks

08:30 – 09:15 Keynote: Empowering People, Igniting Cultures

Steff Duplessis

09:15 – 10:00 Designing a High performance/High engagement/ High responsibility 

                          Workplace

• The New World of Work
• The future imperative of a good People-Organisation fit
• The deliberate strategic configuration of the world of work inside and for the organisation: Dimensions and options
• Expected Outcomes

Prof Theo Veldsman,
Industrial and People Management Visiting Professor, University of Johannesburg 

10:00 – 10:30 Tea break

10:30 – 11:15 Empowering employees through job crafting

• The art of job crafting: Strategies for enhancing employee engagement and productivity
• How to implement job crafting: Practical tips and success stories
• Case study: A leading organisation’s approach to job crafting and its impact on employee satisfaction

Ninette Van Arde, Group Head of Organisational Effectiveness, Momentum

Alice Slabbert, Talent Practice Lead, Momentum

11:15 – 12:00 The integration of Personal and Organisational Wellbeing and performance  – Creating a culture of psychological safety 

• The economic cost of not making employee well-being a strategic priority 
• The mutual benefits of employees who are engaged at work and who are happy 
• The strategies that companies can use to integrate workplace performance and wellbeing

Dr Ashika Pillay, Executive and Wellbeing Coach – Fractional Chief Wellbeing Officer

12:00 – 12:45 Shaping organisational culture and behaviour using behavioural economics

Andee Uren, Executive Head: Workforce Optimisation and Engagement, Nedbank

12:45 – 13:30 Lunch break

13:30 – 14:45 Panel discussion: How we made our values come alive 

• Real-life Strategies: Hear from companies that have successfully integrated their values into everyday practices and behaviours, moving beyond superficial compliance to deep, lived experiences. 

• Impactful case studies: Explore practical examples and outcomes of how these organisations have transformed their values from mere statements to driving forces behind employee engagement, performance and organisational culture.

Mahlaku Ledwaba, Head: OD & Change, JSE

Dr Wongiwe Ludidi, DEI & Transformation Lead, Sub Saharan Africa, Chep

Pamela Roslee, People Director: Enabling Functions, JV’s & Location Free, PepsiCo

Bonga Mnengisa, Senior Manager: Career Development, MTN 

14:30 – 15:15 Closing keynote: Topic TBA 

Siphiwe Moyo, Founder & Conference Director, The Organisational Behaviour Institute

16:00 – 16:15 Closing remarks and conference wrap-up