Fow USA- Conference Programme

• Where is GenAI is already making a measurable impact in HR and the wider enterprise?
• Automating low-value tasks to free people for higher-value work.
• Using GenAI as a co-pilot for creativity, communication, and decision-making.
• Building trust and mitigating risks of bias and accuracy.
• What leaders must do now to prepare their people and culture for GenAI-driven work.

• What do different generations look for in their leaders, in values, behaviour, and communication style?
• How are views on leadership changing, and is the role still seen as aspirational across age groups?
• How can organisations bridge traditional leadership models with the evolving expectations of a multi-generational workforce?
• What kinds of development pathways and learning experiences engage both emerging and established talent, including initiatives like reverse mentoring to share perspectives across generations?
• How can organisations build inclusive leadership pipelines that attract, inspire, and retain talent across all generations?

• How organisations are refreshing EVP to meet shifting employee expectations.
• Connecting EVP with DEI, sustainability, and purpose.
• Balancing flexibility, wellbeing, and career growth in the EVP.
• Practical steps to ensure EVP feels authentic and not just words on a page.

Exciting keynote reveal coming soon. An inspiring voice shaping the conversation on the future of work. Expect a thought-provoking session that challenges assumptions, sparks new thinking, and leaves you energised for the days ahead.

• Why culture change is often the greatest barrier to transformation success.
• Can culture really be transformed, or only evolved over time?
• How leaders can role-model new behaviours and values to inspire followership.
• How to align culture transformation with business strategy and purpose.
• Practical lessons for HR leaders navigating resistance and fatigue.

• Making learning part of everyday work through quick tips, nudges, and AI tools. 
• Leveraging AI tools to personalise development moments into the natural flow of work. 
• How to integrate learning opportunities directly into daily routine to support company-wide continuous growth. 
• Curating a culture where learning is seamless, practical and embedded every day. 

• How are organisations rethinking rewards to align with shifting employee values?
• What does true personalisation in rewards and recognition look like?
• How can rewards strategies balance fairness, flexibility, and business performance?
• What new benefits and recognition programs are resonating most with today’s workforce?
• How do you measure the impact of rewards on loyalty, engagement, and retention?

Hear from an industry leader bringing unique perspectives on how organisations can navigate disruption and seize new opportunities. This keynote will combine real-world insights with forward-looking strategies to help shape the future of work.

• Why organisations are shifting from jobs to skills as the foundation of workforce transformation.
• How to build career pathways and internal mobility aligned with business needs.
• Using skills intelligence to spot gaps and drive reskilling at scale.
• Creating fair recognition and progression frameworks in flatter structures. 
• Moving from theory to practice. Redesigning roles, managing oversight, and tackling skills mismatches.

• What metrics best demonstrate the value of leadership and learning initiatives?
• How can organisations move beyond participation data to measure true impact?
• What tools and frameworks help connect learning outcomes to business performance?
• How do leaders communicate the ROI of learning to secure ongoing investment?

This dynamic and practical session is designed to celebrate the insights that only humans can bring. These are the lived experiences, cultural nuances and lessons learned through challenges that no algorithm could ever replicate. Through a series of rotating table discussions, participants will use “Human Only” prompt cards to share stories around resilience, leadership, growth, transformation and the quirks of workplace culture.

Instead of abstract theory, the focus is on real experiences and the kind of wisdom that emerges when people open up about challenges, mistakes and breakthroughs. Attendees will connect with new peers, exchange practical lessons they can take back to their organisations and leave energised with fresh perspectives and stronger connections.

• How organisations can build leadership pipelines that are resilient, agile, and future-fit.
• Why traditional succession models no longer meet the needs of fast-changing workplaces.
• The critical skills and mindsets needed for leaders in a hybrid, global environment.
• How to embed adaptability, diversity, and inclusion into leadership pipelines.

• How do organisations define and communicate a purpose that feels authentic?
• What role does purpose play in attracting, retaining, and inspiring talent?
• How can leaders align culture and strategy so purpose is lived, not just stated?
• What happens when commercial goals and stated purpose appear in conflict?

• Moving HR from support function to strategic partner.
• Rethinking HR’s role in shaping enterprise-wide strategy and organisational design.
• What capabilities and mindsets HR leaders need to influence the C-Suite.
• Driving agility, redesigning roles and aligning skills with strategic priorities.

• How leadership models adapt to AI, disruption, and changing employee expectations.
• The skills and mindsets leaders need now to stay relevant for 2030.
• Keeping learning human, inclusive, and adaptable while scaling with technology.
• Balancing purpose, trust, and performance in constant change.
• What remains timeless? Preserving human practices that build resilience, belonging, and trust.

• How can organisations rethink work design around human needs, not just efficiency?
• What does efficiency mean today? Is it about output, time saved, or something more human?
• What role do belonging, wellbeing, and purpose play in driving engagement and retention?
• How can leaders align EX with organisational performance and growth?
• What lessons can be learned from organisations leading the way in people-first design?

• How can leaders adapt their styles to thrive in hybrid and cross-cultural teams?
• What skills build cultural intelligence and global leadership capability?
• How do organisations create inclusive cultures across borders and time zones?
• What leadership practices best support collaboration in a borderless talent market?

• How AI and automation are transforming sourcing, screening, and candidate experience.
• Inclusive hiring practices that go beyond compliance to strengthen workforce diversity.
• High-volume hiring strategies to recruit at speed without losing quality or candidate care.
• Navigating cultural, legal, and operational complexities in cross-border hiring.
• Balancing efficiency and inclusivity with the human touch.
• What metrics matter most when measuring the success of modern talent acquisition functions?
• Mitigating bias in AI and automation to ensure fair and compliant hiring.

• A look into the evolving learning tech landscape including, LMS, LXP, LRS and other emerging tools.
• How AI and tech can complement existing methods for a balanced and complete approach.
• Solving challenges in user adoption, privacy, and ethics.
• What tech is worth the investment to help streamline administrative tasks, programme management, and analytics within L&D?
• What does the future of learning programmes hold? Leveraging VR, AR, and gamification for enhanced employee engagement.

This highly interactive format gives participants the chance to tackle the real issues that matter most in their organisations. On Day 1, attendees are invited to submit a current challenge they are facing. The group then votes to prioritise the most pressing topics.

On Day 2, the top four challenges are revealed and worked on in collaborative groups. Together, participants share experiences, test ideas and develop practical solutions that can be taken back and applied directly in the workplace. The Challenge Clinic is a unique opportunity to crowdsource wisdom from peers, spark new approaches and walk away with tangible strategies for overcoming today’s most urgent organisational hurdles.

• What macro forces such as AI, climate, demographics, and geopolitics will shape organisations of the future?
• How will workforce ecosystems evolve across humans, machines, and new work models?
• What shifts in skills, structures, and culture should leaders anticipate now?
• How can HR help organisations prepare for continuous disruption over the next 15 years?
• What scenarios might redefine the way we work, learn, and lead.

• Building the core culture capabilities of agility, inclusivity, learning, trust, and resilience.
• Turning values into visible, everyday behaviours that reinforce strategic goals.
• Empowering leaders and employee champions to drive culture change from every level.
• Embedding adaptability into development, recognition, and team rituals.
• Using data, storytelling, and peer networks to make culture evolution measurable and sustained.

• Looking back to look forward. What can we learn from past industrial shifts about the future of EX? What past patterns repeat regardless of era? 
• What’s next for workplaces & workforces?
• How macro trends (AI, demographics, consumerisation) will reshape EX.
• What future-ready EX models could look like.
• What leaders can do today to prepare for tomorrow’s workforce expectations.

• How companies are evolving their EVP to reflect new expectations.
• Linking EVP to purpose, wellbeing, and inclusion.
• Positioning EVP as a lever for competitive advantage.

• Preparing people with the skills they need to work alongside AI and new tech.
• Which emerging skills will be most critical in an AI-driven and tech-enabled future?
• How can organisations anticipate and prepare for roles that don’t yet exist?
• What balance should be struck between technical skills and human capabilities?
• How can leaders embed a culture of continuous upskilling?

• Meeting the needs of Gen Z through to late-career employees.
• Designing inclusive experiences without falling into generational stereotypes.
• Using tech and flexibility to bridge divides across age groups.
• Harnessing reverse mentoring to foster mutual learning and respect.
• Unlocking the wisdom of experienced employees to strengthen the next generation.

• Building agility for an uncertain future.
• How HR can lead in designing organisations that thrive through disruption.
• Embedding resilience and flexibility into business models and culture.
• Lessons from transformation journeys that stuck vs. those that failed.

• Making high-quality leadership coaching accessible to leaders at every level.
• How AI can act as a co-pilot, complementing human coaches rather than replacing them.
• Using data and insights to personalise leadership training pathways.
• Scaling leadership development by harnessing the full capabilities of AI.

• What EX can learn from customer experience design.
• How to deliver personalised, digital-first employee journeys.
• The role of data and tech in building consumer-grade experiences.

• The human reality of M&A, managing uncertainty, fatigue, and culture clashes that leave employees in limbo.
• Why culture is the hidden risk and how it can derail even the most strategic deals.
• How HR supports people through the survival phase with clear communication, trust-building, and stabilising engagement.
• What to do when HR doesn’t have all the answers. Communicating honestly while maintaining confidence and trust.
• Designing integration strategies that foster belonging, identity, and high performance.

• How access to learning and leadership development shapes engagement and loyalty.
• What types of learning opportunities build the strongest sense of belonging.
• How development pathways can reinforce and strengthen organisational culture.
• The link between continuous learning, long-term employee commitment, and performance.

• How to connect hiring, onboarding, career growth, and offboarding into one joined-up journey.
• Designing experiences that reflect culture and values at every touchpoint.
• What tools and data help make the employee experience consistent, personal, and scalable?
• What insights can be used to boost engagement, retention, and loyalty?

• Managing a blended workforce: full-time, freelance, partner, and AI-enabled.
• Designing governance and culture for workforce ecosystems.
• The impact on HR, legal, and business leaders.

• How can frontline training evolve to keep pace with automation, AI, and shifting customer expectations?
• What learning formats (from microlearning to immersive simulations) best prepare employees for constant change?
• How can data and technology personalise training at scale while keeping a human touch?
• What’s the role of frontline leadership in embedding a culture of continuous learning and adaptability?

• Why culture is now central to retention, engagement, and performance.
• How leaders can align culture with business strategy to deliver results.
• The role of community in building connection and belonging, from sports groups to volunteering, alumni networks, and social initiatives.
• Practical steps for embedding culture and community into everyday work.
• How culture, reinforced through community, can drive both employee experience and organisational success.

• Why speed matters: the business case for accelerating reskilling and upskilling.
• How to identify the most critical skills for growth in an AI-enabled world.
• Leveraging technology, data, and AI to scale learning and skills development faster.
• Strategies for building a culture of continuous, rapid upskilling.

• How organisations are using AI and data to drive workforce planning.
• Balancing automation with human judgment in talent decisions.
• Overcoming bias and building trust in AI-enabled insights.

• Moving away from traditional performance measures.
• Using AI and analytics to enable fairer performance models.
• Linking performance management with skills, purpose, and culture.

• What defines human-centred leadership, and why is it a competitive advantage?
• How can leaders balance results-driven expectations with empathy, trust, and inclusion?
• What role does emotional intelligence play in engaging and motivating teams?
• How can organisations embed human-centred leadership into development pathways and pipelines?
• Supporting leaders’ mental health and wellbeing, and maintaining core values and empathy under pressure or during times of crisis.

• How GenAI is already shaping employee experience.
• Using AI to personalise support, learning, and wellbeing.
• Balancing automation with trust and human connection.

• How do you build a culture where employees feel heard and valued?
• What tools and methods go beyond annual surveys to capture the real employee experience?
• How can organisations turn listening into meaningful, visible action?
• What role does AI and analytics play in making sense of feedback at scale?

With AI taking on more tasks and changing how we work, is a shorter workweek the next big shift or just a nice idea that won’t scale? This debate will explore both sides of the argument and what it means for leaders.

The debate:

• Yes, it’s inevitable: AI will free people from repetitive tasks, enabling greater efficiency and balance, with shorter workweeks becoming the norm.
• No, it’s a dream: Business realities, customer demands, and global competition make compressed workweeks impractical for most organisations.

As skills-based hiring grows and AI reshapes entry-level work, the value of traditional degrees is under fresh scrutiny. Many graduates now find themselves qualified but overlooked, raising the question: what’s the real ticket to entry today?

Are degrees still a marker of credibility and commitment, or an exclusionary privilege tied to financial means and access? And how should organisations weigh the currency of lived experience, adaptability, and on-the-job learning when identifying the leaders of tomorrow?

The Debate:
• Degrees still matter: They provide credibility, a strong foundation of knowledge, and demonstrate commitment.
• Skills matter more: Real-world experience, adaptability, and curiosity drive effective leadership in a fast-changing world.

Many organisations are pushing employees back to the office 4–5 days per week, while others continue hybrid or remote-first models. What does this mean for employee experience, culture, and organisational performance? Is the office truly essential for innovation, collaboration, and belonging or can culture thrive in a distributed world?

Possible debate positions:

• Pro-return: Physical presence is critical for culture, collaboration, and talent development.
• Pro-hybrid/remote: Flexibility drives engagement, retention, and inclusivity without diminishing performance.

• How can digital change be linked to culture and workforce agility?
• What does it take to roll out new HR tech and get leaders and employees on board?
• How do you balance efficiency gains with wellbeing and human connection?
• What strategies help overcome resistance and shift mindsets?
• What impact can digital-first thinking have on experience, performance, and agility?

• How to design leadership teams that reflect diverse perspectives, experiences, and ways of thinking.
• Recruiting, promoting, and developing leaders with inclusion at the forefront.
• Creating psychological safety and encouraging equal participation at the leadership level.
• How inclusive leadership teams foster innovation, resilience, and stronger decision-making.
• Navigating growing political and social pushback against DEI efforts, and addressing leadership burnout while sustaining genuine inclusion.

• How can leaders create inclusive, emotionally intelligent teams?
• How do you measure belonging and link it to performance?
• What role does leadership behaviour play in building trust and safety?
• How can organisations embed belonging into culture, not just initiatives?
• The impact of belonging and safety on retention, engagement, and innovation.
• What happens when organisations truly build (or fail to build) psychological trust and the business results that follow.

• How can HR leaders design a connected, user-friendly tech ecosystem instead of a patchwork of tools?
• Where should organisations prioritise investment? Core HRIS, AI-driven analytics, or employee experience platforms?
• Balancing innovation with legacy systems, when to integrate vs. when to replace.
• What role does AI play in optimising HR technology, from predictive analytics to personalised employee support?
• Lessons from leaders who have successfully modernised their HR tech stacks at scale.

As workplace transformation accelerates and resources remain under pressure, L&D leaders face a dual challenge - responding to shifting skills demands while proving measurable impact. It’s no longer just about efficiency, it’s about building learning ecosystems that are adaptive, data-driven, and human-centred.

This hands on, scenario based session challenges you to reimagine your learning strategy in practical, actionable ways. You’ll explore AI, capability intelligence, and agile design.

In this session, you’ll:

• Map the essential elements of a future-ready, tech-enabled learning strategy.
• Discover how to use AI, digital platforms, and automation to personalise development, even if you can’t access these tools during the session.
• Learn the basics of effective prompting to get meaningful insights from AI, so you can apply it confidently back in your workplace.
• Develop decision frameworks for balancing immediate skills gaps with long-term capability building.
• Explore ways to sustain stakeholder trust and buy-in when navigating uncertainty.

Whether you’re delivering at scale across geographies or supporting lean teams with targeted development, this session will equip you with creative, adaptable approaches to stretch resources while maximising impact.

• How digital EX platforms are reshaping communication, trust, and connection in hybrid workplaces.
• The real drivers of employee engagement today, recognition, growth, wellbeing, and purpose.
• What features in EX platforms deliver value for employees versus value for HR.
• How leaders can foster loyalty and motivation in a digital-first environment.
• Measuring ROI: from retention and productivity to culture and belonging.