Sydney HR Technology Summit 2027

Beat the rush and join us early for complimentary barista-made coffee and breakfast.

Forecasts now suggest as much as half of HR work could shift to AI agents by 2030, and some HR leaders are already describing an agentic HR operating model rather than an augmented one.

This opening keynote frames the day: what's genuinely changing about the HR function itself, not just the tools it uses, and what CHROs need to rebuild before the shift happens to them rather than through them.

• Why the 2030 forecast for HR automation is a function redesign question, not a tooling question
• What agentic HR actually means for how HR teams are structured and staffed
• The capabilities CHROs need to build now, ahead of the shift, not in response to it

AI agents are moving beyond chatbots answering leave questions into actively managing scheduling, performance tracking, and parts of the employee lifecycle with limited human oversight.

This keynote covers how far agentic automation has actually progressed in workforce management, and where organisations are drawing the line on what stays human.

• Where AI agents are already running meaningful parts of workforce management today
• What decisions organisations are deliberately keeping human, and why
• The oversight and escalation model needed as agents take on more of the employee lifecycle

As the employment deal shifts toward doing more with less, heavy AI investment can quietly erode the culture and trust it was meant to free up capacity for.

This panel debates how organisations are protecting culture and morale while still pursuing genuine AI-driven efficiency gains.

• Where AI-driven efficiency programs have damaged trust and culture, even when the business case was sound
• What doing more with less looks like when it's managed well versus managed carelessly
• Practical guardrails for balancing investment in AI against investment in people

Most organisations have HR data scattered across systems that were never designed to talk to each other, making genuine workforce analytics harder than it should be.

This case study covers how one HR team built a working people analytics capability, from getting the data into shape to getting leaders to actually act on the insights.

• What their data actually looked like before the analytics program, and why it wasn't usable
• How they got business leaders to trust and act on workforce data insights
• A real decision the business made differently because of the data

A hands-on, interactive session working through a real workforce technology scenario as a room. Details announced soon.

Traditional L&D content and delivery models are struggling to keep pace with how fast skills needs are changing, and a lot of corporate learning spend still isn't translating into capability.

This case study covers how one organisation rebuilt their L&D approach around AI-powered, personalised learning, and what actually changed in completion rates and skill application.

• What was failing in their traditional L&D model before the redesign
• How they used AI to personalise learning paths without losing instructional quality
• The measurable change in engagement and on-the-job skill application

Research consistently shows only a minority of employees feel genuinely equipped for AI, and managers are often the least prepared to lead teams through the change.

This case study covers how one organisation built manager capability for the AI transition, rather than assuming it would happen on its own.

• What the AI-readiness gap actually looked like among their frontline managers
• The capability-building approach that got managers genuinely ready, not just briefed
• How manager readiness changed team-level AI adoption

Hybrid and distributed work is now the default for a large share of organisations, but management practices, performance measurement, and culture-building are still catching up to that reality.

This panel covers what's actually working to keep distributed teams connected, fairly assessed, and genuinely supported.

• Where management practices built for co-located teams are failing distributed ones
• How organisations are measuring performance fairly across hybrid and remote settings
• What genuinely supports culture and connection when teams aren't in the same room

Small-group, discussion-based sessions where you'll work through real workforce and people technology challenges with peers in similar roles. Roundtable topics will be announced soon.

Put your knowledge to the test in this fast-paced quiz covering real-world trivia, key concepts, and emerging trends. Compete for bragging rights — and a voucher — as the top scorer takes the crown.

AI-driven recruitment tools can scale hiring efficiency and scale bias at the same time if they're not built and audited carefully.

This case study covers how one organisation identified bias in their AI recruitment process and rebuilt it for genuinely inclusive hiring, without giving up the efficiency gains.

• Where bias was actually showing up in their AI-driven recruitment funnel
• What they changed in the tooling, criteria, and human oversight to correct it
• How they verified the bias was actually reduced, not just addressed on paper

More than a year into Australia's right to disconnect laws, organisations are still working out what genuine compliance looks like in a digital, always-on work culture, and the Fair Work Commission's guidance continues to evolve.

This closing keynote covers what compliance actually requires in practice, and where organisations are still exposed.

• What right to disconnect compliance looks like in practice, beyond a policy document
• Where digital work tools and AI agents create new right to disconnect risk
• What's changed in Fair Work Commission guidance since the laws took effect, and what to watch next

Every HR leader in the room is weighing the same tension: AI-driven efficiency, growing compliance obligations, and a genuinely human-centred employee experience, often with conflicting pressure on all three.

This interactive session puts the trade-off directly to the room with live voting.

1. Which is under the most pressure in your organisation right now: efficiency, compliance, or human-centricity?
2. Has an AI or automation initiative in your organisation been paused or wound back over compliance or culture concerns?
3. Who owns the decision when AI efficiency and employee experience genuinely conflict?
4. Is your HR team more focused on AI adoption or Fair Work and compliance risk right now?
5. Where will your next HR technology investment go: automation, analytics, compliance tooling, or employee experience?

Unwind with your peers for a couple of drinks on us!

Beat the rush and join us early for complimentary barista-made coffee and breakfast.

Forecasts now suggest as much as half of HR work could shift to AI agents by 2030, and some HR leaders are already describing an agentic HR operating model rather than an augmented one.

This opening keynote frames the day: what's genuinely changing about the HR function itself, not just the tools it uses, and what CHROs need to rebuild before the shift happens to them rather than through them.

• Why the 2030 forecast for HR automation is a function redesign question, not a tooling question
• What agentic HR actually means for how HR teams are structured and staffed
• The capabilities CHROs need to build now, ahead of the shift, not in response to it

AI agents are moving beyond chatbots answering leave questions into actively managing scheduling, performance tracking, and parts of the employee lifecycle with limited human oversight.

This keynote covers how far agentic automation has actually progressed in workforce management, and where organisations are drawing the line on what stays human.

• Where AI agents are already running meaningful parts of workforce management today
• What decisions organisations are deliberately keeping human, and why
• The oversight and escalation model needed as agents take on more of the employee lifecycle

As the employment deal shifts toward doing more with less, heavy AI investment can quietly erode the culture and trust it was meant to free up capacity for.

This panel debates how organisations are protecting culture and morale while still pursuing genuine AI-driven efficiency gains.

• Where AI-driven efficiency programs have damaged trust and culture, even when the business case was sound
• What doing more with less looks like when it's managed well versus managed carelessly
• Practical guardrails for balancing investment in AI against investment in people

Most organisations have HR data scattered across systems that were never designed to talk to each other, making genuine workforce analytics harder than it should be.

This case study covers how one HR team built a working people analytics capability, from getting the data into shape to getting leaders to actually act on the insights.

• What their data actually looked like before the analytics program, and why it wasn't usable
• How they got business leaders to trust and act on workforce data insights
• A real decision the business made differently because of the data

A hands-on, interactive session working through a real workforce technology scenario as a room. Details announced soon.

Traditional L&D content and delivery models are struggling to keep pace with how fast skills needs are changing, and a lot of corporate learning spend still isn't translating into capability.

This case study covers how one organisation rebuilt their L&D approach around AI-powered, personalised learning, and what actually changed in completion rates and skill application.

• What was failing in their traditional L&D model before the redesign
• How they used AI to personalise learning paths without losing instructional quality
• The measurable change in engagement and on-the-job skill application

Research consistently shows only a minority of employees feel genuinely equipped for AI, and managers are often the least prepared to lead teams through the change.

This case study covers how one organisation built manager capability for the AI transition, rather than assuming it would happen on its own.

• What the AI-readiness gap actually looked like among their frontline managers
• The capability-building approach that got managers genuinely ready, not just briefed
• How manager readiness changed team-level AI adoption

Hybrid and distributed work is now the default for a large share of organisations, but management practices, performance measurement, and culture-building are still catching up to that reality.

This panel covers what's actually working to keep distributed teams connected, fairly assessed, and genuinely supported.

• Where management practices built for co-located teams are failing distributed ones
• How organisations are measuring performance fairly across hybrid and remote settings
• What genuinely supports culture and connection when teams aren't in the same room

Small-group, discussion-based sessions where you'll work through real workforce and people technology challenges with peers in similar roles. Roundtable topics will be announced soon.

Put your knowledge to the test in this fast-paced quiz covering real-world trivia, key concepts, and emerging trends. Compete for bragging rights — and a voucher — as the top scorer takes the crown.

AI-driven recruitment tools can scale hiring efficiency and scale bias at the same time if they're not built and audited carefully.

This case study covers how one organisation identified bias in their AI recruitment process and rebuilt it for genuinely inclusive hiring, without giving up the efficiency gains.

• Where bias was actually showing up in their AI-driven recruitment funnel
• What they changed in the tooling, criteria, and human oversight to correct it
• How they verified the bias was actually reduced, not just addressed on paper

More than a year into Australia's right to disconnect laws, organisations are still working out what genuine compliance looks like in a digital, always-on work culture, and the Fair Work Commission's guidance continues to evolve.

This closing keynote covers what compliance actually requires in practice, and where organisations are still exposed.

• What right to disconnect compliance looks like in practice, beyond a policy document
• Where digital work tools and AI agents create new right to disconnect risk
• What's changed in Fair Work Commission guidance since the laws took effect, and what to watch next

Every HR leader in the room is weighing the same tension: AI-driven efficiency, growing compliance obligations, and a genuinely human-centred employee experience, often with conflicting pressure on all three.

This interactive session puts the trade-off directly to the room with live voting.

1. Which is under the most pressure in your organisation right now: efficiency, compliance, or human-centricity?
2. Has an AI or automation initiative in your organisation been paused or wound back over compliance or culture concerns?
3. Who owns the decision when AI efficiency and employee experience genuinely conflict?
4. Is your HR team more focused on AI adoption or Fair Work and compliance risk right now?
5. Where will your next HR technology investment go: automation, analytics, compliance tooling, or employee experience?

Unwind with your peers for a couple of drinks on us!