HR Tech Festival Asia Online 2020: What’s happening on Day 1

The largest virtual gathering of HR and business leaders from across Asia is upon us! Find out the exciting line-up of speakers and sessions for Day 1.
By: | September 29, 2020

The wait is over. HR Tech Festival Asia Online 2020 is finally here!  

Get ready to be inspired at the largest virtual gathering of HR and business leaders from across Asia over three content-packed days from September 29 to October 1.

Over 70 of the world’s leading HR thought-leaders and luminaries are set to light up the virtual stage across over 50 sessions and 5 exciting tracks – the CXO Symposium, HR & Digital Transformation, Talent Management, Recruit & Engage and the highly anticipated ASEAN Future of Work.

And not forgetting the Power Talks stage, where industry leaders will give their impactful and exclusive insights, the Pitchfest, where exciting start-ups go head-to-head to claim the top prize, and the HR Fest Awards, which recognises the best of HR.

There is definitely a session for everyone at the HR Tech Festival Asia Online 2020, which will provide unrivalled access to the latest technologies, trends and solutions as you navigate the new era of HR and people management.

Kicking off the HR Tech Festival Asia Online 2020 is Josephine Teo, Minister, Ministry of Manpower and Second Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs. All eyes will be on her as she delivers the keynote address on Day 1 (September 29, 10am SGT).

Getting the full day of engaging discussions going is Chihoko Asada-Miyakawa, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, International Labour Organization (ILO), who will be addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia Pacific. You wouldn’t want to miss her session “Overview on the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market in the Asia Pacific at 10.15am SGT.

Next up, Steve Boese, President and Co-Founder, H3 HR Advisors, will be examining four critical questions employers can pose to frame their thinking around business agility in his session “Creating The Agile Talent Function: Four Questions To Help Your Transition To Agile HR” at 10.45am SGT.

What are some of the most prevalent leadership development myths in Asia? Challenging those will be Elisa Mallis, APAC Managing Director, Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) during her session “Developing Future-Fluent Asian Leaders: Myths We Must Debunk” at 10.45am SGT.

Learn and discover real-life business examples of how to ensure the focus on HR and employee engagement outlives the pandemic as Steve Bennetts, Head of EX Strategy & Solutions, Qualtrics, will discuss that in his session “Why Adapting To The “New Normal” Isn’t Going To Be Good Enough For HR” at 11am SGT,

And you definitely wouldn’t want to miss the first session of the ASEAN Future of Track, which will be a power-packed panel discussion On Building A Better Post-COVID Future Of Work at 11am SGT.

Aubeck Kam, Permanent Secretary, Singapore Ministry of Manpower, Dr Ha Thi Minh Duc, Deputy Director General, International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Shoya Yoshida, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation – Asia Pacific, Graeme Buckley, Director, DWT/CO-Bangkok, International Labour Organization, and Lynn Dang, HR Lead, Microsoft Singapore, will discuss the forces shaping a post-COVID Future of Work, including the pressing need to ensure employers retain their human capital and workers their employability.

Continuing the engaging discussion around Employment Facilitation Post-COVID, For A Better Recovery at 11.45am SGT are Aparna Bharadwaj, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group, Tan Choon Shian, Chief Executive Officer, Workforce Singapore, Gilbert Tan, Chief Executive Officer, Employment and Employability Institute, Sim Gim Guan, Executive Director, Singapore National Employers Federation, Daniel Robinson, Programme Director, Maximus, and François Lançon, Regional President, Asia Pacific and Middle East, ManpowerGroup

Next up, Brent Colescott, Senior Director, Global Business Strategy & Transformation, SumTotal Systems, will look at how skills, not degrees are driving today’s workforce during his session “Skills, Not Degrees, Drive Today’s Workforce” at 11.30am SGT.

How can leaders in Asia Pacific can navigate this transitional period between the early pandemic and next normal? Discussing that will be John Antos, VP, Strategy & Marketing, Asia Pacific, ADP, in his session “Navigating 2020: HR And Business Leaders Moving Through Transitional Waters” at 12pm SGT.

Meanwhile, learn how to Engage Your Workforce Today: Learning The Agile Way” with Olivier Pestel, Associate Vice President, Solution Consulting & Delivery Advisory, Asia Pacific & Japan, Cornerstone OnDemand’s session at 12pm SGT.

And headlining Day 1 of the HR Tech Festival Asia Online 2020 is none other than the ‘Godfather’ himself – Dave Ulrich, Professor at University of Michigan and Partner, RBL Group.

He will look into the crystal ball and discuss “The Future of HR: 5 Principles, 3 Targets & 2 HR Actions” at 12.30pm SGT. During the session, he will share how people and organisations can deliver increased value as they shape the future of HR coming out of this crisis.

Be impacted at the Power Talks Expo Stage, where industry leaders like Charles H. Ferguson, General Manager, Asia Pacific, Globalization Partners, will give exclusive insights such as why HR executives need to proactively work on an exit plan out of this pandemic during his session “Staying Focused Amid Chaos By Embracing Change” at 2pm SGT.

Rounding up Day 1 is the highly anticipated HR Tech PitchFest Round 1 and HR Fest Awards Presentation Ceremony. Last but certainly not least, don’t forget to check out the exciting Product Demonstrations from leading companies and start-ups happening from 1.30pm SGT!

Enjoy Day 1 of the HR Tech Festival Asia Online 2020!

If you’ve not registered, reserve your free access pass today, and visit the website for more information, the latest agenda, as well as updates on speakers and exhibitors.