DAY ONE: Wednesday 24 October 2018

8:15am

Registration opens

8:45am

Opening Remarks from the Chair

Nadia Taylor, Director, Livingstones

8:55am

Welcome from the Event Partner

James Della-Porta, Regional Sales Director, ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll

9:00am

KEYNOTE: Creating a future-ready workforce for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

From 4-15 April 2018, the Gold Coast welcomed 6,600 athletes and team officials from 71 nations and territories and visitors from all over the world-, to compete and enjoy the biggest event Australia hosted in more than a decade. At its peak, the workforce consisted of over 1,600 paid staff, up to 15,000 volunteers and over 40,000 contractors. In this keynote, Helen Moore will share her story on creating a future-ready workforce and how HR impacted the successful execution of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

Helen Moore, General Manager - Finance and Business Services, Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

9:45am

Being a frank and fearless adviser in the C-Suite

It's the role of the HR director to provide the CEO and executive team with candid and pragmatic advice, even when the truth hurts. This session will explore the role of the HR director as the honest truth-teller in a leadership team.

• Being cross-functional and commercially savvy
• Keeping it real – having courageous conversations in the C-suite
• Balancing the benefits of achieving consensus with the dangers of ‘group think'

10:30am

Morning refreshment and networking break

11:00am

LEGAL UPDATE: How to manage difficult employee exits

Redundancies are one of the easier types of termination. Terminations for misconduct and persistent poor performance are slightly more challenging. But what happens when you want to terminate someone's employment for being a poor cultural fit or interpersonal behaviours?

• What makes a good employee "good"?
• Are your values and principles relevant from a legal perspective?
• How to help line managers deal legally with cases of "bad cultural fit"
• When can you terminate an employee for interpersonal reasons?

Paul Hardman, Partner, K&L Gates

11:45am

Leadership through complex and changing times

The world of work is changing rapidly. HR professionals have to be in position to lead their organisations through these complex times.

• What human capital requirements will we have in 2020 and beyond?
• What should leadership development programs look like today to prepare for tomorrow?
• Building capability of leaders in a VUCA [volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous] world

Selena Turner, Executive Director - Leadership and Organisational Development, Queensland Treasury Corporation

12:30pm

Networking lunch

1:15pm

Answering the call: Creating the future of diversity and inclusion

Most executive teams now recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion to strengthen corporate reputation, employee brand, employee wellbeing and innovation. Some are integrating inclusion in their approach to the digital revolution. This session will explore:

• Macroeconomic trends that are shaping the future of work
• Diversity beyond demographics
• Securing leadership buy-in for diversity programs
• Addressing bias in recruitment, selection and reward and recognition
• Embedding the principals of inclusion throughout the whole employee lifecycle

Leith Mitchell, Senior Associate, Diversity Partners

Interviews:

Paul Landy, Chief Human Resources Officer, QSuper

2:00pm

The eternal HR challenge of managing change

We must accept that with intensifying competition within and across businesses, the pace of change is ever increasing. How we manage change can often determine the success of your organisation, and its people that drive it. Let's uncover the following:

• What role do you as a HR leader play in management of change?
• How can technology better enable you to accelerate the acceptance of, and implementation of changes in your organisation?
• What are the ways to increase employee engagement along your journey?

James Della-Porta, Regional Sales Director, ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll

2:45pm

Afternoon refreshment and networking break

3:15pm

CASE STUDY: How Campbell Arnott's creates an amazing employee experience

Great employers focus on the entire, integrated employee experience, including HR, workplace and management practices. High-performing companies focus on enriching the employee experience, leading to meaningful and productive work.

• What can the concepts of customer experience teach us about employee experience?
• Creating programs, policies, initiatives that employees LOVE to use
• Creating a culture where flexibility, collaboration and creativity are nurtured
• Technological solutions that enhance the employee experience
• Do we need to rethink the roles, structure, programs and strategies that we use in HR?

Kirsty Kratzmann, Director HR - Supply Chain, Campbell International division, Campbell Arnott's

4:00pm

PANEL DISCUSSION: The future of HR: How can we capitalise on the progress that HR has made?

As businesses have been transforming and becoming more complex, the HR profession has been changing and up-skilling to help workforces deal with these changes.

• The future role of people skills in an increasingly automated workforce
• Is traditional, transactional HR now dead?
• What will HR's role be in the core areas of attracting, engaging, retaining and developing employees?
• The next big thing - emerging HR technology and the future of work

Panelists:

Jenny Gregg, Executive General Manager, Business Services, Stanwell

Raelene Barry, Deputy General Manager, Executive Manager - Human Resources, Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre

Laura Jones, Head of Shared Services, People & Culture, UnitingCare

Joanne Nugent, General Manager Human Resources, QSL

Moderator:

Melissa Armstrong, Head of Academy, Harcourt's International

5:00pm

End of Day 1

DAY TWO: Thursday 25 October 2018

8:50am

Opening remarks from the Chair, Day 2

Nadia Taylor,Director, Livingstones

9:00am

KEYNOTE: The 21st century HRD - What do CEO'-s and boards expect?

Hear from Caroline Hudson as she weighs in on the practical realities of strategy-making, conflict resolution and alliance-building in the C-suite and the boardroom. 

• Negotiating and influencing skills for HR leaders in the executive team and board
• Truth to power
• Conflict management at the highest level - creating unity while encouraging diversity of thought
• Guiding the executive team through ethical dilemmas
• Encouraging post HR leaders to take board seat appointments

Caroline Hudson, Former Chief Human Resources Officer of Mater Group and Non-Executive Director Southern Cross Care Queensland

9:45am

The Business Case for the Human Workforce - why robots aren't replacing us any time soon

The conversation around automating roles and functions continues. How can you assure your workforce (and yourself!) that the numbers stack up in a human's favour, even when there are some chilling examples of robots outperforming world experts, even for complex tasks like specialised surgery?

• What should we be getting the robots to do, and how will that impact our current roles?
• What should the humans continue to do, and how can we powerfully create the business case to support that?
• What do you need to start doing and thinking differently to ensure we utilise the workforce in the best way possible?

Laurel McLay, Senior Associate, DLPA

10:30am

Morning refreshment and networking break

11:00am

PANEL: Leadership insights from Australia's top HR directors

In this panel, top HR Directors will share their challenges and insights into successful HR leadership.

• What is the key to success in HR leadership today?
• How is digital disruption changing the practice of HR?
• How to lead, inspire, manage and engage a dynamic and rapidly changing workforce
• Career development tips from HR directors who have made it to the top

Panelists:

Ben Jensen, HR Consultant

Peter O'Sullivan, National Head of People & Culture, BDO

Ken Greedy, Director of Human Resources, Griffith University

Carole Cooper, Global Peopleworks Leader, Flight Centre Travel Group

Moderator:

Michelle Loch, Director, Leading Humans

12:00pm

Networking lunch

12:45pm

CASE STUDY: Leading organisational capability and workforce strategy in the public sector

Hear how Gold Coast Hospital and Health Services is building a world-class public sector through its focus on people strategy.

• Creating a diverse and inclusive values-based culture
• Building internal capability for leadership, resilience and responsiveness to change
• Expanding staff engagement and two-way communication across the Department
• Exceeding targets for women in senior roles

Hannah Bloch, Executive Director - People and Enagagement, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service

Rita Hudson, Senior Director - Organisational Capability, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service

1:30pm

Managing change and transformation in your organisation

As the pace of change in the economy accelerates, CEOs are increasingly requiring their organisations and HR teams to be more agile. How are employees handling such incessant organisational change? Igniting an appetite for change among employees who are suffering ‘change fatigue'

• Creating an agile culture that can quickly adapt to changes
• Bedding-down change through the stages of a business lifecycle
• Dealing with change-resistant employees

Sonia La Penna, Director, HR Synergy Consulting Pty Ltd

2:15pm

Afternoon refreshment and networking break

2:45pm

Big data: Using metrics to enhance strategic decision-making

Innovative, intelligent organisations are using complex analytical and predictive modelling to make insightful business decisions. 

• Capturing, analysing and gleaning insight from employee data
• Developing workforce insights and predictions
• Balancing data-driven decision making with intuitive decision-making

Dr. Al Jury, Chief Human Resource Officer, The University of Queensland

3:30pm

WORKSHOP: Tough conversations - balancing strength with empathy

HR professionals are trusted by management to handle difficult conversations with sensitivity and pragmatism. This workshop will involve practical exercises to build your skills in conducting challenging interpersonal discussions.

• Handling emotionally-charged situations with professionalism
• Tough empathy: The ability to have tough conversation while showing empathy
• Tips for handling unexpected scenarios with combative employees

Zandy Fell, Managing Director, The Zalt Group: Restore & Strengthen Workplace Relations

4:00pm

CONFERENCE CONCLUDES