The Future of People Summit, 19 & 20 May 2027

Veli Ndaba – ‘The NeuroEngineer’

Shelleny Govender-Dhooma (CHRP, M.Inst.Dir)

How HR functions are moving past chatbots and applicant-tracking automation into AI-assisted workforce planning, predictive attrition modelling, and decision support — and what governance and ethics guardrails leaders need before they scale it.

Londiwe Mncube

A practical look at shifting from rigid job architecture to skills-based talent models — how to build a skills taxonomy, deploy internal talent marketplaces, and use skills data to widen the hiring and mobility pool.

Mandi Olivier

Moving succession planning from a once-a-year exercise to a continuous, data-informed process — identifying critical roles, building readiness pipelines, and reducing key-person risk across the business.

JP Van Zittert (CPsychol, AFBPsS, RS)

How to design pay, benefits, and recognition strategies that flex across five generations in the workplace at once, balancing cost discipline with the personalised reward expectations of a modern workforce.

Caroline Berns

How L&D teams are replacing static training calendars with adaptive learning platforms that curate content to the individual, using AI to recommend the right learning at the point of need.

Shenaaz Patel

Practical frameworks for building a coaching mindset into line-manager behaviour — not as a specialist intervention, but as a daily leadership habit that drives performance and retention.

Alan Hosking

What leadership development looks like when teams are spread across locations and time zones — building trust, visibility, and influence without relying on physical presence.

Roshael Hoosen (IO Psychologist)

Moving beyond completion rates and satisfaction scores to metrics that link learning directly to performance, retention, and business outcomes — and how to report this convincingly to leadership.

Frank de Beer

How OD practitioners are helping organisations move from episodic "change projects" to a state of continuous adaptability — embedding change capability as a core organisational muscle.

Louise Claassen

Proven models and practical tools for sequencing communication, sponsorship, and reinforcement during major transformation — restructuring, M&A, technology rollouts, and culture shifts.

Thea Pelser

Exploring flatter structures, cross-functional squads, and dynamic role design as organisations trade rigid hierarchies for structures that can respond faster to market shifts.

Dorah Tlala-Tanor

A candid look at where DEIB commitments have stalled, and how to embed inclusion into everyday systems — hiring, promotion, and team dynamics — rather than treating it as a standalone initiative.

Dr. Lesego Rametsi

Positioning wellbeing not as a perk but as a core driver of performance and retention — practical models for psychological safety, workload design, and manager capability in supporting wellbeing.

Sibonakaliso Shabangu

A forward-looking close to the event — how AI, skills-based design, and shifting employee expectations are together reshaping what a "job" even means, and what the employer-employee contract looks like by 2030.