L&D Mar 2026 Day 1

Lerato Semenya

Managing Director at Chromatic Consulting | Diversity and Inclusion Specialist| Non-Exec Chair of Kuehne + Nagel Inzuzo Board| Keynote Speaker

Adi Stephan

From Fragmented Tools to Unified Ecosystems — Learn how to architect MAVA (Metaverse, AR/VR, App) infrastructure that connects mobile learning, VR simulations, and AI-driven personalization into a seamless capability-building system—rather than disconnected point solutions. The Convergence Playbook — Discover how AI, XR, and metaverse technologies are merging to create adaptive, immersive learning journeys that respond to individual performance in real-time, accelerating competency development by up to 45%. Scaling Beyond the Pilot — Gain proven strategies for moving from proof-of-concept to enterprise deployment, including platform selection (Meta Quest, Motive.io), integration with existing LMS/LXP stacks, and building the business case that secures C-suite sponsorship. Commercial Viability & ROI — Explore frameworks for quantifying the business impact of immersive learning investments, leveraging MERLA analytics to demonstrate workforce readiness, retention, and operational efficiency gains to executive stakeholders. Future-Proofing Your L&D Operating Model — Understand how to restructure teams, budgets, and governance to support continuous innovation—ensuring your organization stays ahead as the lines between physical, digital, and immersive learning dissolve.

Francois van der Merwe

The topic will consist of the following: How internal and external hackathons can be used as structured “learning labs” where employees rapidly build future-fit skills, experiment with AI and emerging tech, and co-create solutions to real business problems—while embedding a culture of innovation, collaboration, and ownership across the organisation. In this session, Francois will explore how to move hackathons beyond one-off events and turn them into a core talent and culture capability: • Talent Development in Action: Using hackathons to build critical skills (AI, product thinking, experimentation, storytelling) through real-world challenges instead of theoretical training. • Spotting & Growing High-Potential Talent: Identifying future leaders, intrapreneurs, and “connectors” by how they show up under time pressure, collaborate, and solve problems. • Scaling an Innovation Mindset: Designing hackathons that normalise experimentation, fast feedback, and cross-functional teaming—so innovation becomes “how we work”, not a side project. • From Ideas to Impact: Creating post-hackathon pipelines (incubation, pilots, sponsorship) so winning ideas and teams don’t die on Monday morning. • Measuring Culture & Capability Shifts: Linking hackathon outcomes to learning metrics, engagement, and business impact to prove ROI and secure ongoing executive sponsorship.

Roshael Hoosen (IO Psychologist)

Use virtual and augmented reality to simulate real-life business scenarios, enabling employees to practice high-risk tasks in a safe environment and accelerate competency development through experiential learning.

Thea Pelser

Embedding microlearning, performance support, and just-in-time resources directly into employees’ workflows to ensure learning is seamless, relevant, and immediately applicable, boosting productivity and retention.

Lydia Ngobe

Leveraging data from performance, assessments, and behavior to dynamically adapt learning paths — enabling personalised, just-in-time interventions that support continuous growth and close critical skills gaps.

Nolo Thobejane

Building communities of practice, peer coaching, and knowledge-sharing networks that leverage social dynamics to scale collective learning, encourage collaboration, and democratise expertise across the organization.

Kershia Naidoo

Virgil Vandayar

Traditional L&D structures were built for a world that no longer exists. When strategy moves faster than talent, organisations that rely soley on courses and completions may struggle to keep pace no, matter how good the content is. This session makes the case for a fundamentally different operating model: the capability academy. Not a branded portal or a renamed curriculum, but a governance structure, a funding model, and an accountability framework that connects capability development directly to business strategy.