HR has never carried more responsibility.
People leaders are steering AI adoption, redesigning how work gets done, protecting culture through constant change, and proving that employee experience drives real business results, all at the same time.
The approach of simply adding more programs and tools doesn't work for an AI-native workforce. Organizations pulling ahead are taking a different path, one where employee experience builds resilience, sharpens focus, and turns people strategy into measurable business impact.
That conversation is happening at Unite 26.
HR and people and workplace leaders from Adecco Group, Microsoft, Dentsu, and more will share how they're building high-performing, AI-ready workforces without losing the human element.
Building the AI-Ready Workforce
Claiming the Summit: Building a High-Performance Workforce in the Age of AI
This panel unpacks what high performance actually looks like once AI reshapes how work gets done.
Expect a direct look at balancing technology, culture, and governance and what separates organizations building durable performance from those chasing short-term productivity gains with Laura Jennings, Deputy Chief Communications Officer at Dentsu, and Alexia Cambon, Director of the Office of Applied Research at Microsoft.
Embedding AI at Scale: How Adecco Group Is Bringing Its Workforce on the Journey
Adecco Group's HR leadership shares how they're rolling AI out across a large, distributed workforce and putting people first.
Samantha Rope, Group SVP of HR Strategy and Transformation, and Niki Turner-Harding, Senior VP and Country Head for Adecco UK and Ireland, make the case that scaling AI is a people challenge first, not a technology one. Expect practical lessons on change readiness, communication, and building trust at scale.
Scaling Change: Leading Transformation in the Age of AI and Acceleration
Transformation doesn't pause for anyone anymore.
Tess Jennings, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at First Tech, Allan Tanner, DEX Team Lead at Gallagher, and Natalie Lord, Head of Communications and Marketing UK&I and Africa at WSP, explore what separates organizations that adapt quickly from those that stall. Expect a candid look at how people leaders keep employees aligned when change becomes constant rather than occasional.
Turn Ideas Into A Plan
Beyond Adoption: Proving The ROI Of Employee Experience
Unily's Value Advisory team, Jay Lupas and Gail Skinner, joins Paul Batchelor, Marketing and Communications Manager at CRH, to translate signals like engagement and content reach into productivity and faster decision-making. These are the metrics that make employee experience credible in the boardroom.
The Confidence Con: Why Your Culture Is Setting You Up to Fail
Advita Patel, Founder of CommsRebel, introduces her Confident Cultures Framework. Her argument: confidence isn’t just personal; it’s cultural. You’ll leave with tips on how to use confidence to create an environment where your people can thrive.
A Keynote Built for People Leaders
Charlene Li headlines Unite 26 with a keynote on disruptive growth in the age of AI. She's spent more than 20 years advising some of the world's most recognized organizations through transformation and strategic change, and she brings a clear, practical point of view on what separates organizations that adapt from those that stall.
She’ll explore how leaders can move beyond traditional hierarchies, build stronger relationships at scale, and create the conditions where insight turns into action. For HR leaders steering AI adoption and constant change, it's a direct look at what keeps people, not just processes, ready to perform.
What's in the New People Playbook?
The sessions above point to a shared shift in how people leaders operate.
1) AI adoption succeeds or fails on people readiness, not technology.
2) Culture is a performance driver, not a soft metric.
3) Employee experience needs a clear line to business ROI.
4) Constant change requires a durable, repeatable playbook, not a one-off response.
HR is no longer measured by the programs it launches. It's measured by the workforce it builds.
That's the playbook being written at Unite 26.
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Anna has over five years’ experience delivering insight-led content campaigns for businesses at the front of their industry, from finance to GBS to employee experience. At Unily, she creates value-driven content that helps organizations unlock better employee experiences, working closely with customers to ensure her work reflects real-world challenges with practical, relevant takeaways. As part of the Brand and Communications team, Anna aligns content to Unily’s central mission: to engage, empower, and inspire employees everywhere.