Organizations of all sizes and in all industries need change for many reasons – merging different cultures, global expansion, declining sales, outdated practices and so on. Whatever the reason, organizational transformation is no easy task and how organizations go about implementing and sustaining change is imperative to their success.

Hear about organizational transformation first hand from the Chief Human Resources Officer at Adecco Group North America, who recently experienced a major acquisition and faced the challenge of merging two corporate cultures.

Don’t miss this session if you wish to learn how to cultivate and propagate organizational change, the relevant HR role and tips on how to empower your employees in the process. You’ll also hear about Adecco’s key findings throughout the pre- and post-acquisition process and learn how HR can enhance a successful M&A strategy.

By Games time, the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) anticipated a total workforce of more than 55,000, including 1,400 paid staff, 3,500 temporary staff, 25,000 volunteers, 10,000 contractors and 15,000 ceremony participants. How do you put together such a team… then disassemble it?

As VANOC's culture keeper and catalyst, Donna Wilson ensured that the organizational values of team, trust, excellence, creativity and sustainability were integrated into all of the people practices for the Games. Setting a course of action to enable employees and volunteers to galvanize around the values was key to the success of the “blue coats” as they became known worldwide during the Games.

During a not-to-be-missed session, Donna Wilson will tell a story of change and sustainability. She will share how she guided the organizing committee through its dynamic stages of growth, operation and wind-down.

If you had chills watching the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, you won’t want to miss this exclusive session with Donna Wilson, who summed up her broad scope of responsibilities in one short sentence: "I was responsible for everything that had to do with people, relationships, and lasting human legacy."

India has seen tremendous changes in the last decade, including the rise of multiple businesses and industries. To fathom the huge challenges India is facing, it is important to understand its DNA in terms of geographic, economic and demographic realities. With exponential growth come multiple business realities, most of which have evolved into interesting and unique HR challenges. In this young market, there is a major need for strong talent acquisition and talent management processes and practices. Traditional Western models cannot always be applied – many industries have created innovative HR models as solutions to specific challenges.

This session will feature an insight into India, its business and corresponding HR challenges. Senior vice-president of Human Resources at FIS Global Business solutions, the world's top-ranking technology provider to the banking industry, the speaker will also share her first- hand personal experiences in the companies she has worked for, highlighting these issues and suggested solutions, as well as illustrating areas where India and the West can collaborate. In India, the HR function has been stretched on all fronts and has undergone rapid change, creating many ways to solve business problems. “India has 400 years of history living here at one time.” A session not to be missed!

The economy… aggressive corporate goals… conflicting priorities… work overloads! When such forces exert incredible stress on our leaders, they are more likely to succumb to their derailers, i.e., dysfunctional behaviors inherent in their personality. For example, a perfectionist leader who insists on personally approving (and often redoing) every aspect of a product update for a VIP client later loses the client to a competitor because of the delays. When a leader’s performance is derailed, goals are missed, money is wasted, colleagues are frustrated…and organizations fail to achieve their goals.

Luckily, derailers can be measured and mitigated. A tendency toward eccentricity or dependence on others’ approval can be identified by a simple inventory, which can also identify enablers—personal attributes that catalyze positive behaviors. In selection processes or leadership development, these tendencies offer insights that help organizations and leaders optimize performance and results.

Don’t miss this session for a better understanding of derailers in relation to the initial selection process, the development of leaders and succession management practices

This dynamic session takes you on a journey to learn how the process and steps of “leading through learning” are discovered and engaged. It provides powerful insights and guidelines to inspire leaders faced with guiding their organizations through any kind of turbulence.

The turmoil could be a result of significant change or lack of change; of rapid growth or rapid decline; of a merger, acquisition, or takeover; or of key leaders joining or leaving. It may be more extreme, resulting from a calamity such as a financial scandal or the theft of intellectual property, or an unnatural or natural disaster affecting any part of the organization.

No stranger to turbulence, Priscilla Nelson was a senior leader working for Satyam in India when in January 2009, the then CEO and founder confessed to a $2.5B scandal that rocked the organization and the Indian IT Industry. The leaders implemented a leading through learning strategy which she will share with you in this dynamic and interactive session.

Don’t miss this session if you wish to learn how to take that tiger by the tail and benefit from the challenges of leading during chaotic times!

Your will learn:

• What is leading through learning?
• How to develop a leading through learning strategy.
• The dynamics that allow for real time leadership and real time learning to happen simultaneously.
• The role of learning, coaching, and social media to making leading through it happen effective.

Pixar is the benchmark of innovative success. With numerous Academy Awards under its belt, it keeps breaking the mould on creativity and taking it to the next level. From Toy Story to Up, Pixar never settles for what it has done but continues to look forward to the future.

Join Bill Capodagli, bestselling author of The Disney Way, for an eye-opening session where you’ll discover the secrets for creating a truly innovative work culture from the world’s leader on creativity. In this session, Bill will take you on a tour of the most innovative, creative organization in the world. You will learn how to look at the world through a child’s eyes (and why it’s important). You will also find out how to believe in your team … how to jump in and try something different … how to create your own corporate playground … and more!

For a number of years now, Canada has been a leader in pay equity issues and has made its mark on the international scene through legislation adopted in three different provinces, i.e. Ontario, Quebec and New-Brunswick. These laws have turned the principle of pay equity into a solid reality in the labour world and have made Canada a forerunner in the field.

What measures does the legislation contain; what makes it distinctive; and how does it help eliminate gender wage discrimination?

The three officers responsible in each of these provinces will jointly assess the overall situation and show how legislation can promote employee retention, flexibility and mobility, as well as boost a company’s attractiveness. They will also address other complementary strategies that have proven to be effective in some provinces as well as focus on the critical role played by the human resources community.

Like many developing countries, South Africa’s generational evolution is unique. Because of the socio-economic challenges raised by poverty, unemployment and decadence, being in tune with the reality of an African majority that is still strongly marked by an African value-system is vital.

Various generations of political/business leaders and human resources practitioners have come up with many models of African Leadership. After 16 years of democracy, many of those who helped shape the building blocks of this new society are facing retirement, handing over the baton to a new leadership core of GenerationXs.

Mpho Makwana, the youngest ever Chairman of South Africa’s 87-year-old electricity Utility company, displays characteristics that are the trademark of a true African leader.

At a time where South Africa and many parts of the African Continent are going through a generational change of guard, and in the true spirit of ubuntu, this session will take participants on an intense and insightful journey to examine the appropriateness and relevance of African Leadership