Welcome coffee and networking with peers, partners and speakers ahead of an inspiring day.

Opening remarks from People 1st MENA host.

A Fireside chat between Emile Saadi, the Head of Legal for GCC at Apple and Policy and Regulatory Coordination Lead for EMEIA and Murtaza Khan, Regional Lead Partner for the Middle East and Africa for Fragomen. Emile will provide his unique perspectives and observations on how the regulatory landscape has been impacting by AI and Geopolitics from a broad perspective and how this is challenging CHROs to become more strategically aligned with the business. Emile and Murtaza will discuss the optimum ways in which CHROS and HR and GM leaders can respond to this challenge.
In partnership with Fragomen

An interactive discussion around how the GCC can strengthen its middle management pipeline – a critical but often overlooked layer. Explore innovative ways to develop leadership capabilities at scale, harnessing learning technologies such as simulations and AI. The session will explore how to develop the leadership capabilities necessary for navigating the complexities of the modern business landscape and how you can blend AI and human leadership to unlock growth for your organisation.
In partnership with Abilitie.

Global workforce deployment is a core lever in global talent and business strategy and traditional global mobility roles are no longer about international assignments but deploying talent where it delivers most value, unlocking skills with speed and agility. The panel examines what this means for the global mobility function and how it is adapting to changing workforce dynamics and the capabilities, technology, data, and AI, required to lead in a more dynamic workforce landscape.
In partnership with Fragomen.

For a decade, HR technology has been about visibility - dashboards showing hiring funnels slow down, survey responses flagging flight risks, workflows routing requests to the right desk. The reports and insights have always been there. What's been missing is the system that acts on them.
This keynote sits at the center of that shift. Rahul Lakhanpal will explore how agentic AI is moving HR from systems of insight to systems of action — where autonomous agents can take the next step within the guardrails of business sets, across hiring, employee experience, and retention.
In partnership with Darwinbox.

Refresh and Refuel: Refreshments & Formula 1 Simulator Experience

Explore how organisations across the Middle East are responding to nationalisation requirements, evolving immigration and compliance landscapes, and changing workforce mobility models while building the talent capabilities needed for future growth.
In partnership with Fragomen

Explore how organisations are adapting talent mobility, crisis preparedness and decision-making following recent regional disruption, while building more flexible, consistent and resilient mobility programmes.
In partnership with Sirva

Discuss how organisations are balancing remote work, business travel and cross-border workforce mobility with evolving immigration, tax, payroll and compliance requirements across the GCC.
In Partnership with Vialto

Explore how organisations can use deeper insight into individual capabilities, behaviours and potential to strengthen leadership pipelines, internal mobility, development and succession decisions.
In partnership with Easy Tiger Group

As the GCC people agenda continues to evolve, this session will uncover what the past year has taught HR leaders about resilience, talent and changing employee expectations — and how these lessons are shaping the workforce equation today. Looking ahead to 2027, the conversation will explore how AI, business expectations and the demand for greater impact will reshape the CHRO mandate and what people leaders need to rethink now.

The Final Lap: Lunch, Networking & F1 Simulators