Great Scot(land)!

The 2016 HRO Today Forum EMEA heads to Edinburgh: a preview of must-see events.

By Christa Elliott

What falls out of the Talent Cloud? Get ready to find out! This question will be answered at this year’s HRO Today Forum EMEA. This annual industry event offers attendees the opportunity to network with more than 250 leading HR thinkers and practitioners as well as gain insight into the ever-changing industry. The 2016 forum will take place in Edinburgh on 8-10 November.

This year’s theme. The Talent Cloud, puts the spotlight on how leveraging ever-changing cloud technologies are more crucial than ever. Through several interactive sessions, attendees will get insight into the ways they can leverage on-demand, mobile, and social platforms to attract and retain an engaged workforce.

“We have entered a crazy new world in which the technological and social revolution is unlike anything ever experienced before in the history of humankind,” says Dean Van Leeuwen, one of the event’s keynote speakers. “Today’s leaders need to rise with the occasion and unleash the awesome value creation that is possible when the power of business is put towards doing good in the world.”

Van Leeuwen is the co-founder and chief exploration officer for TomorrowToday, a leadership development group and purveyor of educational presentations and workshops. Additionally, he is a TEDx speaker, author of the book Quest: Competitive Advantage and the Art of Leadership in the 21st century, and just one of the many distinguished HR professionals who will speak at the EMEA event. Other presenters will include Bank of Ireland Group’s Julie Sharp and Social Talent CEO Jonathan Campbell.

This year’s keynote speakers and events contribute to an exciting programme. Here is an inside look into the agenda for this year’s forum:

Session: Tomorrow’s World Today: Competing in the Age of Quests

Van Leeuwen believes that every business and every leader from all types of organisations across all levels can achieve remarkable things in the 21st century. Sadly, most organisations fall well short of their full potential in terms of productivity, fulfillment, and competitiveness.

This session will focus on the power of social media, the democratization of information, and unparallelled access to disruptive and mobile technology as means to build better working world. This goal involves constantly challenging conventional thinking, exploring and researching new ideas, and developing the latest thought-provoking leadership and strategic frameworks.

Session: CEO of SharedXpertise Elliot Clark Interviews 2015 CHRO of the Year Winner Julie Sharp

In this special session, SharedXpertise CEO Elliot Clark will speak with Bank of Ireland’s (BOI) Julie Sharp.

Join Clark and Sharp as they discuss lessons she has learned over her extensive career, and tips she recommends to her fellow HR executives.

Sharp joined Bank of Ireland as head of group human resources in June 2010. Since then, the Australian-born HR executive has brought her diverse HR experience -gained from her time at companies such as ING -to the organisation.

Over the last 24 months in this role. Sharp has successfully led the implementation of an extensive HR agenda in a challenging and dynamic environment. One initiative that has been especially successful is the new BOI career and reward framework, which shows the possible journeys an individual can take when developing their career within the organisation.

Prior to working at Bank of Ireland, Sharp held a number of senior HR positions with ING for more than 10 years. Prior to ING, Sharp was the HR director for Citibank Australia and Arthur Anderson.

To learn more about Julie Sharp, read our interview with her on page 8 of this issue.

Session: The Holy Grail of Global Payroll – How Microsoft Found It

In 2013, Microsoft and Accenture set off on a journey to streamline and standardize Microsoft’s payroll around the world and enhance its controls. Microsoft had already consolidated from 50 payroll providers to only three core providers. They also realized that far greater value could be obtained if they also standardised payroll administration and inquiry management and enhanced the control environment. Attend this session to see how Microsoft and Accenture partnered to establish a consistent, global payroll experience. Learn how the organisation not only eliminated the headaches of payroll administration and virtually eliminated errors, but also how they earned unprecedented flexibility, oversight, and visibility into the performance of their overall payroll function.

Session: How HR can Build a Vision on Applying Disruptive Technology

Alliander, a leading Dutch energy network company with 6,500 employees, will explain how it leveraged a forward-thinking solution to improve the safety of its workforce.

Alliander’s HR department initiated a research programme to investigate the possibilities for using robotics as a means to make the work of technicians safer and unburden them from dull tasks like paper work, inspections, and safety supervising. They facilitated a multidisciplinary taskforce and interviewed 150 technicians in order to assess their needs. The outcome resulted in an innovative social robotics programme.

Networking Session: The HRO Today Forum EMEA Table Topic Discussions

The HRO Today Forum Topic Table networking session provides a relaxed setting for attendees to share their knowledge and insights on the most relevant topics in HR today. This unique, intimate setting allows attendees to discuss, debate, and share knowledge on pre-selected hot topics in the HR industry. Each table will be chaired by industry experts who will help guide and facilitate these focused gatherings of like-minded professionals.

ITalent 2016: EMEA’s Newest and Startup HR Technologies Competition

The iTalent competition recognises and rewards HR and recruiting technology companies that are leading the way in helping businesses recruit and retain employees. The top five entries will give a seven-minute HR innovation pitch to the event audience and panel of HR technology experts, industry analysts, HR practitioners, and technology investors. A winner will then be selected.