CHRO Series HONG KONG

The CHRO's Reality Check:

Talent, Risk, Transformation and the AI Imperative

16 & 17 March 2027

Cordis, Hong Kong

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CHRO HONG KONG 2027: The CHRO's Reality Check: Talent, Risk, Transformation and the AI Imperative

Hong Kong’s workforce is shrinking, with the labour force falling from 3.50 million in 2023 to 3.47 million in 2025. Without talent-admission and labour-importation measures, it could drop to 3.21 million by 2028, leaving a projected manpower shortfall of around 300,000.

Finding talent is only half the battle. Hong Kong employers must navigate evolving employment laws, MPF obligations, termination liabilities, retention pressures and cultural differences across local and Mainland Chinese teams. Meanwhile, AI adoption is reshaping the workplace, raising questions around workforce readiness, productivity and the future of work. With 74% of respondents in Jobsdb by SEEK’s survey expressing concerns about job loss, workforce uncertainty adds to the challenge. The Greater Bay Area also brings new opportunities and complexities in cross-border talent, operations and business models. For CHROs, the priority is to balance compliance with agility, retain critical talent, harness AI to drive productivity and lead business transformation across generations, cultures and borders.

CHRO Series Hong Kong 2027 brings senior HR leaders together to exchange practical solutions through expert discussions, real-world case studies and peer roundtables—addressing the local HR challenges shaping Hong Kong's workforce and business landscape.

CHRO Series Hong Kong

*The event agenda below is subject to change

DAY 1: PRE-EVENT WORKSHOP

Hong Kong HR Compliance Masterclass: From The 468 Rule To Termination Risk

Date: 16th March 2027
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Facilitator :

WORKSHOP DELIVERABLES

Hong Kong’s HR landscape is evolving rapidly, with changing employment regulations, rising talent pressures and growing workforce expectations creating new challenges for HR leaders. From the revised 468 rule and the abolition of MPF offsetting to severance liabilities and termination risks, staying compliant has become a business imperative.

This pre-conference masterclass moves beyond legislation to explore its real-world implications, helping participants identify compliance gaps, navigate complex employment scenarios and make more confident decisions. Turn regulatory complexity into HR confidence—and prepare your organisation for the challenges ahead. .

Key objectives:
  • The 468 Rule Audit: Review continuous-contract eligibility, working-hour records and statutory entitlements under the revised Employment Ordinance test.

  • The MPF Transition Toolkit: Understand the post-May 2025 offsetting arrangements, severance and long-service payment calculations, and applicable government subsidies.

  • The Termination Risk Checklist: Review redundancy, performance management, notice requirements, final payments and disciplinary procedures.

  • The Hong Kong HR Compliance Calendar: Map key obligations, documentation and internal review points for the year ahead.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

08.30am
Registration & Coffee
09.00am
Session 1: The 468 Rule: Are Your Part-Timers Properly Covered?
  • Applying the revised continuous-contract test effective 18 January 2026
  • Reviewing casual, part-time and irregular-hours arrangements
  • Auditing leave, holidays, wages and statutory benefit eligibility
10.30am
Morning Tea Break
11.00am
Session 2: MPF, Severance & Long-Service Payments
  • Applying the MPF offsetting changes to different employment periods 
  • Understanding statutory calculations and the government subsidy scheme
  • Preparing for termination costs before restructuring decisions are made
12.30pm
Networking Luncheon
1.30pm
Session 3: Managing Difficult Employee Relations Cases
  • Handling misconduct, poor performance and workplace grievances
  • Conducting investigations and documenting disciplinary decisions
  • Managing redundancy, notice and termination communications
3.30pm
Afternoon Tea Break
4.00pm
Session 4: The Hong Kong HR Compliance Stress Test
  • Work through realistic employment scenarios
  • Identify documentation gaps and operational risks
  • Build an action plan for internal HR and management teams
5.15pm
Summary, Q&A and End of Workshop

17th MARCH: CHRO CONFERENCE

8.00am
Registration & Networking
09.15am
Organiser’s Welcome Address
9.20am
Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
9.30am
KEYNOTE
The CHRO’s New Mandate: Driving Business Growth, Productivity and Workforce Resilience
  • CEO Expectations: Aligning people strategy with business growth and performance
  • AI-Enabled Redesign: Transforming roles, skills and workflows to drive productivity
  • Investment Trade-offs: Balancing technology, talent and workforce costs for measurable returns
10.00am
TALENT TALK
The Hong Kong Talent Squeeze: Keep, Grow or Recruit Across the Border?
  • Competing for bilingual talent and hard-to-find specialist skills
  • Retaining experienced employees while developing the next generation
  • When to recruit locally, develop internally or explore Greater Bay Area talent

Moderator:


Panelists:

10.30am
Industry Partner Case Study
10.50am
Morning Tea Break & Networking
11.20am
Industry Partner Case Study
11.40am
Beyond Restructuring: Redeploying Talent and Redesigning the Organisation
  • Deploy Talent Where It Matters: Matching existing talent to emerging business priorities
  • Secure Critical Capabilities: Identifying and building skills essential for future growth
  • Redesign for Performance: Reshaping structures to improve agility, productivity and accountability
12.00pm
Industry Partner Case Study
12.20pm
Lunch & Networking
02.00pm
INTERACTIVE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION GROUPS [60 MINS]

Ask the experts and have your say! Structured to maximise interaction and in-depth focus on a topical subject matter, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a roundtable of their choice, which has close relevance to their area of expertise and/or scope of responsibility. We will conclude with a 15mins sharing session, where each Roundtable Leader will present key highlights and takeaways from the group discussion.


ROUNDTABLE A

Beyond the HRIS: Fixing Hong Kong’s Fragmented HR Tech Landscape

Reserved for Industry Partner

ROUNDTABLE B

The Digital Talent Race: Using People Analytics to Keep Hong Kong’s Best Employees

Reserved for Industry Partner

ROUNDTABLE C

From Central to the Greater Bay Area: Building a Tech-Enabled Cross-Border Workforce

Reserved for Industry Partner:

ROUNDTABLE D

The 468 Rule: What HR Teams Still Get Wrong

ROUNDTABLE E

MPF Offsetting Is Gone. Have Your Workforce Budgets Caught Up?

ROUNDTABLE F

Lost in Translation: Managing Cantonese, English and Mainland Chinese Workplace Expectations

03.00pm
Industry Partner Case Study
03.30pm
Afternoon Tea Break
04.00pm
CULTURE CENTRAL
Always On, Always Available: Can Hong Kong Rethink Its Work Culture?
  • Challenging long-hours expectations without compromising client service
  • Managing burnout, after-hours messaging and manager expectations
  • Introducing flexibility that works for frontline, office-based and regional teams
04.30pm
PANEL
Hong Kong's Workforce Crossroads: What Will CHROs Do Differently in 2027?
  • Which workforce risks—from regulatory shifts to AI disruption—must CHROs tackle before they become business-critical?
  • Where should organisations invest in skills, smart HR technology and talent retention to stay ahead?
  • What is one workforce decision you will prioritise in 2027 and why?
05.15pm
Closing Remarks & End of Conference

DAY 3: POST-EVENT WORKSHOP

Performance Leadership in the Age of AI: 4 Keys to Extraordinary Results

Date: 31st July 2025

Masterclass Leaders :
Ray Chow - Managing Partner -Adaptive Leaders
Albert Wolfe -Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
Leaders today are tasked with navigating a rapidly evolving workplace shaped by AI innovation, digital transformation, and shifting workforce expectations. These forces are reshaping how organizations operate, enabling new levels of efficiency and insight but also demanding new leadership approaches to unlock the full potential of human talent. Leaders must now serve as both drivers of transformation and enablers of performance, creating environments where employees feel engaged, motivated, and empowered to deliver exceptional results.

This workshop introduces the Performance Leadership Framework, a practical, human-centered approach that combines adaptive leadership traits (Courage, Curiosity, and Care) with the four pillars of Expectations, Motivations, Measurements, and Accountability. Backed by insights from the newly published book Performance Leadership: 4 Keys to Extraordinary Results and over 10,000 hours of executive coaching experience, the framework equips leaders to align business goals with team motivations in a way that integrates the power of AI-driven insights and organizational transformation.

This workshop equips leaders with:

  • A proven framework for aligning leadership behaviors with organizational goals to improve performance, engagement, and retention in the age of AI.
  • Tools to diagnose and enhance performance environments across teams.
  • Strategies to modernize leadership practices and foster better employee experiences.
  • Insights into adaptive leadership traits—Courage, Curiosity, and Care—to navigate change, build trust, and inspire confidence.
  • Guidance on integrating AI and human potential, ensuring that technology enhances, rather than replaces, the human element in leadership.


    By attending this workshop, leaders will learn how to lead their teams effectively and enable managers to unlock extraordinary results in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

CHRO SPEAKERS

Erica Lam

Head of HR
BSH Home Appliances

DJ Park

Principal Solutions Consultant
Cornerstone OnDemand

Gautam Duggal

Senior Vice President, HR - APAC & MEA
Citi

Archan Bahulekar

Director Sales, Asia
First Advantage

Anthony Willoughby

Founder
Nomadic School of Business

Rita Tsui

Founder
AsiaHRM | Coaching Engage +

Cissy Ho

Director, Talent Management, Asia
AECOM

Charles Caldwell

Chief Coaching Officer
CCE International Admin Group

Dr. Anthony Wong

Founder & Managing Consultant
Gente

Eric Lam

Head of Health & Benefits, Hong Kong & Macau
WTW

Cynthia Lai

Founder and Executive Coach
Choose to Change Coaching and Consulting Limited

Yolice Wu

Chief People & Culture Officer
Hongkong Land Limited

Faraaz Farshori

Principal Solutions Engineer
Udemy

Sarah Cheuk

AVP HR
Fano Labs

Emily Tang

Founder
Minds Recode

Ilaria Gregotti

VP P&C, East & Southeast Asia, Pacific & PMI Global Travel Retail Region
Philip Morris International

Charlotte Chan

Senior Director
People & Culture
Klook

Kristy Lam

Senior Global HR Lead
Eternal Planet

Qi Zhang

Regional Head - North Asia
Top Employers Institute

Sebastian Ritz

Senior Director, APAC
gloat

Alex Wong

General Manager - Corporate Information Technology
The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas)

Vicky Daryanani

Lecturer
Hong Kong Baptist University

CHRO HONG KONG PARTNERS

PREMIUM SPONSORS

ASSOCIATE SPONSOR

SUPPORTING PARTNER

EXHIBITOR

ticket prices and information for CHRO Hong Kong

 

 
1 to 4 delegates (USD)
17 March 2026: Workshop 1 US$899 per delegate
18 March 2026: CHRO Conference (Delegate) US$699 per delegate
18 March 2026: CHRO Conference (Vendor/Solution Provider) US$1000 per delegate
19 March 2026: Workshop 2 US$899 per delegate

 

 
1 to 4 delegates (USD)
[Bundle A] 2-Day Event (CHRO Conference and Workshop 1) US$1,559 per delegate
[Bundle B] 2-Day Event (CHRO Conference and Workshop 2) US$1,559 per delegate
[Bundle C] 3-Day Event (CHRO Conference and Two Workshops) US$2,159 per delegate
[Bundle D] 2-Day Workshops [Workshop 1 and Workshop 2] US$1,278 per delegate

Regular price from February 14, 2026

CHRO Philippines 21 Feb 20241 ticket4-10 tickets (per ticket) (SGD)
Early Bird (1 Nov to 31 Dec 2023)S$299S$279
Advanced Saver (1 Jan to 31 Jan 2024)S$399S$379
Regular Price (1 Feb to 21 Feb 2024)S$499S$439

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Reserve your
tickets now.

The CHRO series promises to be exciting this year.
But it'll be even better with you with us.

Erica Lam

Head of HR – BSH Home Appliances
Bio

Erica Lam is Head of HR at BSH Home Appliance with 10+ years of experience in HR leadership across multinational and listed companies. She partners with executives and employees to drive organizational effectiveness, specializing in HR strategies that align people and business goals.
Holding both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Erica is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion. She champions employee benefits and rewards while fostering a culture where People Matters truly defines the workplace.

DJ Park

Principal Solutions Consultant – Cornerstone OnDemand
Bio

DJ Park is a seasoned HR Technology expert specializing in the intersection of SaaS Cloud solutions and Artificial Intelligence. As a Principal Solutions Consultant at Cornerstone OnDemand, DJ serves as the vital link between high-level HR ideation and real-world execution for the past 8 years. He is dedicated to helping global corporations like Samsung Electronics, realize their people’s full potential by driving the digitalization of Talent Management. Currently, DJ is at the forefront of the AI revolution, providing the vision and roadmap necessary for organizations to thrive in an automated yet human-centric era.

Gautam Duggal

Senior Vice President, HR – APAC & MEA – Citi
Bio

Gautam Duggal is a global HR and organizational transformation leader trusted by CXOs and leadership teams to fix, stabilize, and scale complex organizations during moments of growth, restructuring, and strategic reset. He is known for delivering material financial and execution outcomes through disciplined organization design, leadership strategy, and workforce governance — without disrupting the business.

Currently, he is Senior Vice President – HR (APAC & MEA), Citi – Leading enterprise talent transformation and organizational effectiveness across regulated markets. Previously, he was Director – Global People Strategy & Talent Management | Mastercard where he partnered with C-suite globally on organization design, succession, and workforce strategy.

Archan Bahulekar

Head of Sales, Asia – First Advantage
Bio

Archan has 15 years of experience in driving B2B enterprise sales – including the past six years in the screening industry across APAC. He has a deep understanding of the background screening industry, having worked closely with strategic clients across industry verticals, collaborating and partnering with cross-functional leaders to ensure rolling out the best solutions and technology.

Archan holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce, majoring in Finance and Accounting, from the University of Mumbai. He is also the co-author of the Kindle e-book “Full Stack Salesperson: A Guide to Selling in Today’s Hi-Tech World” — a testament to his passion for sharing sales excellence and delivering exceptional client buying experiences in the tech sector. Based in Singapore for most of his career, Archan enjoys meeting people, live concerts and spending time with family.

Anthony Willoughby

Founder – Nomadic School of Business
Bio

Anthony Willoughby is a British-born entrepreneur, explorer and general life enthusiast, who was brought up in Africa, vaguely schooled in US and USA. Anthony’s work spans over five decades across Japan, Africa, Australia and Europe. Best known for developing the Territory Mapping methodology and the philosophy of I Will Not Complain, Anthony focuses on how humans navigate meaning, identity and contribution in an increasingly complex world. His work bridges indigenous wisdom, leadership practice, neuroscience and emerging technologies, always with one core question: how do people rediscover their relevance, sense of belonging and a knowledge that their life actually matters? Anthony is currently developing the Relevance Research Institute to explore how humans and artificial intelligence might evolve together without losing what makes us human.

Rita Tsui

Founder – AsiaHRM | Coaching Engage +
Bio

Rita Tsui is an esteemed HR leader with over 25 years of experience driving strategic HR initiatives in multinational companies across Hong Kong and Singapore. As President of AsiaHRM and the Asia HR Woman Club, she champions Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, significantly impacting the HR landscape in Asia. An ICF Credentialed Coach and certified trainer with the John Maxwell Team, Rita is passionate about leadership development and has conducted training sessions throughout the region. Her contributions to the field have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Employer of Choice and Training and Development Awards. Her vision for the future of HR promises to inspire and empower professionals to cultivate talent and drive meaningful change in their organizations.

Cissy Ho

Director, Talent Management, Asia – AECOM
Bio

Cissy is a chartered Human Resources Professional currently working as the Director, Talent Management Asia at AECOM. She curates development strategies and programs to facilitate the growth of leaders and teams, driving performance and shaping career pathways for talents. With a diverse background in management consulting, law, psychometric assessment, and coaching, she brings a unique blend of perspectives to her efforts in building future leaders.

With an enhanced capacity to drive the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion agenda for the Asia region at AECOM, she is committed to helping others see beyond their limits and unleash their potential. An advocate of embracing equity is not just about levelling the playing field; she believes in creating a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn, develop, thrive and contribute to their community.

Cissy holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in International and Commercial Law awarded by the University of Greenwich and a Bachelor of Laws education from the University of London. She is also a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) with Sustainable Development Planner certification, Global Mobility Specialist (GMS) designation and accreditation in Hogan, MBTI, Everything DiSC, and DDI facilitation.

Charles Caldwell

Chief Coaching Officer – CCE International Admin Group
Bio

Dynamic leadership coach, facilitator, and senior HR executive with over 35 years of experience empowering leaders and teams across the Asia-Pacific region and globally. Former entrepreneur and founder of a marine business in Canada, bringing a unique blend of commercial and human capital perspective to every engagement. Specialises in transformational leadership, breakthrough thinking, strategic development, and performance optimisation. Multiple award winner, recognised for impact in both corporate and entrepreneurial settings.

Dr. Anthony Wong

Founder & Managing Consultant – Gente
Bio

Dr. Anthony Wong is a highly regarded corporate trainer, lecturer, and HR leader with over 26 years of experience across diverse industries, including media (The South China Morning Post), FMCG (Nestlé), high-tech (Sony), retail (DFI), eCommerce (RedMart), manufacturing (Johnson Electric), and conglomerates (Hutchison Whampoa). His extensive background as Head of HR and corporate trainer for renowned companies equips him with deep insights into people, culture, and organizational development.

Dr. Wong specializes in leadership development, strategic planning, and talent management, regularly designing impactful workshops for commercial firms, NGOs, and universities. He teaches HR and talent management in leading MBA programs, equipping generations of business leaders and HR practitioners with essential skills and knowledge. As a sought-after speaker and moderator at regional and international conferences, he has published research on leadership and diversity in peer-reviewed journals.

An expert in talent development and an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Dr. Wong serves on several advisory boards, including the Hong Kong Red Cross and Oxfam Hong Kong. He holds a BBA and two master’s degrees, along with a Doctorate in Business Administration. Additionally, he possesses various trainer certifications in performance management, presentation, and talent interviewing and selection.

Eric Lam

Head of Health & Benefits, Hong Kong & Macau – WTW
Bio

Eric Lam is the Head of Health & Benefits for WTW Hong Kong & Macau. He is responsible for the strategic development and growth of the business in Hong Kong with the objective to create exceptional value to WTW’s clients for their employee benefits and wellness needs.

Eric has more than 18 years of experience in the employee benefits industry across Hong Kong and Asia Pacific region. He specialises in employee benefits consultancy, benefits review, employee benefits and flexible benefits program design, international private medical insurance and global benefits management. With his exposure in the insurance and healthcare provider space, he also has experience leading the implementation of onsite and online wellness programs for corporations.

Eric started his career with WTW within the Retirement business as an Actuarial & Benefits Consultant. He has then held both regional and local leadership positions, including in-house HR regional benefits professional for Wells Fargo Bank and Head of Business Development for Bupa Hong Kong and Bupa Global before rejoining WTW as the Head of Health & Benefits.

Eric holds a bachelor degree in Actuarial Mathematics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in the US.

Cynthia Lai

Founder and Executive Coach – Choose to Change Coaching and Consulting Limited
Bio

Cynthia Lai is an executive coach and leadership facilitator who helps HR and business leaders drive transformation with clarity, confidence, and credibility. With nearly 20 years of experience spanning business transformation, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communication — including senior leadership roles at HSBC, OCBC, and Bank of China (HK) — Cynthia brings deep, real-world insight into what it takes to lead change in complex, fast-moving environments.

As a DISC Flow® Certified Trainer and ICF Associate Certified Coach, Cynthia blends behavioural insight, emotional intelligence, and coaching methodology to help leaders influence with empathy and impact. She is also a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), a certified hypnotherapist, and holds professional qualifications in ESG analysis and corporate governance.

Cynthia’s approach is rooted on practical experience. She supports HR teams, boards, leaders, and C-suite executives across industries — from financial services and technology to education and social impact — to lead human-first transformation in the age of AI. Her facilitation style is strategic yet down-to-earth, helping leaders to shift mindsets, reframe resistance, and turn insight into action.

She is also the co-founder of MetaOptix, a deep-tech startup incubated by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks and City University of Hong Kong. She serves on multiple advisory boards focused on innovation, governance, and leadership development.
Cynthia holds an MBA, a Master’s in Sustainable Development, and a Master’s in Professional Accounting and Corporate Governance. A trilingual facilitator fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, she brings cultural fluency and global perspective to every room she leads.

Yolice Wu

Chief People & Culture Officer – Hongkong Land Limited
Bio

Yolice Wu joined the Board as Executive Director, People & Culture in 2023 and assumed the role of Executive Director and Chief People & Culture Officer in November 2024. Ms Wu is responsible for overseeing all People & Culture functions across the organisation. She is instrumental in shaping and nurturing a high-performance workforce, while fostering an inclusive culture, laying the foundation for sustained success and growth within the organisation.

Ms Wu brings over two decades of experience managing human resources across Chinese Mainland and Asia Pacific regions, with extensive experience in multiple senior leadership roles across different corporations. Prior to joining the Company, Ms Wu served as the Chief People Officer at Jardine International Motors, where she played a pivotal role in transforming and embedding a new culture during a significant merger. Before that, Ms Wu was the Director of Human Resources at Zung Fu.

Ms Wu holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Trade from Shanghai University and a Master’s degree in Training & Organization Development from Saint Joseph’s University.

Faraaz Farshori

Principal Solutions Engineer – Udemy
Bio

Faraaz Farshori is a Principal Solutions Engineer, author, speaker, and community builder who works at the intersection of AI, learning technology, and enterprise transformation. With deep field experience across global learning platforms and enterprise customers, he helps organizations design future-ready learning ecosystems powered by AI, data, and skills intelligence.
Faraaz has previously worked with leading learning technology companies including SumTotal, Cornerstone, Skillsoft, Instancy partnering with enterprises to drive large-scale capability building initiatives. He regularly speaks on topics such as Generative AI, Agentic AI, skills transformation, and the future of learning systems.
Beyond technology, he is also the author of The Hollow Crowd: Finding Meaning in a Superficial World, founder of the DieHardFoodies community, and a recipient of the AMP Change Leader India Award for social impact initiatives supporting underserved communities.

Sarah Cheuk

AVP HR – Fano Labs
Bio

Sarah is a dedicated, forward thinking HR leader who drives business outcomes through strategic innovation. Currently a strategic business partner at a SpeechAI company, she aligns people initiatives with enterprise goals to elevate engagement and performance. A pioneer who embraces new initiatives, she is known for piloting cutting edge practices and translating them into practical, scalable solutions.

Committed to advancing the HR profession, Sarah tackles complex challenges with innovative, pragmatic approaches that enable sustainable growth and capability building. She is deeply engaged in the HR community and actively gives back through mentoring, teaching, and knowledge sharing. Her contributions have been recognized with multiple honors, including Best HR Leader of the Year (2023) and the Excellent HR Professional Award (2022).

Sarah holds an MSc in Strategic Human Resource Management and a BBA in Human Resources Management from Hong Kong Baptist University, and she broadened her global perspective through the NUS Global Leaders Program. She is a DBA candidate at City University of Hong Kong and a Fellow Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management (HKIHRM).

Emily Tang

Founder – Minds Recode
Bio

Emily’s passion for integrating wellness and resilience into the organizational fabric began with a powerful, real-world transformation: witnessing a struggling team member thrive after their team prioritized mental wellness. This journey ignited her drive to create cultures where employees flourish amidst complexity. For two decades, Emily has specialized in empowering people to master digital tools and navigate the mentally intense landscape of modern business. Blending deep strategic insight with an innovative mindset, she helps organizations confidently ride the wave of rapid change. Her fundamental belief? Resilience is the cornerstone that builds future-ready, sustainably successful teams.

Ilaria Gregotti

VP P&C, East & Southeast Asia, Pacific & PMI Global Travel Retail Region – Philip Morris International
Bio

Ilaria is a seasoned leader with deep expertise in people management and organizational effectiveness. As Vice President of People & Culture for Asia Pacific and PMI Global Travel Retail at Philip Morris International (PMI), she plays a critical role in advancing PMI’s smoke-free vision across diverse markets—a vision she has supported for the past seven years.

With over 25 years of experience, Ilaria’s career encompasses talent management, organizational design, behavioral change, and HR transformation. She is passionate about continuous learning and delivering measurable results, consistently building high-performing teams that excel in dynamic environments. Her keen understanding of local HR trends and cultural nuances enables her to drive impact regionally and globally within PMI.

Before joining PMI, Ilaria held senior positions at KPMG, where she led global HR transformation initiatives and managed change programs for major corporations.

“True transformation begins when we connect strategy with people and culture.”

Charlotte Chan

Senior Director, People & Culture – Klook
Bio

Charlotte Chan leads the global people strategy at Klook, overseeing HR Business Partnering, Talent Acquisition, and Talent Management & Development. A strategic leader, she specializes in aligning human capital with business objectives, focusing on organizational development, change management, and employer branding to navigate complex workforce challenges.
Charlotte’s career began in luxury retail, pioneering business expansion in Greater China—an experience that grounded her belief that talent is the engine of commercial success. Transitioning to HR, she spent over a decade at industry leaders including Michael Page, KOS International, and K11. Today, she leverages her unique commercial background to drive high-impact people strategies that support Klook’s global growth and operational excellence.

Kristy Lam

Senior Global HR Lead – Eternal Planet
Bio

Kristy leads the Global HR function at Eternal Planet, a renewable energy company focused on residential energy storage and a subsidiary of Canadian Solar. She specializes in developing end-to-end people strategies across APAC (Hong Kong and Japan), Europe, and North America. With extensive experience spanning multinational corporations and fast-growing start-ups, Kristy has worked across multiple regions and industries—from sourcing and manufacturing to professional services—giving her a deep understanding of diverse workplace cultures.

A dedicated advocate for sustainability and inclusivity, Kristy actively champions initiatives that foster equitable opportunities and celebrate cultural diversity across global teams.

Qi Zhang

Regional Head – North Asia – Top Employers Institute
Bio

Qi brings over 18 years of experience in commercial and strategic leadership across multiple industries. His background spans organisations such as Aggreko, Avis Budget Group, Adecco and Mercer, where he specialised in LEAN transformation, market foresight, and converting insight into execution.
Today, Qi leads the Top Employers Institute Certification Programme in North Asia, guiding organisations through the evolving World of Work landscape. As the global authority on HR strategies, Top Employers Institute enables organisations to design intentional, future-ready workplaces — integrating skills, leadership, inclusion and sustainable workforce practices into a coherent system.
Through certification, benchmarking and strategic dialogue, Qi works with senior HR and business leaders to build excellence in people practices that generate measurable impact in engagement, retention and organisational resilience.

Sebastian Ritz

Senior Director, APAC – gloat
Bio

Sebastian Ritz currently leads Gloat’s business across Asia & Australia. He has spent the last 10 years working with business & technology leaders across Asia, Europe & North America, guiding them through transformation initiatives. He has a deep passion for partnering with organizations to solve complex problems & currently focuses heavily on work & workforce transformation in the AI era. He lives in Taipei, Taiwan.

Alex Wong

General Manager – Corporate Information Technology – The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas)
Bio

Alex has over 25+ years of experience in the information technology industry served in international conglomerate with main focus on Fintech as well as currently being the General Manager – Corporate Information Technology for The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited. During all his career life in IT, his main focus has always been on bridging users (external and internal) with technology as that is actually one of the hardest and most challenging area in enabling technology in general.

He has recently joined the HKCS Specialist Group called AISG as an Executive Committee member. The objective of the group is to keep HKCS members abreast of the general movement of AI.

In the past 6 years, aside from pushing The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited forward with various latest information technology including AI and Generative AI, he values a company’s “Citizen Developer” ability dearly as well. Therefore, he established and led a cultural transformation program where the objectives is to aim for higher adoption rate of “Citizen Developer”. He believes this is a very key element in the journey of Digital Transformation.

Achievement & Awards
“Digimon” (數碼暴龍) is a cultural change program designed to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency for the company through the innovative use of technologies and Gen AI. The name “Digimon” is the abbreviation of “Digital Monsters”, which symbolizes the power and potential of technology.
Since its launch in 2023, “Digimon” focuses on fostering a digital-savvy and data driven environment where employees are encouraged to adopt and utilize new tools and systems to improve both customer interactions and internal processes in a more efficient and effective way.

Digimon earned the following awards in 2025:
HKMA Award for Excellence in Training and Development
• Gold Award at the HKMA Award for Excellence in Training and Development
• Excellence in Cultural Change
• Excellence in Digital Transformation
• HR Professionals’ Favourite Campaign

Vicky Daryanani

Lecturer – Hong Kong Baptist University
Bio

Vicky is a part-time University Lecturer specializing in Business Communications and Human Resources, while simultaneously managing a client portfolio and building an international team of insurance professionals. He is also a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) candidate, further strengthening his academic and professional expertise.
Previously, Vicky served as a Senior Talent Acquisition Expert, leveraging his CIPD certification and over 20 years of experience in talent acquisition and management to deliver executive-level appointments across diverse industries. With a deep understanding of the resourcing landscape in Asia Pacific, he has successfully navigated complex markets in technology, banking, and finance, consistently driving impactful results in executive recruitment and workforce strategy.