HRworks Conference & Expo – Durban 2026
Join us for one of South Africa’s leading gatherings of HR professionals as we come together to explore the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping the future of work.
For nearly two decades, HRworks has proudly built a vibrant HR community- creating spaces where professionals connect, collaborate, and grow through shared learning and meaningful conversations.
📍 aha Gateway Hotel, Umhlanga, Durban
📅 15 July 2026
⏰ 09:00 – 16:30
🎟️ Tickets: R2400
Featured Speakers & Topics
Dr Mark Bussin
Group Lead Advisory Director, 21st Century
Total Rewards – What is Trending Globally (Fasten Your Seatbelt!)
A dynamic and thought-provoking session unpacking global remuneration and reward trends shaping the future workforce.
✔ What truly retains talent beyond pay (“People Glue”)
✔ The rise of conscious “unbossing”
✔ The loneliness crisis in the workplace
✔ Emerging trends like JOMO, dopamine management & more
Johnny Goldberg
Employment Law Specialist, Global Business Solutions
Employment Law & Case Law Update
Stay ahead of critical legal developments impacting HR today. Johnny will unpack real-world case law and provide practical guidance on navigating workplace risk.
✔ Harassment, discrimination & workplace conduct
✔ Dismissals, retrenchments & incapacity
✔ Latest case law shaping HR practices
✔ Practical compliance tips for HR professionals
Naeem Timol
Group Human Resources Executive, Pedros
From Support Function to Business Driver: Redefining HR in a High-Growth, High-Pressure Environment
In fast-paced, operationally driven environments, HR often risks being positioned as a reactive support function rather than a strategic enabler of performance. In this practical and insight-rich session, Naeem will explore how HR can be repositioned as a true business driver- directly influencing productivity, retention, leadership capability, and culture at scale.
✔ Shift HR accountability from process ownership to measurable business impact
✔ Embed performance, succession, and people planning into daily operations
✔ Manage high-volume employee relations environments while building leadership capability
✔ Use data and structure to move from reactive to proactive HR decision-making
✔ Create alignment between executive leadership and HR for consistent people decisions
Dan Stillerman
Founder, Excel Academy
AI Fluency: What HR Leaders Actually Need to Know
Dan brings practical, accessible insight into how AI is changing the workplace and what HR professionals need to understand right now. His session will explore how HR can use AI more confidently, creatively, and strategically.
✔ Practical ways to use AI in HR today
✔ How to save time by automating repetitive tasks
✔ Using AI to support better decision-making
✔ Building confidence for a more tech-enabled HR future
Themba Chakela
Head of People, Culture & Change, e-Motion Consulting
From Fragmentation to Force Multiplier: People & Culture as a System
Strong teams. Smart tools. Good intentions, yet still inconsistent outcomes. The problem isn’t capability, it’s fragmentation.
As AI amplifies how work gets done, People & Culture must evolve from siloed activity to integrated systems. In this session, Themba unpacks how to build a function that delivers clarity, consistency, and real business impact - by design, not by chance.
✔ Moving from siloed HR activity to integrated systems
✔ Creating alignment between people, process, and technology
✔ Designing HR functions for consistency and impact
✔ Leveraging AI to strengthen organisational capability
Shehnaaz Kajee
Head of HR, HBZ Bank
Crafting the Employee Experience (EX)
An informative session that delves into strategies that foster a positive EX and ensures the sustainability of a positive EX in the organisation.
✔ What is EX and why is it important?
✔ Whose responsibility is it?
✔ Strategies to amplify EX
✔ Leadership and EX
✔ Making impactful changes
✔ A systematic approach to EX
Nokukhanya Mkhize – Strategic HR Manager at Kukhanya Energy Services
Purpose-Driven and Servant Leadership: Positioning HR as a Strategic Driver of Culture, Performance and Business Impact
This session will explore how purpose-driven and servant leadership can shape organisational culture, employee performance, leadership development and overall business impact.
The discussion will also touch on the evolving role of HR from a support function to a strategic business partner and how people leaders can intentionally build high-performance cultures through purpose-driven leadership and people development initiatives.
Key areas of discussion will include:
✔ HR as a strategic business driver
✔ Building purpose-driven organisational cultures
✔ The role of servant leadership in employee engagement and people development
✔ Linking leadership, culture and performance outcomes
✔ Developing future leaders and organisational capability
✔ Creating sustainable business impact through people strategy
