2026 Asia HR Conference

Speakers:

• Patrick Gong, Principal, Mercer
• Vivian Lim, Regional Rewards Senior Analyst, Mercer

Speaker:

• Lewis Garrad, Asia Workforce and Rewards Practice Leader, Mercer

Overview: AI is turning parts of genius into a repeatable process. When one person can produce what once required a team — and machines can begin creating new knowledge — jobs, skills, performance and rewards all need a reset. Jepson Taylor asks what it means to be smart now, what remains uniquely human, and how organizations can enable more people to do extraordinary things.

Speaker:

• Jepson Taylor, AI Founder, Technical Strategist, Inventor, Enterprise AI Speaker

Speaker:

• Ren Yeong Sng, Chief Executive Officer, Temus

Overview: Mercer's 2026 Global Talent Trends report found that most organisations are not yet seeing meaningful returns on their AI investments — not because the technology falls short, but because work itself has not been redesigned around it.

This session puts that finding to the test. Our panellists will share practical examples of how AI is already changing the way work gets done and, just as importantly, where organisations are choosing not to change, despite having the capability to do so.

Moving beyond theory, this candid discussion explores why the much-discussed "human advantage" remains largely untapped and what organisations can do to unlock it.

Moderator:

• Julia Radchenko, Regional Industry Leader Asia - Life Sciences & Benefits Solutions, Mercer

Panelists:

• Ruth Kerr, Chief People Officer, PropertyGuru Group
• Rian Weng, Chief Technology Officer, Bipo
• Sebastian Ritz, APAC Leader, Gloat

Speaker:

• Kabir Nath, Head of Sales, Asia, Mercer

Breakout 1: Navigating Europe: Key intel for Asian enterprises

Overview: Europe remains one of the world's three economic powerhouses — a single market of around 449 million consumers built on industrial strength, skilled talent, and the rule of law. Yet its competitive edge is under pressure: growth trails the US and China, industrial energy costs remain 2–3 times higher than in the US, and the region risks falling behind in the AI race. What does this mean for Asian organisations operating in or expanding into Europe?

Drawing on Mercer's Global Talent Trends and People Risk 2026 research, this 60-minute session examines why labour shortages are Europe's #1 people risk, why AI adoption is outpacing workforce readiness, and how new regulations, from the Pay Transparency Directive to the AI Act, are reshaping expectations for non-EU multinationals.

The session closes with six practical actions HR and business leaders can take to turn Europe's changing landscape into competitive advantage. The key takeaway: for Asian enterprises that localise and invest in their people, Europe remains a stable, trusted, high-value platform for growth.

Speaker:

• Sebastian Karwautz, Region Business Leader Europe - Strategic People Advisory, Mercer

Breakout 2: The future of work: AI-driven HR practices in China and Japan

Overview: AI is transforming organisations across Asia, with China and Japan leading the way. Join us for the latest insights into how AI is reshaping business in the region's two largest economies and discover how these shifts are redefining the role of HR — from workforce strategy and skills to leadership and organisational transformation.

Speakers:

• Eric Lu, Career Business Leader China, Mercer
• Hiroo Yamanouchi, Head of Career Consulting Japan, Mercer

Breakout 3: Beyond AI adoption: How leaders will shape the workforce of the future

Overview: Artificial intelligence is no longer simply changing jobs — it is redefining leadership. As AI becomes an increasingly trusted partner in decision-making, execution and innovation, leaders must learn how to build organisations where people and AI work together to create business value.

Join Mercer, LinkedIn and Heidrick & Struggles as they share the latest research and executive insights on leading in the age of AI. Drawing on Mercer's Global Talent Trends 2026 research, LinkedIn's workforce intelligence and Heidrick & Struggles' boardroom perspectives, the panel will explore how leadership expectations are evolving, the capabilities leaders need to succeed, and how organisations can rethink talent, succession and workforce strategy for an AI-enabled future.

Discover the practical actions HR leaders can take today to prepare their organisations for tomorrow.

Moderator:

• Andrew How, Regional Lead, Assessment, Mercer

Panelists:

• Tonny Loh, Partner, Heidrick & Struggles
• Candice Cheng, Head of Client Success, LinkedIn

Breakout 4: Managing medical insurance costs in Asia: Practical strategies for employers

Overview: Rising medical inflation, changing utilisation patterns and growing employee expectations are making health benefit costs increasingly difficult to manage across Asia. This session explores practical strategies to help organisations control medical insurance spend while maintaining a competitive employee value proposition.

Learn how effective plan design, data-driven cost management, network optimisation and stronger governance can improve outcomes without simply shifting costs to employees. You'll also gain regional insights to help make smarter, more sustainable benefits decisions across Asia's diverse markets.

Speakers:

• Richard Roper, President Hong Kong and Macau, Mercer
• Tony Tsui, Head of Consulting, Hong Kong, Mercer

Overview: Talent scarcity is now the number one workforce concern for executives, and the pressure is intensifying. Sixty percent of HR leaders expect up to one-fifth of their workforce to be reskilled or redeployed because of AI within two years. Forty percent of employees are planning to leave, while burnout-related attrition has nearly tripled.

Yet most organizations already have the intelligence they need — they're just not using it. Drawing on Mercer's Global Talent Trends 2026 research, David Jones explores how a modern assessment strategy transforms workforce signals into actionable talent insights, enabling more agile people practices and better business outcomes.

Through practical examples and real-world case studies, David will show how leading organizations use assessment to drive talent mobility, leadership development and workforce transformation, turning assessment from a one-off event into a continuous source of strategic advantage.

Speaker:

• David Jones, CEO & Partner, UAE, Mercer

Overview: AI is evolving beyond a tool for analysing people data to becoming a teammate within organizational workflows. Phanish will describe the latest developments in the use of AI to analyse human capital in organizations in a sound and ethical manner, drawing on his free e-book, “Organizational Analytics”, co-authored with Julien Clement.

Speaker:

• Phanish Puranam, Roland Berger Chair Professor of Strategy & Organization Design, INSEAD

Overview: Is 2026 a turning point for Asia-to-global expansion? This session will explore how geopolitics, AI, skills shortages, and higher capital costs are reshaping the rules of global growth. Our panelists will highlight the C-suite decisions that matter most — where to play, how to win, and how to shape the right operating model, talent strategy, and governance framework.

The discussion will address practical talent and operating model questions, common cross-cultural frictions, and two or three global ways of working that organizations can standardize. We will also examine how AI and modern work design can improve performance across distributed teams, as well as which HR workflows should be automated first. Attendees will leave with practical operating patterns and clear, measurable next steps.

Moderator:

• Haze Zhang, M&A Strategy & Commercial Leader, Greater China & Southeast Asia, Mercer

Panelists:

• Susheel Sabani, Head of Total Rewards, Asia Pacific, Zurich Insurance Group
• Charlotte Johnson, Regional VP, EMEA & APAC, Pebl

Speaker

• Kabir Nath, Head of Sales Asia, Mercer

Speakers:

• Patrick Gong, Principal, Mercer
• Vivian Lim, Regional Rewards Senior Analyst, Mercer

Speakers:

• Patrick Gong, Principal, Mercer
• Vivian Lim, Regional Rewards Senior Analyst, Mercer

Overview: Certis is scaling security and operations in a market where the frontline talent pool keeps tightening. Group CEO Ng Tian Beng and CHRO Jaclyn Lee share how the 25,000-person business is building an AI-first operating model that stays human-led — and why culture and capability, not technology, set the pace of transformation.

Speakers:

• Tian Beng Ng – President and Group CEO, Certis Group
• Dr. Jaclyn Lee - Chief Human Resource Officer, Certis Group

Speaker:

• Joanna Chu, Global Senior HR Director, Envision Energy

Overview: As work is reshaped by skills scarcity, AI, and changing expectations, EVP is moving from a “brand message” to an operating system for performance — connecting what an organization asks of employees with what it provides in return. This panel will explore how leading employers are evolving their EVP across purpose and culture, career and skills, rewards and well-being, and flexibility — while keeping it credible, differentiated, and measurable. We’ll discuss what’s actually working in the market, how to segment EVP by workforce needs, and how HR leaders can link EVP to performance outcomes like productivity, engagement, retention, and speed-to-skill.

Moderator:

• Godelieve van Dooren, CEO Marsh Southeast Asia & Singapore

Panelists:

• Sophie Xue, Founder of Oasis River Advisory, former CPO of Lazada Group, GoTo and Ant Group International
• Patrick Baltes, Compensation & Benefits Director, LinkedIn

Speaker:

• Kabir Nath, Head of Sales Asia, Mercer

Masterclass 1: Redesigning work in the age of Artificial Intelligence: A masterclass

Overview: Organizations struggle to realize value from AI investments because they deploy technology without redesigning work. This masterclass reveals why intentional work architecture precedes successful AI implementation. You'll explore a practical framework for deconstructing roles, identifying where AI amplifies human expertise and where it automates tasks, then redesigning work around uniquely human capabilities such as creativity, judgment and relational intelligence. By balancing stakeholder needs across customer experience, organizational efficiency, and workforce engagement, this approach transforms AI into a strategic lever for sustainable performance improvement and competitive differentiation.

Speakers:

• Sean Tan, Partner, Career Business Leader, Mercer
•  Liv Lambourn, Associate Principal, Talent Strategy Consulting, Mercer

Masterclass 2: The new EVP playbook

An employee value proposition (EVP) is a crucial strategic capability — but it is frequently misunderstood. In this session, we will present the full playbook, showing the breadth, depth, and complexity of a modern, fit-for-purpose EVP approach. 

Starting with a discussion of governance and stakeholders, this session will go on to cover key issues including:

• Using research frameworks: how to combine internal and external sources — AI-enabled reputational scans, employee research, and advanced techniques (for example, conjoint analysis) — to inform strategy.
• Communicating and embedding the EVP across the employee lifecycle.
• Measuring the business and talent impact of EVP investments. 
  Attendees will leave with a clear, practical framework for thinking about EVP and a set of concrete actions to strengthen their EVP practice.

Speakers:

• Jackson Kam, Regional Practice Leader, Mercer
• Leeming Lim, Senior Consultant, Change Management & Communications, Mercer

Masterclass 3: Beyond business as usual: How pay drives real growth

Overview: Most pay systems are built to keep a business running steadily. So, what do you reward when the business must grow fast, turn itself around, or rebuild for a different future?

This session trades the usual slide deck for a live conversation. We will work through actual cases where companies put serious money behind growth, from short-term milestones that mark progress to long-term payouts tied to the result. No theory, just practical examples of the calls companies actually made: the ones that paid off and the ones they came to regret.

Speakers:

• Lionel Low, Senior Principal, Client Solutions, ASEAN, Mercer
• Jacob Tan, Partner, Asia Executive Compensation Leader, Mercer

Masterclass 4: Employee listening that drives the people experience in the age of AI

Overview: The world of work is undergoing one of its most consequential shifts in a generation. Artificial Intelligence is impacting every element of our lives and as consequence, we see two workplace stressors emerging: 

1. Techno-insecurity — the fear of being replaced or made irrelevant by technology
2. Techno-overload — the cognitive and emotional burden of continuously adapting to new tools and ways of working

Both are now correlated with measurable indicators of anxiety and depression, yet only 19% of HR leaders factor AI's psychological impact into their implementation strategies. Meanwhile, 62% of employees feel their leaders fundamentally underestimate how disruptive AI feels at a personal level. Spend time with Marieke (human-to-human!) to explore and discuss what this means for you and employees in your care, and how organisations can respond (Data: Global Talent Trends 2026).

Speaker:

• Marieke van Raaij, Regional Employee Engagement Solutions Leader – Asia, IMEA and Pacific, Mercer
• Hannah Lennon, Lead, Employee Experience & Listening, Standard Chartered

Overview: For almost two decades HR has been trying to become more strategic. Our Global Talent Trends 2026 suggests it hasn't worked: Just 8% of executives describe their HR function as strategically embedded, and only 27% believe HR effectively advises them on human capital risk. Meanwhile the gap is widening — while the C-suite ranks redesigning work around AI as the single highest-return people initiative, fewer than half of HR leaders plan to prioritize it.

I will argue that the answer is not a better version of the same function. HR must stop looking inward and start designing outward: Moving from people operations to workforce architecture, from service delivery to owning the system of work, and from partnering with IT to merging with it — a shift 56% of HR leaders already expect.

The evidence says it pays. Where HR is embedded, 78% of executives say their organization is well-placed to compete for talent, against 62% elsewhere. Investors agree: 81% see embedding HR in strategic decision-making as essential to growth. The question is no longer whether HR reinvents, but who leads it.

Speaker:

• Lewis Garrad, Asia Workforce and Rewards Practice Leader, Mercer
  

Speaker:

• Ravi Nippani, Partner, Mercer Regional Industries and Solutions Leader Asia, Mercer

Speaker:

• Kabir Nath, Head of Sales Asia, Mercer

Speakers:

• Patrick Gong, Principal, Mercer
• Vivian Lim, Regional Rewards Senior Analyst, Mercer

• It is important that all delegates represent the target audience for the conference.
• Mercer has the right to decline any registrations received from companies with a conflict of interest and other potential delegates that do not match the target audience.
• Registrations for delegates with commercial roles of any kind will not be accepted.
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• Group purchases and promotional code purchases are available by invoice only.

• Only a limited number of places are available for this event. Please register early to avoid disappointment.

• Force Majeure — Mercer shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing an obligation relating to the conference that is due to any of the following causes, to the extent beyond our reasonable control: acts of God, accident, riots, war, terrorist act, epidemic, pandemic (including the COVID-19 pandemic), quarantine, civil commotion, breakdown of communication facilities, breakdown of web host, breakdown of internet service provider, natural catastrophes, governmental acts or omissions, changes in laws or regulations, national strikes, fire, explosion, or generalized lack of availability of raw materials or energy. For the avoidance of doubt, Force Majeure shall not include (a) financial distress nor the inability to make a profit or avoid a financial loss, (b) changes in market prices or conditions, or (c) the financial inability to perform its obligations relating to the conference.
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• We reserve the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the format, timing, location, and content of the conference or use substitute speakers at any time without prior notice. Conference topics are subject to change as the agenda develops.
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• Cancellations received before 10 August 2026 will be refunded in full.
• No-shows on the day of the conference will not be refunded.
• Participants may substitute a colleague at any time before 17 August 2026.

Cancellations should be sent in writing to:

amanda.myers @marsh.com