"What we're hoping to achieve is an event that's quite different to what we typically see in the events space"
This article was produced in partnership with SAP SuccessFactors
SAP SuccessFactors head of marketing ANZ Rushenka Perera discusses the return of HR Connect, an annual event bringing the HR community together to tackle the ‘hot topics’ of the HR space.
After two years of running virtual events, HR Connect 2022 is returning in style – and it promises to be quite different to your regular business event.
Now back in its physical event format, Sydney attendees will be gathering on 30 August at the iconic Grounds of Alexandria. The main theme of the event will be “Change Work for Good”, and attendees will hear from a vast array of speakers across three key areas – employee engagement, compliance talent magnetism, and a special track for public sector.
SAP head of marketing ANZ Rushenka Perera says that after two years of being unable to run in-person events, HR Connect is going to “come back with a big bang”, and will be a great opportunity for the HR community to get together, network, and hear from some thought-provoking speakers.
“What we’re hoping to achieve is an event that’s quite different to what we typically see in the events space,” Perera says.
“We’re in a beautiful location with a lot of foliage, we’re really blending in with the surroundings, and we have sponsors who are going to be attending in a market stall format. We’re really trying to get people to get together as a HR community, and we’ll have lots of opportunities for people to network and choose sessions based on what’s important to them currently.”
The Sydney event will have two different streams running concurrently, with various session topics including technology enablement, compliance and regulatory governance, diversity and inclusion, and the holistic employee experience. There will also be sessions on payroll and data, as well as a track for the public sector with speakers from Defence ERP Program, and Transport for NSW.
Keynote speakers will include academic, writer and social commentator Dr Susan Carland, , and SAP SuccessFactors group vice president for solution management David Ludlow, who will talk about designing a HR research and roadmap strategy.
“We recognise that HR is not homogenous, and there will be lots of people who look after different things,” Perera says.
“We wanted to ensure that we had an agenda that would appeal to everybody in terms of content.”
“Another particularly exciting session will be our keynote from Judy O’Brien, the culture, diversity and inclusion manager at New Zealand Rugby,” Perera adds.
“We announced our partnership with New Zealand Rugby about two months ago, and Judy is going to be talking about the culture that they’ve cultivated within their organisation, and the journey that they’ve been on to bring diversity and inclusion to life.”
‘HR Connect started out as an event to try and inspire our community, and it’s really grown in terms of attendees,” Perera concludes.
“We’ve found that people love to hear customer stories, so when you look at the agenda, you’ll find quite a few speakers who have come from the SAP customer base. We’ve also tried to mix that up with thought leadership speakers, and it should all come together to form a really exciting and inspiring event.”
HR Connect 2022 in Sydney will run on 30 August 2022. To find out more and register, click here.
SAP SuccessFactors is the global provider of cloud-based Human Experience Management (HXM) software. Our HR application suite integrates onboarding, social business and collaboration tools, a learning management system (LMS), performance management, recruiting software, applicant tracking software, succession planning, talent management, and HR analytics to deliver business strategy alignment, team execution, and maximum people performance to organizations of all sizes across more than 60 industries, in over 200 countries and territories.
