Session
HR 2030: What HR Must Build, Stop and Prove Now
The operating choices that will define the next era of HR
PAWorld26 San Francisco · 23–24 September 2026 · San Francisco
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– · Plenary
About this session
Kathi Enderes will translate the HR 2030 research agenda into decisions leaders need to make now. The keynote will distinguish automation layered onto existing processes from genuine operating-model redesign, then examine how HR business partnering, People Analytics, talent, technology and governance may change as agentic workflows grow. It will also confront the limits: which decisions require human judgement, what data and accountability mechanisms are necessary, and what evidence should be demanded before a pilot is treated as transformation. The session closes with three actions for the next 90 days.
Learning outcomes
- Distinguish process automation from operating-model redesign.
- Identify the human, data and governance capabilities HR will need.
- Take away three near-term decisions rather than waiting for 2030.
This session will explore
- Why AI adoption is not the same as HR transformation.
- The workflows, roles and capabilities likely to change most.
- What agents may support or execute and what must remain human.
- What business, capacity and trust evidence HR should be required to produce.
Context
The Day 2 thesis-setting keynote.
Speakers and contributors
Kathi EnderesPresenterSenior Vice President Research and Global Industry AnalystThe Josh Bersin Company