As the workplace continues to evolve, HR is no longer simply supporting business strategy – it is helping to shape and drive it.

On Friday, 23rd October 2026, more than 600 HR professionals, business leaders, executives and decision-makers are expected to come together at the Hilton Malta Conference Centre for the return of the FHRD Annual HR Conference & Expo – Malta’s flagship event for Human Resources, Learning and Development, and business leadership.

Organised by the Malta Foundation for Human Resources Development (FHRD), this year’s conference will explore the theme:  HR Lead: Powering Strategy Through People

Organisations today are navigating digital transformation, artificial intelligence, skills shortages, changing employee expectations and growing pressure to remain competitive. Against this backdrop, HR has emerged as a vital strategic partner - connecting people, culture and organisational priorities to support performance and sustainable growth.

The conference will examine how HR leaders can harness people, technology, culture and data to build resilient, high-performing and future-ready organisations. Delegates will gain fresh perspectives, practical insights and actionable strategies that they can take back and apply within their workplaces.

Three Inspiring International Keynotes

Three internationally recognised keynote speakers will take to the stage, offering thought-provoking perspectives on leadership, culture, artificial intelligence and organisational transformation.

These include:

The power of people: Building and sustaining high-performance cultures

What enables some organisations to sustain exceptional performance? Jane Sparrow will explore how leaders can create cultures that strengthen engagement, accountability and innovation while supporting long-term business success.

Who’s flying the plane? Leading with data, AI and human judgment

As organisations increasingly turn to data and artificial intelligence, where does human judgment fit in? Amit Grinvald will examine how leaders can bring together people analytics, AI and informed decision-making to improve organisational performance.

Leading through change: Courage, capability and human-centred innovation

Change is constant – but successful transformation depends on people. Dr Rosa M. Colón-Kolacko will share how leaders can navigate uncertainty, strengthen organisational capability and keep people at the heart of innovation.

Practical workshops for today’s HR challenges

Alongside the keynote sessions, delegates will be able to choose from nine interactive workshops led by experienced practitioners and subject-matter experts:

• Rethink, rebuild, lead: HR strategy for a new world of work: Elli Matsouka
• Strategic HR leadership: Turning people insights into business impact: Mariella Galea
• Leading anywhere: Adaptive leadership for hybrid, remote and global teams: Daniel Cassar
• Inclusion by design: Fixing the systems behind how work gets done: Natalia Perkowska
• Securing buy-in from management and staff: Elevating HR’s strategic voice: Martin Spiteri Schillig
• From resistance to resilience: A people-powered appreciative approach to positive change: Mireille Pellegrini Petit
• AI unboxed for HR: From regulation to real-life results: moderated by Pamela Mamo, with guest experts from MDIA, Lufthansa Technik Malta and Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates
• The unbundled workforce: Rethinking work in the age of AI: Dr Elaine Dutton
• Thriving at work: How what we say – and don’t say – shapes wellbeing and results: Darine Aboulezz

Each workshop is designed to move beyond theory, encouraging discussion and equipping participants with ideas and tools that respond to the realities facing workplaces today.

More than a conference

The FHRD Annual HR Conference & Expo is also an opportunity to connect, exchange ideas and build valuable professional relationships. Delegates can look forward to a thought-provoking panel discussion, an exhibition featuring leading HR products and services, networking opportunities, and meaningful conversations with local and international experts.

Whether you are an HR professional, business leader, learning and development specialist or people manager, the conference offers a unique opportunity to explore emerging trends, challenge established thinking and discover new ways to power business strategy through people.

Be part of Malta’s largest gathering of HR and business professionals.

Register for the FHRD Annual HR Conference & Expo here.  

For more information about FHRD and its work, click here.