All 2026 Conference Sessions

Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo™ 2026 conference dives deep into key topics for CHROs and HR leaders around strategy, AI in HR, talent management, workforce planning and more to help you address your organization’s mission-critical challenges.

2026 Conference Theme

Power New Possibilities: Lead the Transformation of Work.

The AI era is unlocking new possibilities as organizations rethink growth yet often overlook key enablers. In 2026, HR leaders have a pivotal opportunity to lead work transformation and prepare both work and workforce for success. 

Explore our conference sessions below, all developed with this theme in mind.

Discover why HR leaders call this the “most impactful HR conference.” Hear attendees share highlights from networking, forward-looking sessions and inspiring keynotes, plus the real-world take-aways they gained.
Find HR conference sessions

There are hundreds of sessions happening each day. Filter to see sessions that align with your role and interests. After registering for the conference, craft your agenda and book priority sessions — all through Gartner Conference Navigator.

Show Filters

Filter Sessions Cancel
Clear All See 28 Sessions No Results
Showing 28 Sessions
Clear All
Monday, October 26, 2026

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

Signature Series: Top CHRO Trends & Priorities Shaping 2027
Mark Whittle, VP Analyst, Gartner
Each year Gartner surveys hundreds of CHROs about their challenges and priorities for the coming year. Join this session to learn the top CHRO trends and priorities for 2027 and how you can use these to inform your strategic plan. ... Show More Show Less

12:00 PM - 12:45 PM EDT

CHRO Boardroom: Three Pressures, One Foundation: Rethinking Pay Decisions, moderated by Syndio
Shonna Waters, SVP, Executive Engagement & Insights, Syndio
Regulation is demanding proof. Managers are being asked to explain decisions they didn't design. And most systems still can't show their work. Shonna Waters connects these three pressures back to one root cause: a data foundation most companies never built. A closed-door boardroom session for leaders feeling all three pressures who haven't yet had a place to talk about the foundation underneath them.
 ... Show More Show Less

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM EDT

HealthEquity: How TIAA is Making Healthcare Affordability a C-Suite Priority
Cheryl King, CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER, HealthEquity
Ned Godwin, VP, Benefits, TIAA
How do you deliver meaningful healthcare affordability while managing employer costs? Join Cheryl King, HealthEquity's Chief People Officer, and Ned Godwin, VP of Benefits at TIAA, to learn how TIAA designed two HDHP + HSA offerings with distinct contribution strategies for different employee populations. Discover the framework, outcomes, and lessons that helped make affordability a C-suite priority. ... Show More Show Less

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM EDT

ServiceNow: The CHRO's Roadmap for High-Performance Employee Experience in the Agentic AI Era
Harsh Kundulli, VP, Go-to-Market Strategy for CHRO Solutions, ServiceNow
The CHRO mandate is expanding: CEOs are asking HR to architect how humans and AI drive high performance together. Winning CHROs are moving from AI that answers to AI that acts, helping employees get work done easily without tool sprawl and boosting managers’ capacity to lead and decide, all within the guardrails of approval chains, policies, and org structure. Learn how to build such a human-centered, high-performance employee experience with AI. ... Show More Show Less

02:05 PM - 02:25 PM EDT

Perceptyx: From Insight Addiction to Leadership Accountability in HR
Charles Newnam, VP & GM of Leadership and Learning Strategy, Perceptyx
HR keeps showing up to the C-suite with charts because insight is the comfortable fix. It looks like rigor, feels like value, and lets us dodge the hard part: changing behavior and holding leaders accountable. It's an addiction, and AI is about to cut off the supply. When knowing is free, the analyst has no leverage left. This session flips the script: what if HR walked in not to report on the workforce, but to put leadership, HR first, on the hook for the behaviors that move the business? This session explores why we avoid this, and what it takes to trade the dashboard for real authority. ... Show More Show Less

02:30 PM - 03:15 PM EDT

CHRO Circle Ask the Analyst: Questions for the Opening Keynote Team (Multi-group)
CV Viverito, Sr Director Analyst, Gartner
Arj Bagga, VP Analyst, Gartner
Join the Gartner Opening Keynote team right after the Keynote to discuss the topic further, as well as have a chance to ask questions and get answers to your top takeaways. Show Less

02:30 PM - 03:00 PM EDT

HR Has an Image Problem
Alexander Kirss, Director Analyst, Gartner
HR sits in one of the most complex roles in the organization, caught between competing expectations—often seen as too business-centric for employees and too employee-centric for the business. As organizations evolve, the stakes are rising. If leaders aren’t fully confident in HR’s ability to lead the human workforce, will HR be trusted to lead the human-machine workforce? And if employee trust is uneven, how can CHROs drive transformation? Join this session to learn how top CHROs strengthen trust, expand influence in the boardroom, and better support employees at scale. ... Show More Show Less

02:30 PM - 03:00 PM EDT

Signature Series: CEO Concerns 2027: Implications and Actions for CHROs
Jessie Knight, VP Analyst, Gartner
CEO thinking is constantly challenged by events and each year Gartner conducts an in-depth survey of hundreds of CEOs to understand their shifting concerns and priorities. Come to this session to learn what CEOs are thinking for 2027 and what the talent agenda impacts are for CHROs. ... Show More Show Less

02:30 PM - 03:00 PM EDT

Transitioning CHROs: Leveraging Gartner’s New-to-Role Insights for First-Year Success
Christopher Long, VP Analyst, Gartner
As CHRO turnover and the pace of business change increase, a growing number of CHROs find themselves in transition — assessing the remit of their new role and how it differs from previous positions. Join this session to learn how new-in-role CHROs can quickly understand and meet expectations, manage risk, and build their executive brand to deliver both short- and long-term value. ... Show More Show Less

... Show More Show Less
Items per page: 1 – 9 of 28 Items
1 of 3 Pages

Sorry, no sessions match your criteria. Please refine your filters to display sessions.

“Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo  provided a variety of sessions on many HR topics that allowed myself and my team to divide and conquer providing us with an opportunity to bring several new ideas, philosophies and technologies back to our organization.”

Head of Talent Acquisition, 1848 Ventures

Discover what it’s like to experience #GartnerHR

Learn more about Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo™ 2026 conference.

Get our latest conference schedules, updates and insights sent straight to your inbox.

By clicking the "Continue" button, you are agreeing to the Gartner Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Contact Information

All fields are required.

      By clicking the "Submit" button, you are agreeing to the Gartner Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

      Back