The SLASSCOM People Summit 2023 themed “Survive To Thrive”, organized by The SLASSCOM HR Forum, brought together a team of top international speakers this year, who discussed and shared best practices on handling and overcoming some of the most pressing issues faced by the HR fraternity and provided a great learning platform and strategies on mitigating the current challenges.
This year’s event showcased engaging panel sessions, keynotes, and conversations related to employee retention, engagement and talent management. Attendees were able to gain new insights from industry experts, swap ideas, and collaborate on projects. The summit highlighted the strength of teamwork, with its emphasis on knowledge sharing. It also demonstrated the importance of having an open and diverse environment for meaningful conversations and the exchange of ideas, the need to embrace a multi-generational approach in the workplace and the importance of people-centered approaches to business.
Day one saw industry experts tackle a range of important topics, from Louka Perry, CEO/Founder of The Learning Future, who spoke on “the purpose motive”whilst Grant Bosnick – Author, Executive Coach and Chief Executive Thinker at YES Ltd, engaged the audience on the subject of “tailored approaches to self-leadership”. Denver De Zylva, Head of SLASSCOM ESG Forum & Senior VP & Global Head of Facilities & Sustainability at Virtusa Corporation, touched on the “What, why, who and how of ESG to differentiate and future proof your business and supply chain”.
Day two featured thought-provoking insights provided on Employee experience & Culture by Christoffer Erichsen – Founding Partner and CEO of Human Inc., followed by Emmy-Lou Quirke – Innovation Lead (Digital Transformation, Sustainability and ESG), South East Asia at PwC, who outlined her thoughts on harnessing people engagement to your advantage.
Vidusha Nathavitharana Author, TEDx Speaker and Leadership Trainer, spoke on “Thriving in Chaos – every crisis is a wonderful opportunity” , along with Thierry Moschetti – Co-founder and Partner, The Resilience Institute (Europe), who spoke on the insightful topic of “Thriving with Resilience in a changing world”
Summarizing the conference’s proceedings and key learnings, Sampath Jayasundara, Director – SLASSCOM HR and Entrepreneurship & Innovation Forums, & CEO & Director of Hsenid Business Solutions PLC noted, “The people are our future. Through this summit, we wanted to bring together like-minded individuals to create a thriving and progressive mindset no matter the external challenges.”
Thilanka Jayathilake, Head of the SLASSCOM HR Forum & Director Human Resources at IFS Sri Lanka emphasized the importance of developing a strong and flexible workforce stating, “When people are empowered to make the most of their abilities, they become more engaged and productive within their organizations. Employees feel more motivated when they have the autonomy to take control of their professional development and are given the right resources to reach their goals. Ultimately, when employees are empowered to reach their full potential, organizations are able to benefit from improved engagement and productivity.”
The event was supported by various key partners, namely the Gold Sponsor IFS, Engagement Partner 99x, Tech Partner hSenid Biz, Renewable Energy Partner Hayleys Solar, Travel Partner Acorn Travel, Media Partner Daily FT, Corporate Sponsors Dialog and HCL Tech, and Event Partners Nagarro, ACCA, HRP, AICPA & CIMA and Fortude. The summit also featured a quiz and multiple raffle draws sponsored by Daraz, WineWorld.lk & Cinnamon Lakeside keeping the crowd engaged and came to a close with a networking evening & after party.