National HR Summit 2027 brings festival feel and new leadership track

The National HR Summit 2027 returns to the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney on 28–29 April 2027. It brings a festival-style format, a new track for aspiring HR directors and four content stages running in parallel.

Elspeth Garratt, event strategy director at Key Media, publisher of Human Resources Director (HRD), said the changes are designed to make networking more enjoyable while tackling the issues dominating the profession – artificial intelligence (AI), psychosocial risk and a fast-moving compliance agenda.

This year's theme is "Agility in Action: Leading What's Next". The summit has run since 2002, and organisers describe the 2027 edition as its most significant evolution yet. It follows the 2026 event at the same venue, covered in our preview of what HR leaders could expect at the 2026 summit.

What's new at the National HR Summit 2027

Garratt said the biggest shift is in how delegates will connect.

"Next year we're taking the Summit to a new level, creating a real festival feel for our audience. The Summit will be somewhere to meet your peers, whether that's over a wine tasting or a round of games. It's networking that people actually enjoy, not another round of small talk with a coffee in hand," she said.

The centrepiece of that redesign sits in the middle of the exhibition floor.

"Our new Centre Stage, right in the heart of the expo, is built for interactive, exciting content. You can catch live podcast recordings and out of the box keynotes, all designed to get you thinking about your work in new ways," Garratt said.

The summit will also add a track aimed squarely at the next generation of HR leadership.

"We're also launching an Emerging Leaders track for managers ready to step into a Head of or Director role. It's full of practical advice on building your career and your personal brand, from people who've already made that move," she said.

The Main Stage now runs in two streams, People Leadership and Future Leaders. The new Future Leaders stream focuses on the commercial fluency, capability and profile rising managers need to step up.

Why should HR leaders bring their teams?

Garratt framed attendance as a development investment rather than a day out of the office.

"It's a great chance to invest in your team. Your people will get the latest thinking, and your rising managers get support for their own development. There are also team-building activities that bring everyone closer together," she said.

Team passes include facilitated Team Strategy Sessions, which help colleagues apply what they learn at the summit directly to their own organisation.

For senior delegates, the HR Leaders Forum is an exclusive program for executives dealing with enterprise-level challenges.

"The Leaders Forum is built for peer-to-peer conversation. You can talk through the challenges you're facing and swap solutions with people who've been there – it's the quality time needed to grow your network and find your people," Garratt said.

The learning and development (L&D) stage also returns across both days.

"Our L&D stage is back after strong demand, packed with practical sessions on upskilling, reskilling and making learning stick, so your L&D team leaves with ideas they can roll out straight away," she said.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Kirsty Charlton, senior director human resources ANZ at PepsiCo
• Benjamin Morris, group general manager HR at Mirvac
• Kylie Kelty, vice president global P&C service and experience at Cochlear
• Vivienne Robinson, general manager people and HR transformation at Virgin Australia
• Rebecca Roberts, chief people and culture officer at St Vincent's
• Jill Rezsdovics, chief people officer at The GPT Group

AI and compliance set the agenda for HR leaders

Garratt expects AI to dominate the program, but not in isolation from the human side of work.

"AI is the big one. Where it delivers real strategic value, how leaders model it from the top, and how roles are redesigned around it. And the more AI comes into the workplace, the more human skills like coaching, feedback and difficult conversations matter," she said.

The program includes sessions on the AI governance policies, guardrails and capability programs Australian organisations are using now, and where those efforts have failed.

Compliance runs a close second, with psychosocial risk at the top of the list. Psychosocial risk covers workplace hazards such as stress, bullying and burnout that can cause psychological harm.

"Right alongside AI is compliance, especially psychosocial risk. It's no longer just an organisational risk, it's personal liability for senior leaders. Add payroll reform, underpayment enforcement and new flexible work rights, and compliance has moved out of the back office and onto the leadership agenda," Garratt said.

That shift is already playing out. HRD has reported that the scrapping of the People at Work psychosocial risk tool means more than 5,000 Australian businesses will lose a free government tool. HR and health and safety leaders could be personally liable if they fail to replace it.

Payroll rules have also changed. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) confirms that from 1 July 2026, employers calculate, pay and report super guarantee each payday under the new Payday Super rules, rather than quarterly.

Flexible work remains unsettled. Victoria has pushed its contested right to work from home law back to July 2027, so the new right is due to start just two months after the summit.

The squeeze on middle managers

Garratt said conversations with HR leaders are also surfacing structural tensions inside organisations.

"We're also hearing a lot about the squeeze on middle managers as AI changes what their role actually is, and about the talent paradox of cutting roles in one area while struggling to hire in another. Leaders are also rethinking L&D and performance reviews as ongoing practice instead of a once-a-year ritual," she said.

The talent paradox is one of the summit's listed themes for 2027. The program pairs skills-based hiring with competitive rewards to help employers keep specialists during restructures.

For HR leaders facing redesigned roles, rising personal liability and a rethink of how capability is built, the summit is shaping up as a strategy session as much as a networking event.

To learn more about the event and secure your spot, click here.