The 2026 HR Indaba kicks off today with thousands of HR professionals streaming through the doors of the Sandton Convention Centre, as the people tasked with solving workplace challenges come together for an insight-filled day to compare notes, challenge assumptions and debate on the future of work.
The 2026 HR Indaba brings the profession together, from recruiters and HR business partners to talent specialists and chief people officers. And with that many HR people in one place, there is no shortage of experience, opinions or workplace challenges to put on the table.
Taking the stage today are some of the country’s leading HR voices, including Sharon Taylor, chief people and culture officer at Standard Bank Group; Duke Mgaga, CPO at the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa; Jabu Mahange, CHRO at Famous Brands; Lungile Mahluza, chief people and purpose officer at Deloitte; Nolo Thobejane, CPO at KFC Africa; and Rachel Masuku, CHRO at the SABC.
Their voices are among those contributing to a programme designed to bring the realities of people management into focus.
A full house of HR minds
Speaking about the role of collaboration in HR, Kgaogelo Letsebe, community manager at CHRO South Africa, highlighted the importance of bringing the entire HR community together.
“We have brought together the full HR fraternity, from specialists and practitioners to HR leaders, CHROs and CPOs, alongside the organisations and partners who support the work we do. Because HR touches every part of an organisation, the conversations we have today matter far beyond the HR department,” she says.
“We are dealing with changing skills requirements, artificial intelligence, leadership challenges, employee expectations, transformation and culture, all while being expected to deliver real business value. There is no single playbook for navigating all of this. Sometimes, the most valuable insight comes from hearing how someone else has tackled a challenge you are facing yourself.”
That exchange of ideas is reflected in a programme tackling some of the most pressing questions facing HR today.
What makes an event of this scale matter is the opportunity to get beyond the familiar. To hear how another organisation is approaching a difficult problem. To question an assumption that has gone unchallenged. To discover a tool, make a connection or leave a conversation with an idea worth testing at work.
Conversations that count
There is no replay button for the conversations happening in the different rooms today. No recording can capture every question asked after a session or every unexpected connection made over coffee. The programme gives the day its structure, but the people in the room give it its substance.
Beyond the sessions, the exhibition floor brings HR professionals face to face with solution providers showcasing technologies, services and approaches designed to address the changing needs of the workplace.
Just as importantly, the conversations between sessions create space for leaders to exchange experiences with peers who understand the complexities of managing people in a changing business environment.
Which is why the real cost of missing the HR Indaba is not measured in sessions, but in the contact you did not make, the idea you heard second-hand, and the practice a competitor adopted while you were still clearing your inbox.
As Kgaogelo puts it, the HR Indaba is one expression of a broader ambition at CHRO South Africa. “At CHRO South Africa, we believe in building a community where HR professionals can learn from one another, build meaningful relationships and strengthen the profession together. HR Indaba is one of the ways we bring that belief to life,” she says.
