CHRO Day to challenge convention and rewrite the future of work

Sphumelele Khumalo 20 May 2025

On 28 May HR leaders from across South Africa will gather at the luxurious Marriott Hotel in Melrose Arch for CHRO Day, to share new ideas and talk next-level strategy.

This comes at a time where changing employee expectations, remote work, and AI have become part of everyday vocabulary, so The New Playbook theme couldn’t be more fitting.

Attendees will be treated to a dynamic programme of talks, panels, networking and breakaway sessions.

It will all kick off with Akhona Qengqe, general manager at KFC Africa’s keynote address on exploring the new playbook for breaking barriers, setting the stage for what promises to be an unforgettable event.

Next up is a powerhouse panel featuring Bess Skosana, group HRD and regional talent leader at MTN, S'ne Magagula, CPO at Tiger Brands, and Abdullah Verachia, global strategist, keynote speaker & thought leader.

Breakaway sessions will dive into the most pressing themes shaping the CHRO agenda, such as AI-powered leadership, public-private partnerships, and HR for good.

But this isn’t just a day of listening, but a day for collaboration as well. The day will wrap with brainstorming sessions that will challenge CHROs to reflect on their own leadership playbooks.

After feeding the mind, there will be time to feed your appetite at the Marriott Executive Lunch, as the day will close with drinks and networking opportunities with some of the sharpest people in the industry.

Sphumelele Khumalo

Sphumelele Khumalo is the senior writer for CHRO South Africa. With a background in health journalism, she brings a passion for storytelling and an interest in exploring the human side of every story, one word at a time. When she’s not meeting deadlines, you might find her experimenting in the kitchen, or chasing sunsets.

2026 Executive Day: CEOs, the C-suite is watching the green and red flags

During an attention-grabbing panel discussion at the 2026 Executive Day, Paul Norman, group CHRO at MTN, and Celiwe Ross, group chief human capital and corporate affairs officer at Old Mutual, put the CEO role under the executive microscope, unpacking the green flags, red flags and everything in between that can make or break the C-suite dynamic.

03 September 2026

CHRO Webinar: When AI joins the HR team

A recent webinar, hosted in partnership with Factorial, brought together Neridha Moodley, people and culture lead at SNG Grant Thornton; Zameer Ahmed, head of HR digital transformation at Netcare; and Paolo Urzi, partnership development manager at Factorial, to unpack what responsible AI adoption looks like in practice, and how HR leaders can harness technology without losing sight of the people at the heart of the function.

19 August 2026

CHROs reflect on the workplace women truly deserve

What does the workplace women deserve look like? This Women’s Day, we put that question to HR leaders Elanie Kruger, CHRO at Tsebo Solutions Group; Shehnaaz Kajee, head of HR at HBZ Bank; and Sinqobile Khuluse, CPO at Sandock Austral Shipyards, who have a front-row seat to shaping the employee experience.

11 August 2026

Embracing the strengths of neurodiversity in the workplace

The term neurodiversity is becoming ubiquitous in a world where the diversity in peoples’ cognitive abilities is being highlighted in the mainstream. Current estimates show that as many as 15 percent to 20 percent of the global population is neurodivergent, meaning that one in five employees falls into this category.

31 July 2026