CHRO Summit 2026: Human and Cultural Leaders of the Business World Met with the Theme of 'Redefining Balance'

CHRO Summit 2026, organized by BMI Business School and with the contributions of DataExpert, brought together the leading human and cultural leaders of the business world. At the summit held with the theme of "Redefining Balance", topics such as the workforce of the future, changing skill needs, employee loyalty, productivity, organizational agility and the future of work were discussed. The Most Effective 50 CHRO Award Ceremony was also held within the scope of the summit.

CHRO, used as an abbreviation for the phrase Chief human resources officer, means "human resources director" in Turkish.

Bringing together Turkey's leading CHROs, human and cultural leaders, CEOs and senior managers from different sectors of the business world, CHRO Summit 2026 was held this year with the theme of "Redefining Balance". At the summit organized by DataExpert and BMI Business School; Topics such as artificial intelligence and the workforce of the future, 2030 organizations, skill economy, employee health, employee loyalty, productivity, organizational agility and leadership were discussed.

At the summit, which brings together the human and cultural leaders of Turkey's leading companies, CHROs are not only managers who manage human resources processes; It was emphasized that it took on a more strategic role in shaping organizational transformation, workforce strategy, productivity, employee experience and corporate performance.

FUTURE WORKFORCE AND 2030 ORGANIZATIONS WERE DISCUSSED

The program started with the speech of Prithwiraj Choudhury, a professor at The London School of Economics (LSE), and discussed the effects of the transformation in the business world on organizations and employees.

Zorlu Holding Human Resources Group President Hakan Timur, TAV Airports CHRO Melis Tunaveli, Borusan Holding Human Resources, Communication and Sustainability Group President Nursel Ölmez Ateş and Şişecam Human Resources Deputy General Manager Şengül Arslan came together in the "Workforce of 2030: Organization, Skill Economy and New Workforce Model" session moderated by DataExpert Managing Partner Yasin Altunkaya.

In the session, the competencies that organizations will need towards 2030, changing workforce models and the impact of the skill economy on companies' human resources strategies were evaluated, while the transforming expectations of employees and institutions in the working life of the future were discussed.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN THE AGE OF PRODUCTIVITY

Turkish Airlines CHRO Abdulkerim Çay, Hayat Global Human Resources Director Alper Tokalp, Turkcell Deputy General Manager of Human and Business Support Erkan Durdu and İGA Airport Operations Deputy General Manager of Human Resources Selda Seçkinler Oba shared their opinions in the "CHRO's New Equation: Maintaining Loyalty in the Age of Productivity" session moderated by EY Turkey Company Partner and Workforce Consultancy Leader Ülker Day.

While the session discussed how increasing productivity expectations and employee engagement can be managed together; Employee experience, changing employee expectations and the role of human resources leaders in company strategy were evaluated. It was pointed out that the strategic role of CHROs in the transformation processes of organizations is gradually expanding.

ORGANIZATIONAL AGILITY IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY

Enerjisa Enerji CHRO Berrin Yılmaz, Yıldız Holding CHRO Buket Uğur, Akbank People and Culture Deputy General Manager Bülent Oğuz and Anadolu Sigorta Deputy General Manager İdil Pamir came together in the "Stagility: Organizations Strengthening in Uncertainty" session, moderated by TokenFlex Corporate Service Technologies General Manager Erkin Uzun.

In a period when uncertainty and change have become permanent in the business world, ways for organizations to create both agile and durable structures were discussed. Leaders; He shared his experiences on organizational agility, adaptation to change, involving employees in transformation processes and strengthening the resilience of institutions against changing conditions.

THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS AND PEOPLE IS BEING RESIDERED

Enerjisa Production Human and Culture Deputy General Manager Ayşegül Gürkale, LC Waikiki CHRO Bahattin Aydın and IC İçtaş İnşaat Human & Culture Director Esen Kurşun Özdemir came together in the "Designing the Future of Work and People" session moderated by Datassist CEO Umut Özbağcı.

The session covered the transformation of working life, future working models, talent management and the changing needs of employees. The importance of a human-oriented leadership approach and positioning employees at the center of the transformation process in preparing institutions for the future was evaluated.

THE FUTURE OF WORKING LIFE

TİSK Chairman of the Board of Directors Özgür Burak Akkol made evaluations about the role of human resources in the transformation of the business world and the future of working life in his closing speech of the summit.

Akkol pointed out that employees, institutions and the business world must transform together in the face of changing business models and new dynamics of working life.

THE SUMMIT ENDED WITH THE “50 MOST INfluential CHRO AWARD CEREMONY”

Within the scope of CHRO Summit 2026, the "50 Most Effective CHRO Award Ceremony" was held, honoring Turkey's prominent leaders in the field of humanity and culture. The 50 Most Effective CHROs, determined within the scope of the research conducted since 2016, received their awards at the ceremony held within the scope of the summit.