The MERIT Annual Summit, “Leveraging a Cultural Mindset. How to Drive Innovation and Transform Organisations through People”, is gathering HR directors, top business school faculty, and innovative EdTech start-ups for two days of learning, networking, and crafting solutions.

MERIT is an ideas conference, a learning showcase, and a hands-on strategy session with peers – all packaged in an exclusive, intimate event in gorgeous Seville.

There is still time to join the 2020 edition! Here are the five top reasons you shouldn’t miss this boutique event.

Are you a senior HR executive or C-suite member? Claim your exclusive free pass here.

1. Disruptive keynotes by thought leaders Idriss Aberkane and Margarita Mayo

Huge investments are currently being made in corporate culture and innovation programmes. Yet the data shows that most of these programmes fall short.

Margarita Mayo, 2019 Business Book Award leader in the UK, will present research showing that people’s trust in leaders continues to fall. This prevents transformation efforts from reaching their potential. Complementing Margarita’s findings, Idriss Aberkane, renowned intellectual and entrepreneur, will discuss the mental health crisis that is impeding innovation and impacting the bottom line of many companies.

Over 70% of corporate transformation efforts fail. These thought leaders will outline the causes of failure, identify pitfalls to avoid, and explain how to successfully innovate.

2. Case studies by global heads of HR from Nestlé, ING, PMI, Vodafone, CERN...

Ten case studies from HR innovators will present solutions you can easily apply upon your return to the office.

We will hear how Anna Walther, Senior Global HR L&D Lead at Nestlé, is implementing a new talent management strategy for 350,000 employees in over 150 markets.

Nina Kreyer, Global Head of Learning at Philip Morris International (PMI), will outline how she has managed the company’s rapid shift to smoke-free products, which required retraining for all employees.

And James Purvis, Head of HR, CERN, will share how the home of the Large Hadron Collider is becoming a site for experimentation in HR, and not just in physics.

Going beyond the case studies, breakout discussions during the unconference sessions will provide a chance to meet the speakers and discuss further.

3. Learning from top business school faculty

Not everyone can stop their career to take a sabbatical and go back to school. At the MERIT Annual Summit, leading academics will share actionable lessons from their research. 

Alex Budak, social entrepreneur and faculty at Berkeley Executive Education, will teach how to develop a changemaker mindset in yourself and your organisation.  

Udi Aharoni, Director of Executive Education at the Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University, will lead a masterclass on acquiring start-ups and integrating them into your company.

Additionally, Carlo Giardinetti, Dean of Executive Education, Franklin University Switzerland, will help you determine whether you need a Chief Adaptability Officer. Lius Vives, Deputy Dean, ESADE Business School, will elucidate the 5 key behaviours of innovation leaders. And Oliver Olson, Senior Lecturer, Maastricht School of Management, will lead a workshop on how to take ownership of your employer brand.

With a stellar academic lineup, the MERIT Annual Summit offers a concentrated mini-MBA experience in an intimate setting in historic Seville.

4. Exclusive research from Gallup on the cultural drivers of innovation

Delegates from MERIT’s Regional Summit in Manchester remember the hard-hitting keynote on agility by Jeremie Brecheisen, Senior Managing Consultant at Gallup, which received rave reviews.

This time, Jeremie will give a data-driven talk on why most companies are failing to innovate and how they can overcome their obstacles. In addition, delegates will receive an exclusive Gallup/MERIT report on the cultural drivers of innovation prepared specifically for this year’s Summit.

Gallup has done the legwork and crunched the numbers so that you can avoid low-impact culture initiatives. Armed with their research, you can be sure that your culture programmes and L&D strategy are backed by data.

5. A community extending far beyond the Summit

Summit delegates consistently tell us that the connections forged at our boutique events are what makes MERIT stand out from other corporate learning events.

Jerry Pico, Senior Director L&D Europe, Daiichi Sankyo, and Christophe Vanden Eede, Global Head of Career Management, ING, say that MERIT opens up a network of HR and L&D leaders who are always willing to share experiences and advise on work challenges.

Breakout discussions and interactive workshops will provide opportunities to connect and share learning solutions. These conversations often continue long after the Summit is over.

Additionally, meeting innovative learning providers can help transform your ideas into action this year.

“I really like this concept of bringing together leaders from education programmes and industry leaders in an informal setting. It’s a great opportunity to collaborate and network”, Jim Fanning, Amazon Web Services, said at the last MERIT Annual Summit in Vienna.

Tap into this instant network of HR leaders, thinkers, and disruptors, and take your organisation to the next level in 2020.

Join us in beautiful Seville – apply for your free pass now.

By Ani Kodjabasheva