50 Heads of HR
from leading Asian and global companies
20 Heads of Executive Education
from top business school
Since 2017, MERIT has been a unique forum for HR and L&D directors of companies from different industries and Executive Education leaders to learn, share challenges and explore solutions together within an international professional community in a focused, highly interactive environment.
The MERIT Summit is a learning showcase, an ideas conference, and a hands-on strategy session with experts and peers, enabling participants to develop a culture of learning, innovation, and growth in their organisations.
Further to our mission to empower people and organisations The MERIT Awards have been designed to award impactful transformational initiatives in the corporate and higher education sectors.
Speakers
PROGRAMME AT A GLANCE
• Powerful Keynotes by academic and corporate leaders with a strategic vision to help organisations and people thrive in an ever-changing world.
• Interactive Workshops to dive deeper into key topics such as psychological safety, emotional intelligence, people analytics and sustainable careers.
• Unconference and Peer Consulting – participant driven formats to discuss ideas and find solutions to current challenges.
Sponsors
Bring your brand and expertise into the spotlight. Explore the MERIT Sponsorship advantage.
More than ever, organisations face relentless change driven by technology, geopolitical uncertanties, societal shifts, and the evolving needs of individuals. HR, L&D and Higher Education leaders must align strategy, people, and organisational priorities while addressing tensions between tradition and innovation, stability and adaptability, performance and well-being.
Strategy-People-Organisation: The Never-Ending Transformation Cycle
08:15 – 09:00
REGISTRATION AND COFFEE
09:00 – 09:20
WELCOME & OPENING NOTES
Chris Pether, Summit Chairperson, Managing Director, PeopleSmart
Isabelle Huault, Executive President & Dean, emlyon business school
Christophe Coutat, CEO & Founder, Advent Group
09:20 – 09:50
The Future Directory: an antidote to the strategic void
Thomas Gauthier, Professor and Associate Dean for Anthropocene, emlyon business school
09:50 – 10:20
Reframing Culture to Drive Organizational Impact
Dr. Marcus Collins, Marketing Professor, Ross Business School, University of Michigan
10:20 – 10:50
COFFEE BREAK
10:50 – 11:20
11:20 – 11:50
MERIT AWARDS CASE STUDIES
11:50 – 12:50
UNCONFERENCE, PEER CONSULTING
12:50 – 13:50
NETWORKING LUNCH
13:55 – 14:00
14:00 – 14:30
PANEL: Responsible Leadership - Balancing People and Business Needs
Christophe Vanden Eede, Global Head of Talent Management, bpostgroup
Xavier Dupont, CEO, Antell
14:30 – 15:30
MERIT AWARDS CASE STUDIES
15:30 – 16:00
COFFEE BREAK
16:00 – 17:00
MASTERCLASSES & WORKSHOPS
1) Coping with AI Implementation
Dr. Guillermo de Haro, Vice Dean, IE University School of Science & Technology
2) Words are Events: how we speak about change matters more than we know
Minola Jac, Global Change and Transformation Lead, Syngenta Group
3) Leading Transformation in Complex Time
Els Van de Water VP Head of People, Philips
Matthew Farmer, Managing Director, Emerging World
17:00 – 17:30
Leading in a Polycrisis
Sam Ray, Head of CCL’s Next Gen Leadership Practice in EMEA, Center for Creative Leadership
18:00 – 19:00
COCKTAIL RECEPTION @ emlyon
20:00 – 22:30
GALA DINNER @ Sofitel Bellecour (optional, extra charge)
08:45 – 09:15
WELCOME COFFEE
09:15 – 09:20
09:20 – 09:50
09:50 – 10:30
MERIT AWARDS CASE STUDIES
10:30 – 11:00
COFFEE BREAK
11:00 – 12:00
WORKSHOPS
1) Preserving Personal Ecology: an Imperative for Corporate Leaders
Dr. Tessa Melkonian, Professor of Management & Organizational Behavior
2) Embedding AI in the Workplace
Martin Barner, Head EX & HR Transformation, Sandoz
12:00 – 12:30
The Great Decoupling: Re-imagining Work, Workers, and Workplaces
Navarun Bhattacharya, Principal Talent Management / PXT, Amazon
12:30 – 12:50
MERITS AWARD CEREMONY
12:50 – 13:00
SUMMIT WRAP-UP
13:00 – 14:00
NETWORKING LUNCH
Strategy-People-Organisation: The Never-Ending Transformation Cycle
08:15 – 09:00
REGISTRATION AND COFFEE
09:00 – 09:20
WELCOME & OPENING NOTES
Chris Pether, Summit Chairperson, Managing Director, PeopleSmart
Isabelle Huault, Executive President & Dean, emlyon business school
Christophe Coutat, CEO & Founder, Advent Group
09:20 – 09:50
The Future Directory: an antidote to the strategic void
Thomas Gauthier, Professor and Associate Dean for Anthropocene, emlyon business school
09:50 – 10:20
Reframing Culture to Drive Organizational Impact
Dr. Marcus Collins, Marketing Professor, Ross Business School, University of Michigan
10:20 – 10:50
COFFEE BREAK
10:50 – 11:20
11:20 – 11:50
MERIT AWARDS CASE STUDIES
11:50 – 12:50
UNCONFERENCE, PEER CONSULTING
12:50 – 13:50
NETWORKING LUNCH
13:55 – 14:00
14:00 – 14:30
PANEL: Responsible Leadership - Balancing People and Business Needs
Christophe Vanden Eede, Global Head of Talent Management, bpostgroup
Xavier Dupont, CEO, Antell
14:30 – 15:30
MERIT AWARDS CASE STUDIES
15:30 – 16:00
COFFEE BREAK
16:00 – 17:00
MASTERCLASSES & WORKSHOPS
1) Coping with AI Implementation
Dr. Guillermo de Haro, Vice Dean, IE University School of Science & Technology
2) Words are Events: how we speak about change matters more than we know
Minola Jac, Global Change and Transformation Lead, Syngenta Group
3) Leading Transformation in Complex Time
Els Van de Water VP Head of People, Philips
Matthew Farmer, Managing Director, Emerging World
17:00 – 17:30
Leading in a Polycrisis
Sam Ray, Head of CCL’s Next Gen Leadership Practice in EMEA, Center for Creative Leadership
18:00 – 19:00
COCKTAIL RECEPTION @ emlyon
20:00 – 22:30
GALA DINNER @ Sofitel Bellecour (optional, extra charge)
08:45 – 09:15
WELCOME COFFEE
09:15 – 09:20
09:20 – 09:50
09:50 – 10:30
MERIT AWARDS CASE STUDIES
10:30 – 11:00
COFFEE BREAK
11:00 – 12:00
WORKSHOPS
1) Preserving Personal Ecology: an Imperative for Corporate Leaders
Dr. Tessa Melkonian, Professor of Management & Organizational Behavior
2) Embedding AI in the Workplace
Martin Barner, Head EX & HR Transformation, Sandoz
12:00 – 12:30
The Great Decoupling: Re-imagining Work, Workers, and Workplaces
Navarun Bhattacharya, Principal Talent Management / PXT, Amazon
12:30 – 12:50
MERITS AWARD CEREMONY
12:50 – 13:00
SUMMIT WRAP-UP
13:00 – 14:00
NETWORKING LUNCH
Stay tuned for updates
Speakers Lyon , June 2025
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After roughly 50 years in Écully, emlyon is moving back into the heart of the city, in the Gerland district. Gerland is at once a local, national and international crossroads, presented as a blank page on which to write a new chapter of emlyon. |
FREE INVITATION
- A limited number of complimentary passes will be offered to HR Corporate VP/Director level (decision-maker) and will include: attendance to all sessions, refreshments, lunches and networking breaks.
Conference pass
Regular rate price EUR 1950
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All tickets include full access to all conference sessions, lunches and refreshments throughout the summit and social activities.
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