Adaptive Leadership For A Changing World
Leading Change. Connecting People. Creating Impact.
The leadership experience for leaders navigating change, complexity and what’s next.
- Date
- 18 November 2026
- Time
- 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Registration
- Opens 7:30 AM
- Venue
- SMX Convention Center Aura, BGC (Hybrid)
Tickets from ₱3,500.
The World Of Work Is Changing.
- AI is reshaping how organizations operate.
- Generational expectations are evolving.
- Talent is becoming harder to retain.
- Change fatigue is affecting people and performance.
- And leaders are being asked to deliver more while navigating more uncertainty.
But adaptive leadership isn’t simply about responding faster.
It’s about becoming the kind of leader who can navigate change, connect people and perspectives, and create meaningful impact even when the path ahead isn’t clear.
Whether you’re leading a team, managing a function, shaping people strategy, driving transformation or making enterprise-level decisions, the question is no longer:
“How do we keep up with change?”
The better question is:
“How do we lead when everything around us is changing?”
The World Is Changing. Are You Ready To Lead Through It?
Organizations are facing challenges that cannot be solved by one function alone.
- How do we retain talented people when expectations keep changing?
- How do we lead across generations without creating friction?
- How do we embrace AI while maintaining trust and human judgment?
- How do we address change fatigue before it becomes disengagement?
- How do we break down silos when teams have competing priorities?
- How do we communicate effectively when there is simply too much noise?
And perhaps most importantly:
What does effective leadership look like when yesterday’s playbook no longer works?
Adaptive leadership isn’t about predicting the future.
It’s about developing the mindset, relationships and capabilities to navigate it.
This Is Not Another Leadership Conference.
It’s a leadership experience built around three capabilities.
Organizations that thrive through change won’t simply be the ones with the best strategies or technology. They will be the ones with leaders who can:
To what is changing.
Navigate uncertainty, challenge assumptions and help people move from resistance to possibility.
People, perspectives and possibilities.
Build trust, communicate across boundaries, bridge generations and create environments where people can contribute.
With clarity, humanity and impact.
Turn insight into action, align people around priorities and translate leadership into meaningful organizational outcomes.
An adaptive leader doesn’t need all the answers. How do we become the leaders our organizations need next?
Who Is This For?
For Business & Organizational Leaders
You’re responsible for navigating change while keeping people, performance and priorities aligned.
You’ll Explore:
- Leading through uncertainty and transformation
- Building adaptable and resilient teams
- Navigating competing organizational priorities
- Breaking down functional silos
- Connecting people and strategy
- Turning leadership insight into action
For HR & L&D Leaders
You’re on the frontline of workforce transformation. You are dealing with talent retention, generational expectations, employee wellbeing, capability building and changing workplace needs.
You’ll Explore:
- What employees really need from leaders
- Talent retention and engagement
- Generational friction
- Change fatigue and resilience
- Recognition and connection
- Building future-ready leadership capability
For C-Suite & Senior Executives
You’re making decisions in an environment where there is rarely enough information — and rarely enough time.
You’ll Explore:
- Leading through complexity
- Making decisions amid uncertainty
- Aligning people around transformation
- Building organizational resilience
- Connecting strategy with execution
- Leading beyond your functional boundaries
For Department Heads, Managers & Team Leaders
The biggest leadership challenges often happen between departments, not within them.
You’ll Explore:
- Communicating across functions
- Managing different generations
- Building trust and collaboration
- Navigating difficult conversations
- Supporting people through change
- Influencing beyond your formal authority
What Will You Walk Away With?
This isn’t about collecting another certificate or sitting through another series of presentations.
It’s about leaving with ideas you can use, perspectives you can apply and relationships you can continue learning from.
New Perspectives
Understand how today’s organizational challenges are connected — from AI and workforce shifts to wellbeing, culture and collaboration.
Practical Insights
Learn from leaders who are navigating these challenges in real organizations.
Adaptive Leadership Capability
Strengthen your ability to lead through uncertainty, complexity and change.
Cross-Functional Connections
Meet leaders outside your industry, function and usual professional circle.
Collective Problem-Solving
Work through real organizational challenges with peers during the Leadership Breakthrough Roundtables.
A Clearer Next Step
Leave with a personal 30-day leadership commitment.
Don’t just learn about leadership. Decide what you’ll lead differently.
Expect Real Conversations. Not Just Slides.
An experience designed around learning, reflection, connection and action.
Keynotes
Hear perspectives from experienced leaders and thought leaders navigating change, people, performance and leadership.
Real-World Conversations
Explore what’s actually happening inside organizations — not just what leadership theory says should happen.
Practical Learning
Reflect on your own leadership and translate ideas into actions you can apply.
Meet The Leaders Behind The Conversation
The summit brings together business leaders, HR practitioners, C-suite executives, thought leaders and recognized Filipino changemakers who are navigating these challenges in the real world.
Our Strategic Speaker Partners
-
Francis Kong
Closing Keynote
President, Success Options, Inc.
Adapt, Agile, Able: From Insight To Action
Francis J. Kong is a leading Philippine business speaker, entrepreneur, and author of 29+ books. TOFIL Award recipient (2014), Philippine Star columnist, and board director at Primer Holdings and Mabuhay Vinyl. Ranked #1 among LinkedIn’s Top Filipino Professionals for three consecutive years.
-
Sha Nacino
Keynote
Global Speaker
Seen: Recognition, Connection & Leading With Relationship
Sha Nacino is a Top 30 global motivational speaker — the only one from the Philippines/Asia — specializing in human connection and compassionate leadership. Former AIM adjunct faculty with a Penn Positive Psychology certificate, she delivers research-backed, transformational keynotes worldwide for Fortune 500 companies.
-
Paulo Tibig
Opening Keynote
Speaker & CEO, VCargo Worldwide
Mindgame: Change How You Think
Paulo M. Tibig, known as the #ENTREPCHAMP, is a celebrated Filipino motivational speaker, bestselling author, and ethical leadership advocate, inspiring audiences through his “learnjoyment” keynotes and workshops to lead with purpose and mindset.
Plus Senior HR And Business Leaders Across The Three Panels.
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Darwin Rivers
Panel 1
Founder, PHILHRG, Inc.
Darwin Rivers is a Global HR Executive with 20+ years leading multicultural teams across North America, LATAM, EMEA, and APAC. Founder of PHILHRG Inc. (350,000+ members) and host of “HR Café.” Named 2024 Top HR Influencer in Southeast Asia.
-
Ivy Paraluman de Borja
Panel 1
Vice President for Human Resources, RealPage, Inc.
Ivy Paraluman Fajardo De Borja is VP for HR at RealPage with 21+ years across global brands. A certified sHRBP and Change Management professional, she specializes in HR partnership, talent acquisition and organizational development.
-
Julian Paolo Nagtalon
Panel 1
Head of HR and OD, Magsaysay People Resources Corporation
Julian Paolo Nagtalon, MIR, CHRP®, leads HR and Organization Development at Magsaysay People Resources Corporation and A. Magsaysay, Inc. With 15+ years’ experience, he champions people-first leadership, talent management and culture transformation.
-
Felix Veroya
Panel 2
Founder & CEO, Ask Lex PH Academy
Felix Veroya is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Professional Industrial Engineer with 15 years in Continuous Improvement, Innovation, and Analytics. Published author, Chairman of the International Association of Innovation Professionals, and recipient of multiple Asia CEO Awards.
-
Donna Reyes
Panel 2
Head of People, AIRR Labs
Donna Reyes is Head of People and Culture at AIRR Labs Philippines, with 20+ years in HR, leadership development, and organizational transformation. LinkedIn’s Top 100 Influential Women (2023) and Top 100 Talent Leaders (2024) by Bridge Club.
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Kristina Isagunde
Panel 2
Senior Director, Global Operations, Revnue
Kristina Isagunde is Senior Director for Global Operations at Revnue, with 15+ years leading operations, marketing, and project management across tech, consumer goods, finance, and healthcare industries — driving impactful outcomes through effective strategy and cross-team collaboration.
-
Stephen P. Cutler, PhD
Panel 2
Chief Enterprise Risk and Compliance Officer, Omnipay
Stephen P. Cutler, PhD, is a retired FBI Special Agent and former head of FBI operations in the Philippines. He is Omnipay’s Chief Enterprise Risk and Compliance Officer, specializing in risk, governance, privacy and cybersecurity.
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Charlene Lucas
Workshop
Chief Traumatologist, Traumatology Institute & Psychological Services, Philippines
Charlene R. Lucas is Chief Traumatologist of the Traumatology Institute and Philippine Site Director of the Green Cross Academy of Traumatology, a registered psychologist and Master Traumatologist advancing culturally responsive, trauma-informed practice, training, and advocacy.
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Roy Quejada
Panel 3
Leader Builder and COO, R/Q Management Consultancy & Potato Corner
Roy Quejada is founder of Readiness Quotient, a consulting firm for leadership readiness. A former COO/CEO in food and retail, and Meta-Coach, he helps leaders navigate growth, change, and operational challenges with strategic clarity and confidence.
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Ouida Montesclaros
Panel 3
Senior Director, Global Finance, ADP Philippines, Inc.
Ouida Montesclaros is Senior Director of Global Finance at ADP, with 20+ years in finance transformation across tech and BPO firms. Formerly at Xerox and RRD, she’s ranked among LinkedIn’s Top 100 Most Influential Filipino Women.
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Frank Vibar
Panel 3
Chief Information Technology Officer, Asian Hospital and Medical Center
Frank Vibar is Chief Information Technology Officer at Asian Hospital and Medical Center, with 25+ years of experience driving IT strategy, digital transformation, cybersecurity, cloud adoption, and business continuity across diverse industries.
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Antoniette Talosig
Panel 3
Founder and Principal, The Growth Core®
Antoniette “Toni” Mendoza-Talosig is a Culture Strategist, Leadership Coach, Co-founder and former President and Managing Partner of Great Place To Work® Philippines, with 20+ years’ experience transforming leaders, relationships, and workplace cultures across Asia-Pacific.
Your Host, Marylen Ramos-Velasco
Founder & CEO of Customized Training Solutions and Producer of The Interconnected Leader. Marylen brings 15 years of corporate experience across customer service, sales & marketing, operations and training production, plus 10 years in event production and ecosystem building across Asia.
She is also recognized as a Top 100 Filipino on LinkedIn.
Past Attendees And Clients Include
The Leadership Breakthrough Roundtables
From individual challenges to collective solutions.
Some organizational problems are simply too complex to solve alone. After hearing from practitioners and senior leaders, you’ll step into a facilitated conversation around one of four challenges:
AI & Future Of Work
How do we embrace AI while keeping people at the centre?
People, Wellbeing & Culture
How do we create organizations where people can perform and thrive?
Breaking Silos & Collaboration
How do we move from functional thinking to collective problem-solving?
Strategy, Execution & Leadership
How do we turn good strategies into meaningful results?
And one question connects them all:What must we do differently to break through the limits holding our organizations back?
Don’t just listen to the conversation. Help shape it.
The Summit Agenda
One day built around a simple frame: think, connect, act.
Arrival
Registration & Networking
Hybrid platform live. Sponsors active. Cross-sector curated seating.
Welcome & Scene-Setting
Host opens: what interconnected leadership means and why it matters.
Marylen Ramos-Velasco
Morning
Think & Operate
Keynote 1: Mindgame: Change How You Think
The mental shift before every breakthrough. Sets the Think → Connect → Act frame for the day.
Paulo Tibig
Panel 1: HR Leaders On The Frontline Of Change
HR leaders share what’s actually failing inside organizations today — talent retention, generational friction, change fatigue — and what they wish the C-suite understood.
Darwin Rivers, Ivy Paraluman de Borja, Julian Paolo Nagtalon
Networking Break: Structured Cross-Sector Connect
Speed-pair: attendees from different industries get 2 minutes each. Sets up the “silo-breaking” theme experientially, not just theoretically.
Panel 2: Leading Gen Z & Leveraging AI
Two sides of the same org challenge: managing multi-generational teams while using AI as a decision-support tool rather than a threat.
Felix Veroya, Donna Reyes, Kristina Isagunde, Stephen P. Cutler, PhD
Workshop: Compassion Fatigue Prevention For Leaders
Understand → Recognize → Prevent & build resiliency.
Charlene Lucas
Midday
Refuel
Lunch & Sponsor Activation
Sponsor booths open.
Afternoon
Connect & Sustain
Keynote 2: Seen: Recognition, Connection & Leading With Relationship
Based on her book Seen. The operational case for recognition — why leaders who make people feel seen build teams that outlast any strategy.
Sha Nacino
Panel 3: C-Level & Top 100: Leading Through The Noise
Mix of C-level executives and Top 100 Filipinos on LinkedIn on what it actually takes to lead connected organizations — the decisions, the failures, the pivots.
Roy Quejada, Ouida Montesclaros, Frank Vibar, Antoniette Talosig
Late Afternoon
Act & Commit
Break + Audience Commitment Prompt
Attendees submit their single biggest “aha” from the day via event app or card.
The Leadership Breakthrough Roundtables
Facilitated table conversations that move from individual challenges to collective solutions.
Keynote 3 (Close): Adapt, Agile, Able
Tying it all together + action planning. Closes with each attendee completing a personal 30-day commitment card. Stakeholder management as the meta-skill.
Francis Kong
Networking Close, Raffle Prize & Sponsor Showcase
Commitment card exchange. Virtual breakout rooms by industry. Sponsors host informal conversations.
End Of Event
Evening
VIP Experience
VIP Dinner
Dinner, networking with speakers, sponsors and VIP attendees. Included with the VIP Experience ticket.
Programme and panel line-ups may be updated as speakers are confirmed.
In Their Words
Watch leaders who have been in the room describe what it was like.
Recommendations On LinkedIn
From Our Past Summits
What Could Become Possible If You Led Differently?
Leave with one question that changes the way you lead — and a personal 30-day commitment to act on it.
My 30-Day Leadership Commitment
What could become possible if I led differently?
Your Next Level Of Leadership Starts Here.
You don’t need to have all the answers.
You don’t need to predict exactly what the future will look like.
You don’t need to solve every organizational challenge alone.
You need the willingness to:
Adapt.Connect.Lead.
Because the future won’t be shaped by strategy alone. It won’t be shaped by technology alone. And it certainly won’t be shaped by leaders working in isolation.
It will be shaped by leaders who can connect the dots — and bring people with them.
Secure Your Seat
18 November 2026 at SMX Convention Center Aura, BGC. Limited seats available. Registration ends November 15.
Early Bird Offer: Get 10% off with code EBALS, valid until 25 October 2026.
Virtual Attendee
Attend Online
₱3,500
- Full-day virtual access
- E-copy of materials
- 1 week recording access
- Invitation to pre-/post-events
- Certificate of completion
Regular In-Person
At SMX Aura, BGC
₱8,500
- Full-day in-person access
- E-copy of materials
- Summit kit
- 1 week recording access
- Invitation to pre-/post-events
- Certificate of completion
- Event photos
VIP Experience
Limited To 20 Seats
₱15,000
- Reserved VIP front seats
- All 3 speaker books
- Meals (2 snacks + lunch)
- Exclusive meet & greet with keynote speakers
- Post-event VIP networking dinner
- Summit workbook
- Invitation to pre-/post-events
- Summit kit
- Event photos
- Certificate of completion
- 1 month recording access
A portion of the proceeds from this summit supports the CSR projects of Top Filipinos on LinkedIn and HR Calabarzon.
See our Terms and Privacy Policy for more details.
Become A Partner Or SponsorFrequently Asked Questions
Is This Only For C-Suite Executives?
No.
The summit is designed for leaders at different levels who influence people, performance, transformation and organizational outcomes — from C-suite executives and business owners to HR/L&D leaders, department heads and managers.
Find My Place At The SummitIs This An AI Conference?
No.
AI is an important part of the conversation, particularly around the future of work and leadership. But the summit is broader. It explores the intersection of people, change, collaboration, leadership, technology and organizational impact.
Explore The Full ExperienceWill This Be Mostly Presentations?
No.
The programme combines keynotes, practitioner-led panels, structured networking, a workshop, reflection and facilitated Leadership Breakthrough Roundtables.
See The AgendaWhat Will I Actually Take Away?
You’ll gain practical insights, new perspectives, cross-industry connections, opportunities to learn from experienced leaders and a personal 30-day leadership commitment.
I Want These TakeawaysWhy Should I Attend Now?
Because organizations aren’t waiting for change to become easier. AI is advancing, workforce expectations are shifting, talent challenges continue and leaders are navigating greater complexity. The opportunity is to strengthen your leadership capability while you’re navigating the uncertainty.
I’m Ready — Get My Ticket
Ready To Lead Through What’s Next?
The future of leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about being willing to adapt to change, connect people and perspectives, and lead with impact.