REwork APAC Summit

Felix is responsible for the investment, construction and operation of 7 million square meters of Alibaba’s workspace worldwide. In this case study we hear how Felix is supporting the fast development of Alibaba’s business, where he continuously explores ways to provide a more secure, efficient, and vibrant workspace for over 230,000 employees worldwide. Felix will showcase how the planning, innovation, design and development of the workspace he manages is improving the efficiency of facility management, as well as upgrading security and environmental services with intelligent solutions. Before joining Alibaba in 2014, he served as the vice president of retail operations of Amazon China. 

• General introduction and key figures about Alibaba’s campuses and workplace worldwide  
• Our view on what makes a good workplace and why they are important to our 230,000 global employees 
• Evolution of our workplace in response to the fast growth of the company and the changing preferences of our employees 
• Intelligent solutions that we’ve developed to reshape our workplace and improve flexibility and efficiency 
• Future of workplace in Alibaba and how we prepare for it 

Felix Liu, President of General Services Administration, Alibaba Group

The rapid shift towards hybrid working models has led to a growing demand for smart solutions that optimise productivity, efficiency, and employee well-being. By showcasing real-world case studies and practical applications, this presentation will delve into the cutting-edge convergence of IoT and smart building technologies that enable hybrid working environments.

• Space utilisation: Leveraging IoT data to optimise office layouts and a seamless flexible work experience
• Energy efficiency: Utilising smart building technology to minimise energy consumption and reduce costs
• Employee well-being: Monitoring and adjusting environmental conditions such as air quality, temperature, and lighting
• Collaboration and connectivity: Enhancing team communication and collaboration through connected devices and applications

Kevin L. Sauer, Former Global Workplace Strategist, Amazon (USA)

Traditional management models simply aren’t fit for purpose for the workforce of tomorrow. The issue of labour shortages isn’t a problem for HR to solve alone; it’s a challenge for the whole business to meet. What are the strategies that will enable businesses to adapt to the future world of work, where employees prioritise flexibility, inclusion and personal development?

• How is technology providing solutions to engage workers and increase productivity and wellbeing?
• What do employees need to thrive at work and how do we provide this?
• Examining the shift around the importance of work in people’s lives and the implications for workforce strategy
• Is productivity the right measure for employees anymore and if not, what is?

Panellists:

Frances Cawthra, CEO, Cenitex

Bianca Lemon, General Manager, Skope Industries Limited

Graeme Scannell, Head of Workplace Experience, MYOB

Cherry Ward, Founder & Director, Bluebird Leadership

Facilitated by:

Libby Sander, MBA Director, Bond University, and Founder of Rethink

These quickfire moderated 40-minute roundtable sessions enable delegates to break up into small focus groups of 20 to deep dive into topics of specific interest. This will be followed by a quick recap of each table discussion by each of the facilitators.

Roundtable 1: How can you equip your leaders to be successful in a multi-choice workstyle culture?
Led by: John Corbett, Corporate Real Estate Executive, CorbCo

Roundtable 2: Uncover how and where your people work best – using methods derived from the field of Human Geography
Led by: Tica Masuku, Workplace Strategy Director, Spaceful

Roundtable 3: Metrics of happiness: Workplace design considerations and the happiness Ecosystem
Led by: Sarah Matthews, CEO, Little BIG Foundation

Roundtable 4: Hitting pause- how we transition successfully in an ever changing, fast paced environment
Led by: Steve MacDonald, CEO, The Human Link

Roundtable 5: Combining data and a people centric focus to understand work and redefine (physical) workplace
Led by: Peter Andrew, Executive Director – APAC Workplace Centre of Excellence, CBRE 

John Corbett, Corporate Real Estate Executive, CorbCo

Tica Masuku, Workplace Strategy Director, Spaceful

Sarah Matthews, CEO, Little BIG Foundation

Peter Andrew, Executive Director – APAC Workplace Centre of Excellence, CBRE

Steve MacDonald, CEO, The Human Link

Future focused work environments must successfully transition into human based high performance environments. This requires a strategic pause to rethink and reimagine rather than reproduce what has gone before.  Author and Organisational Psychologist Steve Macdonald unpacks the principles for transforming performance environments to embrace the future using examples from organisations he is currently working with.   

• The principles of transition and transformation 
• Unleashing the authentic value of our people 
• Leading into the future 

Steve MacDonald, CEO, The Human Link

Over the last two years, businesses have been experimenting. Remote, hybrid, flexible working – the 4-day week. What does the future hold? Can businesses, teams and individuals reach a consensus that maximises employee engagement and business growth? How is the cost-of-living crisis influencing employees’ expectations of remote or office working? Join this discussion as you think through what the future holds for your business.

• Asynchronous remote work – are distributed workforces creating us vs them divides within teams and organisations?
• How can HR take charge by embracing personalised strategies in the EX-journey for in house and remote workers?
• Strategies to imbed psychological safety and the benefits of encouraging open discourse

Panellists:

Monique Zytnik, Global Employee Communication Subject Matter Expert, Open Communication (Germany)

Ingrid McGrath, Head of People Strategy and Culture, Heritage Bank

Barbara Daxenberger, People and Capability Manager, Tonkin + Taylor

Steve MacDonald, CEO, The Human Link

Facilitated by:

Philip Woods, Director, Catalyst Strategy

Productivity paranoia, presenteeism and burnout vs trust and output are on employees minds. How do we ensure that workers feel connected to each other, the work, the mission, and the organisation, even when they don’t show up to the same place 5 days a week?

• How are you addressing burnout in your organisation?
• Is there a growing trust disconnect between workers and management and how do we resolve this?
• What hard work and systems within the workplace are creating undue stress on employees?
• How do you stop thinking in terms of productivity and focus on impact and value instead?

Panellists:

Kate Lister, President, Global Workplace Analytics

Sia Papageorgiou FRSA, SCMP, Managing Partner, Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence, & Co-Founder The Alignment People

Simone Kelsen, Head of People, Business Partnering, QBE Insurance

Dr. Peter Simpson, Global Head, Safety, Security & ESG, Standard Chartered Bank

Zora Artis GAICD IABC Fellow, CEO, Artis Advisory

Facilitated by:

Tica Masuku, Workplace Strategy Director, Spaceful

While hybrid work is here to stay for millions around the world, it presents real challenges for employees, their managers, and organisations as a whole. Combining technology and culture change offers the opportunity to create a “hybrid-first” mindset, empowering real-time and asynchronous collaboration that keep people connected, no matter where they work from.  

• To what extent can communications smooth the rough edges of hybrid-working models?  
• What are the building blocks of a resilient culture in a hybrid setting? 
• How must leadership adapt to manage this change effectively and avoid being left behind, especially when it comes to innovation? 
• What lessons can be learned from the past 18 months to create a sustainable working future? 

Allan Ryan, Adjunct Professor, UTS, & Executive Director, Hargraves Institute

From strategy to execution. This session will look at different working models and discuss the pros and cons of each one.

• Now organisations have seen the effects of their chosen working model what outcomes have they seen?
• Is your model working or do you need to consider a different approach or adapt it?
• What do you need to support each working model?
• What are the legal and Health & Safety implications of each model?

Panellists:

Andrew Barnes, Architect of the Global Movement, 4 Day Week-Global

Irena Stefanovska, General Manager, Reward & People Operations, ISPT

Penny Lovett, Executive General Manager - People and Culture, InvoCare

Hyma Vulpala, Global Digital Engagement Partner, Toll Group

Nick Todd, Australian Leader, User Strategy & Experience, ERA-co (USA)

Facilitated by:

Kate Dodd, Founder, Intent Strategy

Young professionals are entering the workforce – and then leaving again, quickly. As you read this, 30% of Generation Z are looking for a new job. Want to attract and retain the highest quality employees from the new generation? Then understanding their needs and desires is the first step to success.

• What are the defining characteristics and priorities of Gen Z that define them from others in the workplace?
• How are misaligned expectations about flexibility, money and support leading to dissatisfaction and high exit rates?
• The role of EAP’s in retaining Gen Z workers to avoid disruption in the workforce
• How do you foster multi-generational needs and collaboration?

Colby Johansen, Human Resources Business Partner, Barings (USA)

In the face of current headwinds and calls to cut costs, what priorities need to remain front of mind for organisations to thrive and be on the front foot in modern workforce engagement?

• What issues prevent workers from gaining promotion, improving wellbeing and knowledge and does this impact workplace culture?
• Balancing the risk of losing key talent against short term cost and portfolio efficiencies
• How to create wellbeing strategies that are inclusive, holistic, and personalised
• How can you cultivate future-ready mindsets? Frameworks for mentorship

Panellists:

Kylie Telford, Head of People & Culture, IANZ

Fiona Pereira, Director of Talent Acquisition, Australia, Marriott International

Natalie Macinnis, Head of Human Resources, Australia & New Zealand, Travelex

Michael McGrath, Head of Enterprise, LinkedIn