Program
Day 1
September 22, 2026 | Tuesday
ModeratorBea Lim
President & CEO, TeamAsia
10:30 – 10:45 AM
Opening Remarks
Patricio Soyao Jr.
HREX Co-founder and President at Future First Talents Inc (FFT)
10:45 – 11:00 AM
Welcoming Message
Atty. Lennard Constantine C. Serrano
Assistant Secretary for Regional Operations Cluster – Luzon, Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
11:00 – 11:30 AM
Session 1 · Keynote
The AI-Powered Recruiter: How AI Is Reshaping Talent Acquisition
Dannah Majarocon
Managing Director – Philippines, Jobstreet by SEEK
11:30 AM – 12:00 NN
Session 2 · Panel
Burnout, Benefits, & Boundaries: Redefining Employee Wellbeing in the AI Era
Steph Naval
Founder & CEO, EMPATH
Alvanson So
Head of HR & Business Partnering, TransUnion PH
Dr. Jerieka Fernandez, RPm
Head of Training Facility & External Physician Affairs, Maxicare Clinics
2:00 – 2:30 PM
Session 3 · Panel
Hire, Retain, or Comply? The Workforce Planning Equation in the AI Era
Bo Discarga
CEO, Betterteem
Dhruv Bhagat
CEO & Founder, TapTalent.Ai
Jerry Bonifacio
COO, PM Consulting
Dannah Majarocon
Managing Director – PH, Jobstreet by SEEK
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Session 4 · Keynote
Work Smarter, Not Harder — AI Productivity Tools for HR Teams
Mar Villar
People Partner, Canva
Mark Villaruz
Manager, Education Business Team & SMB in Retail, Power Mac
3:00 – 3:30 PM
Session 5 · Masterclass
Masterclass: Business Communications for HR
Issa Litton
CEO, 1Lit Corp
Day 2
September 23, 2026 | Wednesday
ModeratorPatt Soyao
President, Future First Talents Inc. · HREX Co-Founder
11:00 – 11:30 AM
Session 6 · Panel
The Digital Backbone — HRIS, Automation & the Future of HR Operations
Patrick Gentry
Co-founder & CEO, Sprout Solutions
Manuel Ramos
CEO, PeoplesHR
Rajat Luthra
COO – Southeast Asia, ZingHR
Vincent Grey
CEO & Founder, Tubo.Ph
11:30 AM – 12:00 NN
Session 7 · Panel
Beyond the Paycheck — Employee Benefits, Insurance & Total Rewards Strategy
Julian Mengual
Regional CEO, MediCard
Douglas Sanchez
Senior AVP, InLife
Beng Cortes
Group CHRO, Maxicare Healthcare Corporation
JR Francisco
VP for Strategic Partnerships, 1Life
2:00 – 2:30 PM
Session 8 · Keynote
The Intrapreneurial Mindset: Building Employees Who Think Like Owners
RJ Ledesma
CEO & Founder, Mercato Centrale
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Session 9 · Panel
Future-Proofing the Workforce — Upskilling, Education & the National Skills Agenda
Lyndon C. Avendaño
Dean, College of Business, Enderun Colleges
Vincent Benedicto
VP for HR, UnionBank
Atty. Gio Franco Gomez
Executive Director, Partnerships & Linkages Office, TESDA
3:00 – 3:30 PM
Session 10 · Keynote
The Future Leader — Human Skills in an Automated World
Donald Lim
President, Management Association of the Philippines & DITO CME
3:30 – 4:30 PM
Booth Awarding
AFT & FFT Representatives
4:30 – 5:00 PM
Closing Remarks
Vincent Bryan Co
HREX Co-founder and President and CEO of Adele Fado Trading Corporation (AFT Corp)
First come, first serve seating
Insight Stage seats are limited — come early to secure your spot.
HREX 2026
AI, Workforce Solutions & Beyond · www.hrex.ph