HR Festival Europe 2026: Leuthard, Lobo and Martin as keynote speakers

The HR Festival Europe opens its doors in just over a month. HR professionals and the entire Swiss HR community will meet at Messe Zürich on March 24 and 25, 2026. With over 6,000 visitors and more than 170 innovative exhibitors, the event has established itself as a leading industry meeting place.

Top-class keynotes

Three exceptional personalities will take to the main stage this year. Doris Leuthard will kick things off on Tuesday, March 24, at 9:15 am. The former President of the Swiss Confederation, lawyer and Vice President of the Coop Group will speak on the topic of «Taking responsibility, shaping the future - a leadership perspective».

Sascha Lobo, digitization and AI expert, author and podcast host, will follow at 2:15 pm on the same day. He will address the question «How AI is changing the world and what this means for the future of HR». On Wednesday, March 25, at 9:15 a.m., Leo Martin will take the stage. The ex-secret agent, criminalist and Spiegel bestselling author will speak about «Secret weapon trust - the art of winning people over».

No additional registration is required to attend the keynotes. All keynotes and panels on the Main Stage will be simultaneously translated into German, French and English.

Swiss HR Award with live pitches

One of the highlights of the festival is the presentation of the Swiss HR Award 2026. A top-class jury of over 20 experts has nominated ten outstanding projects for the shortlist in the categories Attracting Talents, Retaining Talents, Start-Up, Wild Card and Think Tank. The final projects will be presented in short live pitches on Wednesday, March 25 at 3:00 pm. The audience will then decide on the winning projects.

Further information and the program overview can be found on the Website of the HR Festival Europe.