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Forward 2026: Transforming the Employee Experience

Forward is the premier conference for leaders transforming the experience of their most critical asset: the frontline workforce.

Join us for a human-first conference designed to equip you with the tools, strategies, and stories that drive real impact – where it matters most.

This year

AI, Action, and the Human Advantage

Explore how AI, applied with purpose and intention, can elevate human potential at scale – especially for the employees closest to your customer, your product, and your bottom line.

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The Connected Workforce

Building Culture & Inclusion Over Distance

From two-way comms and manager enablement to AI-powered recognition – learn how to create connections across sites, shifts, and languages.

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The Enabled Workforce

Equipping Your People for Peak Performance

Explore the tech stack, AI tools, and training strategies powering confident, capable, and future-ready frontline teams.

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The Resilient Workforce

Leading Your Organisation Effectively Through Change

What resilience really looks like in high-pressure environments – and how to build it, lead it, and sustain it at scale.

Speakers

Bala Sathyanarayanan
EVP & CHRO at Greif

Bala Sathyanarayanan

EVP & CHRO at Greif
Daria Ezazi
Head of Corporate Communications toom Baumarkt GmbH

Daria Ezazi

Head of Corporate Communications toom Baumarkt GmbH
David Schwarzelmüller
Head of Digital Communications & Collaboration, HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA

David Schwarzelmüller

Head of Digital Communications & Collaboration, HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA
Julia Herrmann
Project Manager HR Digitalisierung at REWE Group

Julia Herrmann

Project Manager HR Digitalisierung at REWE Group
Jen Draper
Managing Director at Work Networks

Jen Draper

Managing Director at Work Networks
Prof. Dr. Katharina Hölzle
Professor for Technology Management & Human Factors, IAT University of Stuttgart; Director at Fraunhofer IAO

Prof. Dr. Katharina Hölzle

Professor for Technology Management & Human Factors, IAT University of Stuttgart; Director at Fraunhofer IAO
Khaled Thaler
Managing Director at HIRSCHTEC

Khaled Thaler

Managing Director at HIRSCHTEC
Marcus Berret
Global Managing Director at Roland Berger

Marcus Berret

Global Managing Director at Roland Berger
Mairian Gildea
Senior Manager, Employee Channels, CSL

Mairian Gildea

Senior Manager, Employee Channels, CSL
Marc Pühringer
Principal Sales Consultant bei HIRSCHTEC

Marc Pühringer

Principal Sales Consultant bei HIRSCHTEC
Mareike Heidemann-Jarosch
Product Owner Frontline Information & Knowledge Value Stream Domain Corporate Functions at REWE Group

Mareike Heidemann-Jarosch

Product Owner Frontline Information & Knowledge Value Stream Domain Corporate Functions at REWE Group
Mathias Makedonski
Associate Director at the Boston Consulting Group

Mathias Makedonski

Associate Director at the Boston Consulting Group
Ralf Ludwigs
Lead HR-IT, Processmanagement & Analytics bei toom Baumarkt

Ralf Ludwigs

Lead HR-IT, Processmanagement & Analytics bei toom Baumarkt
Roman Zitzelsberger
CEO Petromanos Group

Roman Zitzelsberger

CEO Petromanos Group

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Luke Talbot
Chief Product & Technology Officer

Luke Talbot

Chief Product & Technology Officer

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Luke Talbot is Chief Product & Technology Officer for Flip. His mission is to create lovable Digital Employee Experiences, so that work is a little more fun, with a little less friction, for everyone. Luke has been delivering B2B and B2C enterprise software for over 20 years, with over 15 years leading R&D organisations in the Digital Employee Experience (DEX) space. Sometimes when he feels nostalgic he likes to remember how many CDs we used to burn, or what it felt like supporting customers with RDP over 28k modem. Luke loves building time machines, finds peace in product market fit, and fights for Product Led Growth. Solutions looking for problems make him uncomfortable.
Benedikt Brand
CEO, Co-Founder of Flip

Benedikt Brand

CEO, Co-Founder of Flip

Before founding Flip, Benedikt worked as a project manager at Porsche AG. He noticed that there was a gap in the market for a standardised, easy-to-use tool that enabled internal communication with all employees – including the deskless workforce. He was guided by one specific aim: to create an employee-focused solution that keeps employees updated digitally, lets them network with each other and the company, and is both quick to learn and easy to use.

Location

Spark Europe

Junghofstraße 16, 60311, Frankfurt am Main - View Map

A GLIMPSE AHEAD

Forward is the annual conference by Flip — your chance to hear from industry pioneers, explore how HR, Communications, and Digital leaders are transforming their workforces, and walk away with tangible strategies you can put into practice today.

Workshops & Live interactive sessions

Participate in practical workshops that offer proven approaches to modernizing communication channels, enhancing the employee experience, and supporting organization-wide transformation.

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Expert panels

Explore real-world success stories and strategies for empowering deskless teams with AI — driving more connected, informed, and engaged employee communities.

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Visionary keynotes

Hear from global visionaries as they share transformative insights on organizational AI, employee experience, and the evolving workplace — and explore what’s next for the future of work.

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Exclusive product previews

See how AI solutions are reshaping how organizations communicate, engage, and support their people — and discover where the technology is headed next.

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Awards ceremony

Join us in celebrating companies driving frontline excellence and innovation – and learn how they're doing it.

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Who shouldn't miss it

If you’re shaping the employee experience for thousands of distributed workers, this is your conference.

Designed for:

  • HR Leaders

  • Ops & Transformation Executives

  • Internal Communications Leads

  • IT & Digital Innovation Leads

Our Partners

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What is it like at Forward?

Watch a recap of the flagship Forward 2025 in Berlin below.

In 2026, we'll be going even bigger, taking over the extraordinary Horizon stage at SPARK in Frankfurt am Main.

4.8

satisfaction rate

>100

participants in 2025

95%

want to come again