SHRM UnConference26 – “A Different Blockbuster of Work”

SHRM India’s first participant-led gathering · Reinventing Talent & Tech
Organised by SHRM India · Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), Novotel, Hyderabad · 15–16 July 2026

What the event is about

SHRM UnConference26 is SHRM India’s first participant-led event, built to break away from the slide-deck-and-stage template of a traditional HR conference. Rather than an agenda handed down from the front of the room, the format is designed to be shaped by the people attending — with ideas surfaced, challenged, tested and carried forward through conversation. The guiding idea is deliberately simple: learning without rigid formats, and dialogue without constraints.

Over two days in Hyderabad, the gathering brings HR and business leaders together with entrepreneurs, educators, creators, wellness practitioners and changemakers to explore leadership, talent strategy, workplace culture, employee wellbeing, learning, innovation, and the shifting relationship between people and technology. A distinctive thread runs through the programme: HR concepts examined through unexpected lenses — art, music, design, storytelling, perfumery and neuroscience among them.

By the numbers

How it works — the signature formats

The programme is organised around a “less presentation, more participation” philosophy, delivered through a set of unconventional formats:

• Knowledge Accelerators (“Story” panels) — themed, debate-style panels, such as The Modern Cockpit Story (rethinking entry-level talent in an AI-augmented workplace), The Iceberg Story (the workforce nobody talks about), The Maze Story: Tame the Data Dragon (turning people-analytics abundance into decision clarity), and The Formula 1 Story (why high performance is a team sport).
• Hot Seats & Impact Addresses — short, candid spotlight talks on single provocations (work hours vs productivity, going independent, legacy as a KPI).
• Lighthouse Talks — HR ideas explored through experiential, cross-disciplinary framing: recognition through perfumery, workplace productivity through corporate Vastu, leadership presence through calligraphy.
• Unconventional Workshops — hands-on sessions on tiny habits, business storytelling, responsible leadership, attention and presence, and AI-enabled stress detection.
• SHRM Coach-Date — a first-come, first-served speed-coaching lounge open to all delegates.
• Expo networking + live music — Day 1 closes with the UnConference anthem, a live concert by Threeory (the band behind the score for the film Animal), plus a happy hour in the expo zone.

Featured voices (a selection)

The line-up of “Change Makers” spans business, sport, film and social impact. Among them:

• Achal Khanna — CEO, SHRM APAC & MENA
• Shiv Shivakumar — Operating Partner, Advent Private Equity; Chair, SHRM India Conferences & Council
• Krishnamachari Srikkanth — Former Captain, Indian Cricket Team
• G V Prasad — Co-Chairman & Managing Director, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories
• Pavitra Singh — CHRO & VP, PepsiCo India & South Asia
• Tarun N P Varma — Global CHRO & Sustainability Officer, Tata Consumer Products
• Kalki Koechlin — Actor, Writer & Activist
• Prasiddhi Singh — Gen Alpha climate leader, social entrepreneur and author
• Pranjal Sharma — Board advisor and author, India Innovates
• Raj Nayak — Founder & Managing Director, House of Cheer Networks

…alongside 80+ CHROs, people leaders and specialists from across industries.

Agenda snapshot

Day 1 — Wednesday, 15 July Opening and welcome (Achal Khanna); an unscripted celebrity-in-focus conversation with Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Shiv Shivakumar; Knowledge Accelerators on AI-era entry-level talent and the “invisible” workforce; a Hot Seat on work duration versus productivity; Lighthouse Talks and workshops through the afternoon; closing with the UnConference anthem — a live Threeory concert and happy hour in the expo.

Day 2 — Thursday, 16 July An Inner Game curtain-raiser; Shadow a Leader with Pavitra Singh; The Maze Story on turning data into decisions with Shilpa Kabra Maheshwari (Group CHRO, Amara Raja Group); The Formula 1 Story on team-based high performance with Tarun N P Varma; impact addresses including a Gen Alpha view from Prasiddhi Singh; a point-counterpoint on career-hopping (“5 jobs in 10 years: chaos or career capital?”); and a closing conversation, Beyond Labels, with Kalki Koechlin and Raj Nayak.

Registration & pricing

• Full Conference Pass — Members ₹14,500; Non-members ₹18,500 (regular pricing; 18% GST applicable; USD pricing available).
• Workshops — ₹3,500 + taxes each, minimum 1 and maximum 4, in addition to the conference pass.
• Register: https://www.shrmconference.org/Unconference/

Why it matters — coverage angles

The format itself is the headline: this is SHRM India’s first participant-led “unconference,” a deliberate move away from passive, presentation-heavy events toward experiential, dialogue-driven learning. That makes it a strong vantage point on several live debates — AI in hiring and talent assessment, people analytics maturity, employee wellbeing, and how leadership development is evolving. The cross-disciplinary cast (a cricketing great, a film actor, wellness founders, a Gen Alpha activist) offers colour beyond the usual HR-conference reporting, and Hyderabad’s HICC venue anchors it as a marquee South India business gathering.

Reporter’s playbook — coverage notes

Note the scale. 800+ leaders, 100+ CXOs and 50+ partners frame it as a significant South India HR event.

Lead with the format. “Less presentation, more participation” is the differentiator; capture how the room actually behaves versus a standard conference.

Sit in the Story panels. The Knowledge Accelerators (Cockpit, Iceberg, Maze, Formula 1) package the sharpest debates on AI, analytics and team performance.

Work the Lighthouse Talks for angles. Recognition-via-perfumery or productivity-via-Vastu are unusual hooks that travel well in features.

Interview across disciplines. A mix of CHROs, founders and the non-HR headliners gives a broad, three-dimensional read.

Cover the close. The Threeory concert and the “Beyond Labels” finale with Kalki Koechlin are natural colour and photo moments.