Agenda
The must-attend virtual event for communications, IT, and people leaders. Join us for an enriching experience featuring industry experts and special guests. The deadline for registrations is May 10 at 5 p.m. ET.
12:00 p.m. – 12:10 p.m. ET
Welcome Address
Kick off the day with an energizing welcome from your Staffbase hosts as we set the stage to unlock human edge in the AI era. Get a preview of the program filled with executive insights, real-world case studies, and practical frameworks designed to move beyond AI hype and unlock real organizational value.
Samantha Grandinetti – Internal Communications Manager, Americas, Staffbase
Colin Sarafin – Enterprise Account Executive, Americas, Staffbase
12:10 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
Built For Everyone: Solving the Great AI Disconnect
Full session details coming soon.
Martin Böhringer – CEO, Staffbase
12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
EXperts on EXperts: Building human edge in the AI Era
This executive panel brings together the architects of change—the CIO, CHRO, and CCO—to confront the defining leadership challenge of 2026: hardcoding trust and integrity into an AI-native workplace. Join us for a cross-functional discussion on scaling Agentic AI and high-speed transformation without sacrificing the clarity, shared meaning, and connection that define the human edge.
Karen Ancira – EVP & Chief People Officer, Mattel
Matt Heinrichs – SVP of Technology, Life Time Inc.
1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. ET
VOICES Awards 2026
Great employee experience doesn't just happen—it's engineered by teams who refuse to let distance, silos, or digital noise stand in the way of excellence. The VOICES Awards 2026 celebrate the leaders crafting the communication, experience, and digital infrastructure that empower the human edge in their organizations.
Best Launch Strategy Finalists
A great launch doesn't just introduce a new platform — it earns trust and builds momentum. These finalists were strategic when launching their Staffbase solution and set the foundation for long-term success.
Best Intranet Finalists
An intranet shouldn't just store information. It should power an organization. Here we'll celebrate the finalists whose intranets are intentionally structured, thoughtfully governed, and built to deliver real value to employees every day.
Keep an eye on the stage between sessions. We'll announce more finalists, with all winners announced during the final VOICES Awards session.
Tara Walker – Sr. Director of Customer Success Americas, Staffbase
David Maffei – GM of Americas, Staffbase
1:15 p.m. – 1:35 p.m. ET
Profitable AI: Designing Digital Workplace Roadmaps for Adoption and ROI
AI ambition is easy. Enterprise grade adoption? That's hard. This session focuses on making AI real for employees by identifying role specific, high impact use cases that solve everyday friction and deliver immediate value. Learn how to design low risk pilots that scale, align executive vision with frontline workflows, and define clear success criteria to measure enterprise rollout success. We will also cover the operational backbone required to sustain adoption, from change communications to content governance, so AI becomes embedded, trusted, and actually used.
Speaker to be announced soon
1:35 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. ET
Break
1:40 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. ET
Building an AI-Ready Intranet for Every Employee with Intel, Henry Schein, John Deere, and Chevron
How do you build a digital experience that sticks in a high-speed, mobile environment? In this session, experienced digital workplace leaders from global leaders — Intel, Henry Schein, John Deere and Chevron — share the "how-to" for designing an experience hub with impact. Hear firsthand how to build strong cross-functional project committees and achieve faster time-to-value in launch. Together, we'll explore the three pillars of a modern intranet strategy: designing for the hardest-to-reach employees first, establishing the content governance required for an AI-ready foundation, and reducing digital friction across the organization.
Chris Munzing – Director, Global Internal Communications, Henry Schein
Jane McEntegart – Digital Strategy & Digital Experiences, Intel
Brett Bedard – Manager, Enterprise Content & Channel Strategy, John Deere
Shanda Matthews – Team Lead and Managing Editor, Enterprise Communications, Chevron
Jeff Corbin – Principal Strategic Advisor, Staffbase
2:10 p.m. – 2:25 p.m. ET
VOICES Awards 2026
Continuing with the VOICES Awards celebration, we introduce the finalists for two more categories: Best Use of Email and Best Frontline App.
Best Use of Email Finalists
Email isn't just another channel — it's one of the most powerful ways to reach your employees at scale. These finalists use internal email with intention, strategy, and measurable impact.
Best Frontline App Finalists
Frontline teams are the heartbeat of an organization. These finalists understand how to keep their frontline informed, empower local culture, and ensure digital experiences are friction free, driving better customer satisfaction and measurable business results.
Tara Walker – Sr. Director of Customer Success Americas, Staffbase
David Maffei – GM of Americas, Staffbase
2:25 p.m. – 2:55 p.m. ET
AI and Employee Experience in 2026: Key Shifts Reshaping the Sector
The AI conversation in employee experience has moved past 'should we?' and well into 'how do we?' But a harder question is emerging: what does this shift actually mean for the organizations, the teams, and the profession that own the employee experience? In this keynote, Staffbase Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Frank Wolf steps back from the roadmaps and playbooks to share a candid, strategic view of the key shifts defining the sector in 2026. What's actually working, what's being oversold, where the profession is headed, and what organizations need to build now to turn AI ambition into lasting employee value.
Frank Wolf – CSO and Co-founder, Staffbase
2:55 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET
Break
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET
Leading Through the AI Shift: A CHRO Conversation on Culture, Trust, and the Future of Work
While AI is transforming work, it's also fragmenting it, creating a disconnect across tools, channels, and digital agents. Join CHROs from The Magnum Ice Cream Company and other leading brands as they explore how to rebuild trust, belonging, and shared experience, from addressing FOBO (fear of becoming obsolete) to ensuring digital equity for frontline teams. They'll discuss the role of intranets as an experience anchor—unifying communication, content, and community—ensuring AI enhances rather than erodes the human experience at work.
Ronald Schellekens – CHRO, The Magnum Ice Cream Company
Eva Spatz – VP, Head of People Experience, Staffbase
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. ET
VOICES Awards 2026
To close out the awards, we'll share the exceptional finalists for our final two categories. Then, the moment you've been waiting for… We'll announce the six winners of the 2026 VOICES Awards.
Excellence in Communication Finalists
Great communications don't just inform. They guide, align, and move an organization forward. These finalists have delivered outstanding strategic communication across their channels.
Excellence in Employee Experience Finalists
Employee experience should be built for everyone—not just a select few. These finalists have intentionally designed a connected, inclusive experience across their digital ecosystem from app and intranet to email and digital signage.
And the winners of each of the six categories are… !
Tara Walker – Sr. Director of Customer Success Americas, Staffbase
David Maffei – GM of Americas, Staffbase
3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. ET
Sin Filtro: The AI Workplace Roast! IT, HR, and Comms Leaders Tell the Truth About the Future of Work
There's the AI roadmap, and then there's reality. In this fast-paced, unfiltered session, leaders from IT, HR, and Internal Communications share what really happens when AI hits the workplace. From implementations that looked great on paper but landed very differently with employees, to leadership missteps and GenAI gone wrong, nothing is off limits.
Expect candid takes on what's overhyped, what's actually working, and what's quietly breaking, plus the hard earned lessons shaping smarter, more human-centered AI experiences.
Speaker to be announced soon
4:15 p.m. – 4:25 p.m. ET
Staffbase in Action: The AI-native Employee Experience Platform for every employee
Staffbase CEO Martin Böhringer launched it—now see it in action! From AI-powered podcasts that transform how news is consumed, to personal assistants that move employees from "searching" to "resolution" in seconds. Add AI-driven content governance workflows that simplify work, and you get the latest innovations in the Staffbase Employee Experience Platform. See how these tools are driving impact for both employees and admins, closing the gap between information and action across every channel.
Laura Turner – Senior Solutions Engineer, Staffbase
4:25 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET
Closing Remarks
As we close the day, it's time to move from inspiration to action. We'll revisit the defining insights from our speakers and share what's coming next from Staffbase.
Samantha Grandinetti – Internal Communications Manager, Americas, Staffbase
Colin Sarafin – Enterprise Account Executive, Americas, Staffbase