Fortune Announces Return of Workplace Innovation Summit, Atlanta May 19 - 20, 2026

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Apr 14, 2026, 10:01 ET

Convening global leaders to redefine the future of work including top executives from Indeed, McKinsey & Co., PepsiCo, and WeWork

Industry leaders at Anthropic and Glean will discuss AI as workplace colleagues

Leadership and values discussion with King Center's Dr. Bernice A. King and Patagonia's Theresita Richard

Creative forces behind the hit series The Morning Show and Billions

NEW YORK, April 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Fortune announced today the return of the Workplace Innovation Summit, an exclusive, invitation-only gathering of senior executives, CHROs, technologists, and workplace visionaries. The Summit will take place May 19–20, 2026, at the St. Regis in Atlanta, Georgia.

Now in its second year, the Workplace Innovation Summit convenes leaders from Fortune 500 companies, high‑growth disruptors, and public institutions to tackle the most urgent challenges—and the biggest opportunities— shaping the modern workplace. Through two days of mainstage conversations, interactive labs, and curated peer discussions, attendees will explore bold new models for talent, culture, and leadership that drive both business performance and meaningful employee experience.

This year's program will explore how leaders can harness AI, next-generation HR technology, and forward-thinking people strategies to build resilient, high‑performing workplaces amid rapid transformation.

The 2026 Summit will be led by co-chairs Fortune Editorial Director Kristin Stoller, Senior Features Editor Indrani Sen, and Senior Writer Phil Wahba.

"Work is being reinvented in real time—by technology, by culture, and by the expectations of a new generation of employees and leaders," said Fortune's Stoller. "We're convening the people driving that change and creating bold future-of-work experiments. We will spotlight what's working, guide on how to challenge old assumptions, and help define what the next era of work will look like."

The event will kick off with the mainstage session, "Holding the Line: Leadership Under Pressure," exploring how today's leaders navigate intense expectations while staying true to their core values. Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center and Theresita Richard, Chief People and Culture Officer of Patagonia, will examine how executives can uphold their principles without sacrificing performance in high-stakes environments.

Day One will feature a dynamic conversation on the intersection of Hollywood and workplace culture, with Brian Stelter, Chief Media Analyst at CNN, whose book Top of the Morning inspired the Emmy-winning series, The Morning Show, and Denise Shull, Founder of The ReThink Group and the performance coach who inspired a character in Showtime's Billions. Together they will explore how real-world organizational dynamics shape fictional narratives and the practical lessons leaders can take back to their own high-pressure environments.

Attendees will also hear from Ryan Breslow, CEO of Bolt, who will share why he rolled back benefits like unlimited PTO and a four-day work week, and how leaders can maximize performance without sacrificing employee well-being and culture.

Later in the day, Arvind Jain, Founder and CEO at Glean, and Hannah Pritchett, CHRO at Anthropic, will discuss how top organizations are deploying AI agents not as worker replacements, but to reallocate responsibilities and surface tradeoffs in real time, fundamentally changing what it means to be productive.

The program will also include a fireside chat with Andrea Lucas, offering an inside look at the current priorities of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and what they mean for business leaders navigating today's regulatory landscape.

Additional confirmed speakers include:

Beck Bailey, Global Chief Diversity Officer, Accenture
Hayden Brown, President and CEO, Upwork
Maria Colacurcio, Chief Executive Officer, Syndio
Jeff DeGraff, Dean of Innovation, University of Michigan
Frank Giampietro, Americas Chief Wellbeing Officer, EY
Svenja Gudell, Chief Economist, Indeed
David Hassell, Chief Executive Officer, 15Five
Maggie Hulce, Chief Revenue Officer, Indeed
Sheena Iyengar, S.T. Lee Professor of Business, Columbia Business School
Anu Madgavkar, Partner, McKinsey Global Institute
James Reinhart, Co-Founder and CEO, ThredUp
Brad Rencher, Chief Executive Officer, BambooHR
Jarvis Sam, Founder and CEO, Rainbow Disruption
John Santora, Chief Executive Officer, WeWork
Becky Schmitt, Chief People Officer and Executive Vice President, PepsiCo
Davia Temin, Chief Executive Officer, Temin and Company
Dini von Mueffling, Founder, Dini von Mueffling Communications
Brooke Weddle, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
D.V. Williams, Chief People Officer, Match Group

The Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit 2026 is presented in collaboration with Indeed, Founding and Data Partner, and McKinsey & Company, Knowledge Partner.

"We're in a period of real disruption in the world of work, with AI accelerating shifts in leadership, culture, and how organizations support their people," James Whitemore, Indeed Chief Marketing Officer. "At Indeed, we're focused on connecting people to opportunity and helping employers find the right talent, and we see firsthand how quickly those needs are evolving. That's why it's so important for HR leaders to come together, share perspectives, and learn from one another. The Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit plays a valuable role in building that community, and we're proud to support it."

About Fortune:

Fortune is the premier global media company for global business leaders, built on a 96-year-old legacy of trusted, award-winning journalism. Independently owned, Fortune tells the story of business, spanning legacy companies to the world's new generation of innovators. Fortune measures corporate performance through rigorous benchmarks, and holds companies accountable, in regions around the world. Its iconic rankings include Fortune 500, Fortune Global 500, Most Powerful Women, and World's Most Admired Companies. Fortune builds world-class communities by convening industry thought leaders for exclusive summits and conferences, including the Fortune Global Forum, Fortune Brainstorm Tech, and Fortune Most Powerful Women. For more information, visit fortune.com.