UNLEASH 2026 Hits Record Growth in Paris as AI Triggers Major Investments in Work and HR

Google Cloud, ServiceNow, and Personio anchor a record ten headline sponsors for the flagship HR tech summit ahead of its massive 2027 venue expansion.

LONDON, Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- UNLEASH, the world's number one marketplace for Future of Work, HR and technology, will host an unprecedented 8,500 global leaders from 140 countries at the Paris Convention Centre on 20–22 October.

Google Cloud completes the headline line-up alongside Docebo, Eightfold, Personio, Phenom, Radancy, SAP SuccessFactors, ServiceNow, Workday and Workhuman. ServiceNow and Personio are among the new headliners making major investments in their UNLEASH partnerships.

The milestone edition comes ahead of UNLEASH's graduation to Pavilion 1 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in October 2027. The venue's largest hall will become the new home of the Paris flagship.

"In 2012, we were first to bring a live demo of IBM Watson to our stage because we knew AI would change the future of work," said Marc Coleman, Founder and CEO of UNLEASH. "Today, the stakes are much higher. The question is no longer if AI matters, but which technologies deserve capital, how work design must change, and how leaders turn algorithms into tangible business value. The extraordinary commitment from our ten headline partners proves that UNLEASH is where those high-stakes decisions are made."

Better business decisions about people and AI

Across the programme, the central question is how leaders make better business decisions about people, AI and the organisation they need to build. Turning technological capability into business value depends on investment choices, work design, human judgement and leadership alignment.

L'Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus and CHRO Jean-Claude Le Grand take the stage together. For leadership teams, these sessions connect workforce decisions with finance, technology and business transformation.

"The organisations that outperform in an AI-driven world won't necessarily have the best technology, they'll make better decisions, faster," writes neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff in her session abstract.

Partnerships taking Paris beyond the show floor

Workhuman Forum returns by popular demand on 20 October. UNLEASH thanks Eric Mosley and the Workhuman team for everything they bring to the partnership. Strategic partner The Josh Bersin Company brings nearly its entire leadership team to Paris, with Bersin's exclusive 22 October morning keynote setting out what comes next and where HR should place its bets through 2030.

Explorer badge holders can enjoy UNLEASH's programmed expeditions and dinners at Paris headquarters of leading employers including Thales, Schneider Electric, L'Oréal and AXA.

UNLEASH 100 brings industry leaders together

The invitation-only gathering of CEOs, founders and presidents from leading and breakthrough vendors focuses on two conversations: The SaaS Apocalypse: Who has actually been replaced? and Build Buy Partner. Thomas Otter and Josh Bersin join the respective discussions on the choices leadership teams face through 2030.

Following SAP's 6 October announcement of its agreement to acquire TechWolf, SAP leaders and TechWolf Co-Founder and CEO Andreas De Neve will join UNLEASH 100, bringing an immediate perspective on the deals and partnerships reshaping the industry.

Five startups competing on the global stage

New emcee Audrey Handem will lead the UNLEASH Startup Award, supported by Playroll, on 21 October. Finalists Mendo, Pack, Cascade AI, MuchSkills and Coachello will pitch to judges including Drake Star Managing Partner Ralf Philipp Hofmann, board adviser and investor Amanda Nolen, and investors from Brighteye Ventures and Clover VC.

Next stop Miami with eight headline sponsors

UNLEASH 2027 launches at Miami Beach Convention Centre on 13-15 April, following more than two years of planning. The move opens significant East Coast and Midwest opportunities to serve UNLEASH's core Fortune 500 audience with a new, more practical experience.

The United States has always been the ultimate proving ground for bold ideas and we are accelerating into that future at hyper-velocity. A record eight market leaders have already signed on to anchor our expansion and redefine what is possible in the American market: Achievers, Alex AI, Checkr, Ema, Deloitte, Eightfold, Greenhouse, and SAP. This massive surge of early momentum instantly positions our upcoming Miami event to match the scale, prestige, and global impact of our Paris flagship.

Early speakers include Amy Webb, Sol Rashidi, Peter Hinssen, alongside Lorraine Stomski (Walmart), Nathalie D'Hers (Microsoft), Bei Ling (Wells Fargo), Ryan Craig (Elevance Health), Jacqueline Arthur (Goldman Sachs), Adam Holton (GE HealthCare), Jennifer Galbraith (Mastercard) and Caroline Heller (BlackRock).

Registration, programme information and media accreditation enquiries: www.unleash.ai

About UNLEASH

UNLEASH is WHERE THE HR WORLD MEETS. Its events and media connect senior HR and business leaders with the evidence, peers and partners to make better decisions about the future of work.

Media contact: Tilly Wren, Email: [email protected]