AmCham Slovakia

The Future of Work Conference 1/3

The Future of Work Conference 2/3

The Future of Work Conference 3/3

Welcome to the Talent Day at the Festival of Future! 

This day is about delving into the evolving job landscapes, technological advancements, and workplace dynamics. As technology continues to evolve, organizations and individuals must stay agile and prepare for these shifts. Digital transformation is critical, with companies designing adaptive and digitally fluent organizations. 

Slovakia’s economy relies on business centers as a significant industry, preserving employment levels and adhering to commitments. The industry needs more substantial support from the government and local municipalities to climb the value-added ladder. Continuous adaptation to digital transformation, global economic challenges, ESG standards, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion demonstrate the sector's resilience and innovation. These developments position the business services sector in Slovakia for another decade of sustainable success and growth in the global competitive environment. 

AmCham´s Business Service Center Forum (BSCF) represents the business service industry in Slovakia with almost 40,000 employees from various services across the country. Join over 200 BSCF community members at this flagship event, get inspired by world-class speakers, learn about the latest developments, and reconnect with fellow business leaders. On the occasion of this double anniversary, celebrating the jubilee 10th annual AmCham BSCF conference and AmCham's 30th anniversary, in light of megatrends, let’s shape the future together! 

TENTATIVE AGENDA

08:30 - REGISTRATION AND NETWORKING / CONNECTING MINDS, FORGING FUTURES

09:00 – OPENING OF THE TALENT DAY (SK)

09:15 – THE FUTURE OF WORK IN THE AGE OF AI / EXPERT VISIONARY TALK (EN)

While some fear AI and robots will replace all human work, the reality is more nuanced. As automation and AI become integral to our jobs, the skills we need will evolve. Two globally renowned experts will share their visions on the essential skills for future workplaces and discovering how AI will transform how we work.

09:45 – OVERVIEW OF THE BSC SECTOR IN SLOVAKIA IN 2024 / KEY BSCF DATA FINDINGS (EN)

AmCham´s BSCF represents the business service industry in Slovakia with almost 40,000 employees from various services across the country. Marek Chudík, AmCham BSCF Chair, will exclusively unveil the most up-do-date data about the sector, provide you with insights behind the critical figures and walk you through the key findings of our regular annual BSCF survey.

10:00 – GOVERNMENT TALKS – FUTURE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT FOR SHARED SERVICES / FIRESIDE CHAT (SK)

Ivan Tomko, AmCham BSCF Vice-Chair, together with his esteemed guests, will seek answers to hot issues regarding the investment climate in Slovakia, depicting the future of business environment for shared services in Slovakia in the next years to come. Stay tuned also for the fireside chat on the current state of the economic diplomacy and the international cooperation.

10:30 – IS TECHNOLOGY ENOUGH FOR P2P SUCCESS? A MODEST LOOK AT THE RISE OF AI & MACHINE LEARNING / KEYNOTE PRESENTATION (EN)

While RPA is process-driven and focuses on mimicking repetitive actions, AI uses data to imitate human intelligence. AI combines automation with machine learning, analysis, and other technologies to offer insights and analytics and apply and advance learnings over time. A derivative of AI-powered insights, predictive analytics analyses patterns from transactional information, and anticipates potential outcomes. This ability helps management to be more proactive about decision-making, as well as boost efficiency. Oscar Reitsma asks whether technology is really enough for your P2P success?

11:00 – COFFEE BREAK

11:30 – BSCF AWARDS CEREMONY (SK)

11:40 – GBS, SHARED SERVICES AND BPO PREDICTIONS FOR 2025 / KEYNOTE PRESENTATION (EN)

Success in GBS world is the ability to adapt and adjust! Good news is that some strategies and ideas have not changed that much over the time. Bad news is that our industry is constantly changing. Romek Lubaczewski foresees some big changes that leaders of business centers need to consider, digest, think through and maybe also prepare for in the year to come.

12:10 – GLOBAL BUSINESS SERVICES 3.0 – WHAT DOES DATA TELL US ABOUT THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS CENTERS? / DATA PRESENTATION (EN)

The global business services sector is undergoing a transformation. With increased demands for skilled employees, many companies are facing shortages. How to attract and retain the right talent and how to prepare the workforce for the changing and increasingly digitalized work environment?

12:35 – WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE RE-LOAD / KEYNOTE PRESENTATION (EN)

Business centers have demonstrated unprecedented resilience and flexibility adapting to the quintessential changes in the international business environment and local societies. Arjen Sader will guide us through the ever-changing global landscape as the next-generation shared services organizations are business partners that improve customer experiences, accelerate digital transformation, and deliver more value-added activities. But identifying the right opportunities isn’t easy – and challenges are inevitable as roadmaps to a new era are drawn.

13:00 – LABOR MARKET OF THE FUTURE – WHAT IS THE STAKE OF THE YOUNG GENERATION? / YOUTH PANEL DISCUSSION (SK)

The Future of Work Conference will be tapped by no one else, but the young generation! What is their stake and how they perceive the upcoming changes on the labor market? How do they envision the way they´d be working in the years to come and what does AI bring to their own lives? Three inspiring young people, three stories, three visions moderated by Lucia Gröneová, AmCham BSCF Vice-Chair. 

13:30 - NETWORKING AND LUNCH AT WERK RESTAURANT

The Future of Work Conference will be moderated by: 

Translation will be provided by Glocco.

As we anticipate the new set of BSCF data to be published during the conference, enjoy last year´s BSCF 2023 Data Presentation in the meantime:

SPEAKERS BIOs (in alphabetical order)

IAN BIRD - Ian Bird is an Executive Partner and Global Leader for Talent & Skills Transformation within IBM Consulting. He works with clients around the world helping them to re-think, re-imagine and transform their workforce, understand what skills they have today, what skills they need for the future, and how to close the gap by harnessing Generative AI, Automation, Talent Technology and innovative strategies and solutions. Ian brings significant experience in designing the Future of Work, building skills enabled workforce capabilities, implementing global talent and people technologies, and transforming learning and skills through large scale digital transformation programs. He has over 25 years of experience in Talent, workforce and skills transformation, Talent Development, Learning and Consulting across multiple industries. Ian has held Executive roles at IBM, EY, WPP, and PwC. Based in the UK, Ian is passionate about helping leaders and employees embrace new behaviors and a mindset of growth, innovation and inclusive leadership.

RASTISLAV CHOVANEC - Rastislav has assumed his duties as the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic on the 3rd November 2023. His primary focus in this role is to foster economic diplomacy of Slovakia at international markets and support Slovak companies in their expansion. He brings almost 20 years of experience in both public and private tenures, holding various governmental positions, including adviser to the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic on investment and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic from 2014 until 2020. Prior to his current position, Rastislav served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Vlci Žilina, a.s.

MAREK CHUDÍK - Marek Chudík is the Vice President of IBM Accounting Operations and Systems. Based in Bratislava, Slovakia, he oversees global accounting operations and accounting systems organizations with 1350 employees and annual budget $70M, across 25 countries. His main responsibilities include long-term strategy creation, implementation, and execution as well as leadership and organizational design. Prior to his current position, he served as the leader of the Bratislava site for 10 years with deep knowledge of local Slovakia environment and specifics. Since February 2024, Marek has been leading AmCham Business Service Center Forum (BSCF) in Slovakia, the umbrella association of business centers in the country covering almost 40k high skilled employees.

ROMEK LUBACZEWSKI - Romek Lubaczewski was the Shared Service Centre and Outsourcing Consulting lead for PwC Central and Eastern Europe, with nearly 30 years of experience in the field. He has led over 200 projects and opened more than 50 Service Centres worldwide. As a core member of PwC’s Global SS&O team, he also established 5 internal centres for PwC. Before his consulting career, Romek served as a Finance Director, COO, and BPO Hub General Manager. In 2023, he retired from consulting to become a "relaxing professional."

OSCAR REITSMA - Oscar Reitsma, Business Director at Transparent, brings over 15 years of expertise in optimizing procure-to-pay (P2P) processes for industry leaders like IKEA, Henkel, Volvo, and FrieslandCampina. His extensive experience has provided him with deep insights into designing efficient and error-free P2P operations. Oscar's keynote addresses the critical balance between technology automation and human intervention in financial Shared Service Centers (SSCs). He explores practical examples of technology's limitations and strategies to mitigate them, drawing from real-world SSC leadership experiences. Join Oscar as he shares impactful stories and strategies for achieving P2P success through a blend of technology and human-centered approaches.

HANA ŠEDIVOVÁ - Hana will be a fresher at the Comenius University in Bratislava with previous study experience at one of the best grammar schools in Slovakia, Gymnázium Jána Hollého in Trnava. She became a member of a school journal in the first year, later the editor-in-chief. Using the experience, she took part in international competitions of creating creative study materials, as a team leader. Along her studies she took part in a program for high school students, DASATO, and year later Hana became part of VEDA V KOCKE team, an edutainment project in which she focuses on the physics problems and their explanation to the public. This year she did her final exams in math and physics and has started her own project ,,Hriankine príručky" dedicated to explaining compulsory literature to peers and high school students. Currently, she is preparing for her physics course at university and she's trying to make her business running.

ROBERT ŠIMONČIČ - Robert Šimončič has over 30 years of professional experience in the U.S. and Slovakia. He headed the Slovak branch of Microsoft and in April 2004 he was awarded the prestigious award IT Personality of the Year 2004 in Slovakia. Prior to joining Microsoft Slovakia, he worked in the field of management consulting, first with PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Principal Consultant and later with IBM as the Senior Manager of the Business Innovation Services Division in the U.S. His primary field in business consultancy was the development of company strategies and government organizations. He was the President of the Board of Directors of AmCham Slovakia and the Chairman of the Board for the American Chambers of Commerce (European Council of American Chambers of Commerce – ECACC). Since December 2010 he is the CEO of SARIO.