7 Unmissable Workday Rising Las Vegas 2026 talks for HR, Finance, and IT leaders

Real stories, real transformation — what to attend if you want more from Workday.
Home · Insights · Unmissable Workday Rising San Francisco 2025 talks for HR, Finance, and IT leaders
Date posted
7 August 2025
Reading time
4 minutes

 Workday Rising 2026: The sessions you can’t miss 

With Workday Rising 2026 just around the corner, thousands of HR, finance, and IT professionals will gather in Las vegas to share, learn, and lead the next chapter of Workday transformation. This year’s agenda is packed with forward-thinking speakers from global brands and high-growth companies. From managing security risk to accelerating innovation with AI and automation, here are the can’t-miss talks for anyone who wants more from Workday.

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Creating Capacity for Innovation: How AI-Native Testing Keeps Claremont Colleges Ahead of Change

Join The Claremont Colleges and Kainos to discover how AI-powered testing is helping teams stay ahead of continuous Workday change. Learn how Kainos Smart Test enables organisations to identify risk, automate testing activities and reduce manual effort, freeing up valuable time to focus on innovation and strategic initiatives. You'll also gain insight into how AI and intelligent agents are shaping thefuture of Workday testing and release readiness.


Naomi Boyd, Chief Customer Officer, Kainos
Amy Harrell, Director of Workday Support, The Claremont Colleges

More in Workday. More at Stake. Can Your Controls Keep Up?

 
As Workday becomes the operational backbone for HR, finance and AI-driven processes, organisations face growing challenges around access, change management and data protection. Join Kainos and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta to learn how effective controls can help organisations scale confidently, safeguard sensitive data and maintain governance as their Workday environment evolves.
 
Emer Rooney, Principal Product Manager, Kainos
Amanda Monrad, Product Manager, Kainos
Danielle Grimes, Senior Workday Financial Administrator, Federal Home Loan Bank
 

The Employee Record Your AI Agents Need: How Thermo Fisher Built the Foundation First

As organisations embrace AI agents, many HR teams are discovering that fragmented employee data and documents create significant barriers to success. Join Kainos and Thermo Fisher Scientific to learn how establishing a single, governed employee record in Workday can reduce manual effort, strengthen global compliance, and provide the trusted data foundation needed to scale AI with confidence.
 
Hallie Thompson, Senior HR Project Consultant, Thermo Fisher Scientific  Kim Freestone, Product Principal, Kainos

 

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How to Move Fast and Scale Safely with AI

AI agents and copilots are creating new opportunities across HR, finance and operations, but knowing where to begin can be a challenge. In this session, Kainos shares a proven framework for identifying high-value AI use cases, building secure and scalable solutions, and turning AI ambition into measurable business outcomes. Join Phill Pearson as he explores practical lessons from real-world deployments and offersguidance on maximising the value of your AI and Workday investments.
 
Phill Pearson, VP, CoE Al, Kainos

Buy, Build, or Connect: Governing the Agent Ecosystem for HR

AI adoption isn't one-size-fits-all. As organisations evaluate AI agents from Workday, partners and custom-built solutions, finding the right balance between innovation, cost, security and control is critical. Join Workday and Kainos for an interactive discussion on how to make informed build, buy and connect decisions, and learn how a unified approach to agent governance can help securely manage both nativeand third-party AI agents across your organisation.
 
Scott Erickson, Product Marketing Manager, Workday
Thor Nicolas, Workday Extend Senior Director, Kainos

Master EU Pay Transparency with Workday Compensation and Workday Pay Transparency Analyzer      

With the EU Pay Transparency Directive in effect, annual snapshots are a compliance liability. Go beyond manual checks to see how the Workday Pay Transparency Analyzer powered by Kainos turns complex data into clear strategy. Discover how embedding regression analytics securely inside Workday helps you understand pay gaps, handle information requests, and confidently defend pay equity.

Alison Dhont, Sr, Product Marketing Manager, Workday
Daisy Igbokwe, Product Marketing Manager, Workday
Neil Fromow, Principal Soultion Consultant, Workday
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From Fragmentation to Fluidity: A Marketing Firm's Global PSA Transformation

Discover how Daniel J Edelman transformed its global professional services operations with Workday PSA. Facing fragmented processes, limited financial visibility and manual effort across 33 countries, DJE partnered with Kainos to standardise service delivery while supporting local requirements. Learn how automated intercompany billing and granular revenue allocations improved forecasting,streamlined operations and enabled more confident decision-making.
 
Alison Natali, Industry Director, Professional Services Solution Marketing, Workday
Stephen Farmer, Workday PSA Director, Kainos
Kristin Fronczak, Global Financial Shared Services Lead, Daniel J Edelman

 

 

Why these talks matter

These sessions share powerful stories of transformation, real Workday customers solving real challenges across security, testing, compliance, and automation. Whether you're launching Workday or scaling globally, these sessions offer the playbook for success. Don’t miss your chance to learn from the best and bring home ideas that work.

Don’t miss out. Check the Workday Rising session catalogue to reserve your spot.

See the full session catalogue here