No matter the industry or level of seniority, the next 10 years will be the most disorienting in a leader’s career. They could also become the most impactful.
Dr Sandra Peter and Dr Kai Riemer are Co-Directors of Sydney Executive Plus and professors at the University of Sydney. When they aren’t busy wading through data and dashing through airports, they’re speaking with heads of government and head chefs about leading through disruption, they’re upskilling thousands of Australian leaders across 20+ industries and the government in cutting-edge tech, and they’re sharing their insights on the future of work with adoring audiences in boardrooms, ballrooms, and opera houses around the world.
Businesses. Governments. Education and defence departments. Sandra’s led strategic initiatives and collaborated on executive programs with a variety of high-profile organisations. Her research expertise is in strategic foresight and the transformative influence of emerging technologies, with a focus on AI. And she’s explored those areas in numerous media formats: as a published author in high-impact journals, in regular commentary and interviews in national and international media, and as the co-host of influential business and technology podcasts.
Kai's expertise spans the fields of artificial intelligence, disruption, emerging technologies, the future of work and the philosophy of technology. He boasts an impressive track record of industry-funded research, high-impact projects, and publications in esteemed journals. He’s founded and led research groups and labs from disruption to digital humans. Kai consults, podcasts about, and is frequently asked to comment on nuanced matters of tech and the future.
Together, Sandra and Kai uncover and unpack the challenges and opportunities of the ever-evolving business landscape. Their dynamic presentations cover productive engagement with the future and understanding the profound impact of emerging technologies, such as AI, on both business and society. They co-lead the Skills Horizon, an annual, global initiative that focuses on the future of tech, work, and skills in this decade of disorientation. The Skills Horizon explores everything leaders need to know next and features wisdom and insights drawn from conversations with 150+ executives and leaders about our changing world.
Be it in boardrooms or auditoriums, online or IRL, Sandra and Kai captivate audiences in two ways. First, by providing insights on topics of immediate relevance: the business potential of AI, AI and the future of work, the dark side of AI, the trust economy, digital disruption, strategic foresight, and future trends. Second, but just as important, is their chemistry and delivery. Sandra and Kai’s combined extensive knowledge comes to life via an entertaining and accessible style—together, they make even the most complex concepts simple, tangible, and useful.
Talking Points
AI beyond the hype: transforming business and work
Artificial intelligence has moved beyond the hype. It touches everything. It’s transforming everything. And it continues moving rapidly. You’ll learn how AI is being practically applied across different sectors, unlocking new capabilities and raising new questions. You’ll also gain an informed perspective on AI’s current capabilities and limitations, from the profound impacts on jobs and skills demands to how organisations can responsibly steer emerging technologies to benefit business and society. You’ll get insights from experts who connect cutting-edge research with real-world business and work, and who believe insight can be entertaining (let’s call it insightainment). Oh, and you’ll also discover what cats have to do with all of this.AI beyond the hype: transforming business and work
Key Takeaways:
Audiences walk away with practical AI knowledge tailored to their business context and a broader cross-industry understanding, realistic expectations of AI capabilities, an appreciation of AI’s impacts on the workforce, and principles for deploying AI responsibly. This can inform their AI adoption strategy and investments.
Generative AI: transforming work & society
Generative AI (gen AI) is at the top of the hype cycle. Rightfully so, since it promises to fundamentally change how businesses operate and how society functions. It might not be coming for your job, but it’s definitely coming for your job description. You’ll learn how gen AI is practically applied across different sectors, unlocking new capabilities and raising new questions. You’ll be given a guided intellectual tour of the ACE model (assist-create-explore), gen AI’s current abilities and limitations, its profound impacts on jobs and skills demands, and the new ethical challenges it raises. And you’ll understand potential resistance from stakeholders, along with what’s next for gen AI. You’ll get insights from experts who connect cutting-edge research with real-world business and work, and who believe insight can be entertaining (let’s call it insightainment). Oh, and you’ll also discover what cats have to do with all of this.Generative AI: transforming work & society
Key Takeaways:
Audiences will walk away with a nuanced perspective on what gen AI can do today, its potential impacts on work, and key issues around responsible deployment. This can inform their generative AI pilot projects, change management strategies, job redesign, and governance policies. It equips them to be strategic leaders in navigating the opportunities and challenges of this emerging technology.
What Leaders & Executives Need to Know Next: Big Provocations, Messy Shifts, and Future Skills
We’re in a decade of disorientation. From AI anxieties to declining trust, how will you, as a leader, make sense of the mess? What Leaders & Executives Need to Know Next: Big Provocations, Messy Shifts, and Future Skills
It’s simple: you need to be more provocative.
In the session—based on The 2027 Skills Horizon report—we’ll explore everything leaders need to know next. We’ll do so with a series of Provocations—about areas like tech, work, and values—that will challenge you to think differently about the future. As we move through the Provocations, we’ll cover how the world is changing in messy shifts, the new skills you need to learn, and the old things you need to unlearn. We’ll also share wisdom and practical insight drawn from conversations with hundreds of leaders, from prime ministers (including a sitting one!) to global CEOs.
We will, in short, help you stay ready for anything. So prepare yourself for the most productively provocative upskilling session you’ve ever experienced.
Key Takeaways:
Audiences leave with an understanding of the new skills you need to learn (and what you need to unlearn), the emerging risks and new opportunities for themselves and their organisation, the big things they need to think through right now, and insights from prominent leaders on how the world is changing.
The Skills Horizon is the audience’s dynamic guide to navigating what lies ahead, through learning and upskilling. It will provide you with a strategic lens for prioritising and planning your development and leadership trajectory—along with those of the people in your organisation.
Video
You and AI: An evolving relationship | Sandra Peter & Kai Riemer | TEDxSydney Salon
We all have a relationship with Artificial Intelligence. It touches every aspect of our personal and professional lives, from how we communicate to how we create. In this talk, academics Kai Riemer and Sandra Peter detail how AI was born, the current state of play, and how your relationship with it will change in the future. Dr Sandra Peter leads executive and leadership development in cutting-edge areas of business, technology, and society. As an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney Business School and Co-Director of Sydney Executive Plus (SE+), Sandra spends her time thinking about the future, researching the future, consulting on the future, and speaking about the future. Alongside Dr Kai Riemer, she heads Sydney Executive Plus (SE+), which focuses on preparing leaders for what comes next. So far, SE+ has helped upskill executives and leaders across 20+ industries in areas ranging from AI Fluency to Geopolitics and Business to Net Zero. Her research focuses on engaging with the future in productive ways and the impact of emerging technologies (including AI) on business and society. Most recently, she co-authored The 2025 Skills Horizon, a new, annual, global initiative that brings these focuses together. It explores what leaders need to know next and features insights from conversations with dozens of executives and leaders—from heads of government to head chefs—about our changing world. Previously, she has led strategic initiatives and worked on executive programs with business, research organisations, Government and Defence. Sandra has published in leading business journals and worked on an array of educational research initiatives and programs, including with UNESCO and the Department of Education. On the media front, she regularly contributes commentary, interviews, and research to national and international media. She has spoken around the world and been told that she should do stand-up. Be warned: some of her presentations may contain AI-generateSkills Horizon 2026: Clashes | Dr Sandra Peter & Dr Kai Reimer
New skills you'll need to succeed in the post-Al age | Dr Sandra Peter & Dr Kai Reimer
Sandra and Kai were fantastic - engaging, funny and knowledgeable. All our delegates were raving about their presentation. Thank you to them both. ... keep reading Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand
This is an incredible opportunity to hear world-renowned experts talk about a topic in a way that makes it easy to grasp, that keeps you engaged and provides some very wise and practical advice.
