Degreed Unveils Full Speaker Line-Up for LENS 2026, Spotlighting AI, Skills and the Future of Work

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Degreed, the leading AI-powered learning system for enterprise workforce transformation, today announced the full roster of speakers for LENS 2026, its flagship learning and talent conference taking place March 3-4, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. The event will bring together senior HR, learning, and talent leaders to explore how organizations can harness AI, skills-centric strategies, and smarter work practices to drive performance without sacrificing people or innovation.

LENS 2026 will tackle the growing tension that organizations face as AI adoption accelerates while workforce productivity and engagement lag. The conference will examine what it takes to turn AI from a novelty into a measurable performance driver, without eroding trust, capability, or culture.

Sessions will focus on closing persistent capability gaps, rethinking valuable business outcomes, and equipping employees to work productively alongside AI. LENS will offer practical guidance on how skills intelligence, personalization, and AI sentiment can help organizations deliver results in a constrained and rapidly shifting labor market.

The confirmed speaker lineup features a mix of industry veterans, business transformation leaders, and Degreed executives. Key voices slated to present include:

• Sol Rashidi, C-Suite leader and the world’s first Chief AI Officer;
• Whitney Johnson, CEO of Disruption Advisors, Best Selling Author;
• Aadesh Goyal, Former Global CHRO, Tata Communications;
• Anna Gosteva, Product Owner - Learning & Employee Engagement, Pernod Ricard;
• Chris Harry, Chief Talent and Learning Officer, TEKsystems;
• Ingrid Urman, Global L&D Director, Tenaris;
• Jennifer Sutherland, Global Head of Learning Enablement, ZS;
• Jim Hemgen, Talent Development Director, Booz Allen Hamilton;
• Lisa Christensen, Director, Design and Innovation - Talent Development, McKinsey & Company;
• Louis Bosche, Head of HR Tech, Pernod Ricard;
• Matt Sigelman, President, Burning Glass Institute;
• Phil Rhodes, Chief Learning Officer, Phillips 66;
• Rino Skarpnord, Global Head of People Development & Learning, Yara International;
• Stefanie Kuehn, Senior Program Manager, Organizational Development, TEKsystems.

The agenda will also feature Degreed’s senior leadership and in-house experts, who will outline the company’s latest thinking on skills, AI, and workforce transformation. Sessions led by Degreed executives will explore how organizations can operationalize skills at scale, apply AI responsibly across the talent lifecycle, and connect learning, workforce planning, and business outcomes. They will also share product innovations, customer insights, and practical frameworks for building adaptive, future-ready workforces, with a focus on productivity, personalization, and measurable impact.

“AI alone won’t fix productivity challenges,” said David Blake, CEO of Degreed. “LENS 2026 will focus on how organizations can combine AI, skills intelligence, and learning to unlock human capability at scale, and turn disruption into durable advantage.”

Registration for LENS 2026 is open now. For full details and speaker bios, visit the official event site: events.degreed.com/LENS2026

About Degreed

Degreed is the leading AI-powered learning system for enterprise workforce transformation. With conversational, AI-native learning experiences, adaptive content, cohort academies, and dynamic pathways, you can hyper-personalize development for future roles and enable your workforce to adapt to the next big change. Learn more at www.degreed.com.