Unleash your human edge for better business in an AI world.
Dr. Sean Gallagher is the founder of Humanova and one of Australia’s leading experts on the future of work. He focuses on how technology transforms how work gets done, and how to accelerate human capability to drive value creation for organisations. He led the Centre for the New Workforce at Swinburne University for six years.
With a natural ability to guide leaders through uncertainty, he empowers them to recognise the solution starts with leadership. Through tailored, evidence-informed engagements with clients, he simplifies complexity and helps them determine direction.
Sean has leading expertise of generative AI, leading the first research on the impact of GenAI on knowledge work in Australia with partners Deloitte. “GenAI & the Future of Human Work” will be published shortly. He developed the first short course on GenAI with a focus on business productivity and has worked with companies and government agencies on the integration of GenAI.
Sean has supported thousands of leaders spanning both private and public sectors and has led engagements with dozens of organisations, including Westpac, Spirit Super, ANZ, Mirvac, the Victoria Department of Transport, Regional Development Australia, QBE and AMP.
His future of work research has been published by Mirvac and WORKTECH Academy, endorsed by APEC, Richard Branson, cited by the Fair Work Commission, and shaped federal legislation (Secure Jobs, Better Pay 2022) and Victorian government policy on the gig economy. He is a member of AHRI’s Future of Work Advisory Panel and the Australian Cobotics Centre in the human-robot workforce program.
He has a PhD in chemistry, for which he was awarded the RACI Cornforth Medal for the best chemistry or chemistry-related PhD in Australia.
Talking Points
GenAI will change the business you are in.
Elon Musk refers to AI as “the most disruptive force in history”. The IMF predicts as much as 60% of knowledge worker jobs could be significantly impacted by AI. The Tech Council of Australia forecasts GenAI could contribute $115 billion annually to Australia's economy by 2030. Leading research by Dr Gallagher of Humanova shows, however, that less than one in five Australian organisations are ready to implement GenAI.GenAI will change the business you are in.
Despite countless headlines around ChatGPT and GenAI, there’s still widespread misunderstanding about what this technology is and what it will mean to businesses everywhere. Unlike any previous business technology which automates and replaces workers, GenAI makes humans smarter and allows them to do better work.
And unlike any other technology; there is no instruction manual for GenAI. Sean will explain how proficiency can be developed across your workforce, how to mitigate risk, why you need to think differently about this technology and why you need to embrace it.
To ensure you reap the power of this technology, Dr Gallagher will lead you through GenAI use cases in industry from around the world, plus case studies from his own work.
Through the latest research and insights from industry, Dr Gallagher will guide you on a journey to understand how GenAI will change the work you do...and the business you’re in. You will be led into a future of unexpected possibilities.
Who is this for: Business leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, HR and people leaders, SME leaders, and anyone keen to understand this transformation.
Leading in hybrid is more than solving logistics
The battle lines have been drawn in hybrid work. Employers want a full return to office, employees want to continue working from home. It doesn’t and shouldn’t have to be this way. Dr Gallagher will show that hybrid work:Leading in hybrid is more than solving logistics
- Makes employees happier
- Improves productivity
- Supports diversity & inclusion
- Retains talent
Hybrid is not a binary choice between WFH and RTO. Much more than solving logistical arrangements, hybrid should align to driving your competitive advantage. You will learn about what the research says about productivity, about the power of proximity, and why effective communication and collaboration need the right workplace settings.
Dr Gallagher will also explain why current approaches to hybrid don’t work – from mandates to leaving it to teams to determine their working arrangements to giving employees choice.
Leaders everywhere want to know what the best case is for hybrid work. They want to know who is getting it right and what their formula is so they can apply it to their business. Informed by his leading Australian research on hybrid, and in supporting many ASX 100 companies, Dr Gallagher will demonstrate why best case is test and learn. There’s no one-size-fits-all.
Hybrid is the best working arrangement we’ve ever had but it requires engaged leadership. Sean will leave you with practical actionable insights to set up hybrid right developed from his research, and validated by McKinsey and Microsoft. The full potential value of hybrid work remains largely untapped but by engaging in this session, you will be armed with the knowhow to succeed.
Who is this for: Business leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, property leaders, SME leaders, and anyone keen to understand this transformation.
What is the future of property in an AI world?
Since the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, the rapid uptake globally and advancement of generative AI (GenAI) tools has been breathtaking. GenAI is beginning to demonstrate its enormous potential to disrupt work. Dr Gallagher will guide you through its potential impact on property and why is it warrants attention.What is the future of property in an AI world?
Sean will help you appreciate how work will change and how this aligns to the workplace, starting from an understanding of hybrid work. If, as some forecasts suggest, up to 60–70% of routine work is automated by GenAI, workers will need to increasingly perform higher-value activities, such as creativity, problem-solving, and collaborating with others.
This could soon mean both a diminishing need for remote work and a growing need for in-person collaborative work. GenAI could trigger a dramatic change in the
proportion of the work done remotely and in-person, catalysing a renewal of the physical workplace.
As a leading expert on both hybrid work and GenAI, Dr Gallagher is uniquely positioned to guide you through the research, the latest developments, and how work is changing. The physical workplace of the future will look markedly different from the office of today.
Who is this for: Business leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, property leaders, SME leaders, and anyone keen to understand this transformation.
Video
Dr Sean Gallagher | Worker Driven Learning | Saxton Speakers
Dr. Sean Gallagher is the founder of Humanova and one of Australia’s leading experts on the future of work. He focuses on how technology transforms how work gets done, and how to accelerate human capability to drive value creation for organisations. He led the Centre for the New Workforce at Swinburne University for six years. With a natural ability to guide leaders through uncertainty, he empowers them to recognise the solution starts with leadership. Through tailored, evidence-informed engagements with clients, he simplifies complexity and helps them determine direction.Sean’s research currently focuses on hybrid work and generative AI, so it was fascinating to [understand] how we can adopt AI in the workplace and use it to realise our human potential. ... keep reading Sir Richard Branson, Founder at Virgin Group
If you can’t listen and communicate your thoughts well, there aren’t many jobs you can really do. Younger workers know this. Since most young professionals come into the workforce with many technical skills, they want behavioral skills more than ever. [Dr Gallagher’s] research shows that younger workers believe behavioral skills are key to their success.
