Lean and Agile Middle East Summit 2025

Welcome from Lean and Agile Middle East and Heriot-Watt University Dubai

Speaker Pitches - Each speaker gets 30 seconds to tell the audience why they need to attend their session

Artificial intelligence is not only transforming business processes but also fundamentally challenging traditional leadership concepts. In this groundbreaking keynote, leadership expert Boris Gloger explores the complex challenges and opportunities that arise for leaders in the context of AI.

Drawing on Gartner’s latest forecasts on the “Augmented Executive” and recent research on AI-supported decision-making, Gloger illuminates the evolving role of leaders. He demonstrates how AI takes over repetitive management tasks, creating space for valuable human-centered leadership.

Simultaneously, Gloger warns against uncritical faith in technology. Building on his insights from Self-Organization Needs Leadership, he argues that in the AI era, human qualities such as empathy, ethical judgment, and the ability to create meaning are indispensable.

Gloger explains how agile leadership principles can synergistically interact with AI systems to create resilient, adaptive organizations. He shows how leaders can design an ecosystem where human creativity and machine efficiency reinforce each other.

Key Topics of the Keynote:

• Realigning leadership roles in AI-driven organizations

• Ethical challenges in using AI for leadership decisions

• Promoting employee engagement and continuous learning in the AI era

• Creating a corporate culture that unites innovation and responsible AI use

• Practical strategies for integrating AI tools into agile leadership approaches

Experience a profound, forward-looking keynote that combines technological understanding with decades of leadership expertise. Gain critical insights to redefine your company and leadership role for the AI era – with a balanced approach that harmoniously unites technological innovation and human-centered leadership.

In an era of increasing complexity, Agile frameworks have become rigid constraints rather than adaptive ways of working. This keynote challenges practitioners and leaders to transcend certification-driven methodologies and rediscover the true essence of agility: responding to complexity with human creativity, complexity thinking and genuine value delivery. Looking at real-life examples, we'll dive deep into why some Agile approaches are failing, how big companies are systematically crushing innovation, and what it truly takes to help organizations reimagine agile as a dynamic, generative approach to navigating unpredictable landscapes.

For billions of years, decisions have been taken by life forms on this planet. We are starting a new era where machines are replacing humans in taking critical decisions.  One of the key questions asked by man y experts, Is AI sentient?  The other key realization is that In order to impact humans AI need not be sentient, AI will change every aspect of humans, and it will hack the operating system of human civilization. We live in a cocoon called "Culture". With AI coming in this cocoon is getting changed.. How will the future look like ? 

The opposable thumb made the human civilizations to talk , without any opposition now, how will we invent and innovate and eventually evolve. 

In today’s fast-paced world, merely adapting to change is no longer enough—true success demands transformation. Every organization evolves, but only a few achieve true transformation. In this session, we talk about how our Agile transformation actions unlock untapped potential by bridging the gap between gradual evolution and groundbreaking change. The transformation that we're still going on is a movement that transforms teams, reshapes culture, and redefines success. We’ll explain how the impact of this movement reshaped our approach to leadership, collaboration, and innovation, driving measurable success and cultural renewal. Also, we'll mention how AI Agile Coach is integrated to our process to empower teams for their own transformation journey.

In a world shaped by AI and VUCA, can agility really break free from bureaucracy and hierarchy? In this keynote, discover a real life case of Latro's progressive, hierarchy-free way of working—empowering autonomy, fostering innovation, and embedding entrepreneurship into the organizational DNA. Learn how Latro operates without managers, departments, or rigid targets, redefining productivity and purpose. Join us to explore how human-centric, fun, and highly productive organizations can thrive in the future of work. Meet with practical and inspiring practices of a collectively managed company!

AI is ruling the world in almost all domains. And where it hasn't yet started to rule, its paving its path. There are thousands of tools (free to use and subscription based) to use from.

How to make the most of GenAI using the humble free tools available.

In this session, I dive straight into three important use cases (LIVE Demonstration + Hands-on):

1. Create a mind-blowing presentation in less than 4 minutes (with free tools only) and on any topic in the world.

2. Ideate a Product and Create a Roadmap (Also show how SCAMPER works here with GenAI)

3. Refine a product Backlog, break down user stories, and add elements to make them SMART.

With the Lean Compass as your guide, learn to identify, analyze, and solve complex problems with precision and agility. This session will delve into the principles of lean thinking, offering practical insights on streamlining processes and eliminating waste. Attendees will gain knowledge to enhance their problem-solving skills, driving sustainable growth and improvement. Through real-world examples and interactive discussions, explore how successful businesses employ these strategies to overcome challenges and achieve excellence. Join us to transform obstacles into opportunities with the power of the Lean Compass.

In this session, explore how AI tools, including GPT models, can boost Agile team efficiency by automating tasks like sprint transcriptions, backlog prioritization, and sentiment analysis. Tailored for Agile project managers, this session reveals how AI-driven automation enhances productivity, transparency, and team collaboration.

Beginning with AI's role in Agile workflows, the presenter will showcase real-world applications and live demos, including AI-generated summaries and automated UML diagrams. Attendees will gain insights into using AI for effective decision-making, team dynamics, and streamlined communication.

By session’s end, participants will have actionable strategies for integrating AI into Agile practices, enabling them to reduce repetitive tasks and optimize team workflows.

In this session, we will explore the stories behind Etihad's agile transformation journey. We'll share stories of successes, lessons learned, and the cultural shifts required to transition from traditional waterfall methodologies to iterative product development.

Discover how cross-functional teams and teams of teams collaborated to...

- Deliver iteratively at scale

- Innvoate faster

- Collaborate across traditional functional boundaries

And how this resulted in...

- Faster turnaround times

- Enhanced customer experiences

- Increased employee engagement

We'll delve into the challenges faced, the impressive results achieved, and key learnings gained while navigating a challenging period for the airline industry.

In a world where change is constant, organisations must rise to the challenge of enterprise agility. This session invites you to confront the tensions that hold your organisation back and transform them into opportunities for growth. In small groups, you'll explore real-world tensions through our specially designed tension cards, identifying the challenges you recognise in your own organisation. With courage and curiosity, you’ll then select a tension to work on and choose from proven organisational design patterns that offer practical solutions. Finally, using Beliminal’s Experiment Canvas, you’ll design a purposeful experiment to take back to your workplace—an actionable step toward unleashing potential and embracing change.

This session is a chance to break through old constraints and unlock what’s possible. With BeLiminal's approach, you’ll navigate the complexities of change and empowered to take bold, confident steps toward true enterprise agility. 

In Agile, processes and frameworks often dominate the conversation, but the true drivers of transformation are the people. Teams thrive through empowered individuals, a supportive culture, and a focus on well-being. This session explores the transformative impact of individualized coaching and addressing cultural norms to unlock Agile success.

Leaders will learn how to build a culture that fosters collaboration, trust, and psychological safety, leverage 1-to-1 coaching to help individuals overcome limiting norms, and embrace Agile principles. The session also emphasizes the importance of prioritizing well-being and personal growth to elevate team performance while balancing process adherence with human-centered approaches.

By focusing on people over process, this session provides Agile practitioners and leaders with actionable strategies to drive cultural transformation, promote growth, and create high-performing teams that consistently deliver value.

As AI continues to transform industries, its integration with Agile practices offers new opportunities for innovation and efficiency. This presentation explores the powerful synergy between Agile methodologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI), showing how AI can streamline workflows, improve decision-making, and enhance productivity. We’ll also discuss the evolving role of Agile practitioners in an AI-driven world, emphasizing the need for AI literacy and ethical awareness. Central to this discussion is the CARE Framework which helps ensure AI is integrated responsibly within Agile teams while upholding core values like transparency, collaboration, and respect for individuals. Ideal for Agile professionals, this session highlights how to leverage AI ethically to drive innovation, productivity, and value in an ever-changing work environment.

Futures arrive in layers, the present of some is the future of many.

Develop New Humans is as important as develop New Technologies: activating healthy and positive futures, in diverse ecosystems, is one of the most important movement right now.

Voicers methodology designs scenarios where the best of technology meets the best of human beings. New Technologies meeting.

New Humans, creating healthier and more positive Future(s).

In this session, it will be covered:

* New Technologies: a curation of the main emerging technologies in the next 5, 10 and 20 years projecting them into positive scenarios

* New Humans: an understanding that we are also developing our human technology and what differentiates us from machines is our ability to expand personal and social consciousness.

* New Economies and Ecosystem: what arises from the encounter of more conscious humans and powerful technologies are economies, organizations and ecosystems more connected with important areas of social and human progress.