ManpowerGroup Hosts The Exchange Israel 2026 Highlighting AI and Leadership
The Exchange Israel 2026 conference explored how artificial intelligence and human leadership intersect, bringing together top executives to discuss talent, agility, and business value.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how businesses operate, employees execute tasks, and leaders make decisions. Yet, as enthusiasm for new technologies grows, a critical question faces corporate leadership: if nearly every organization can access the same advanced tools, what will truly differentiate successful companies from those left behind? Is the ultimate advantage rooted in the technology itself, or in the people who wield it, make strategic decisions, and drive change?
These pivotal questions took center stage at The Exchange Israel 2026 conference, hosted by ManpowerGroup at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Tel Aviv-Yafo. Roughly 100 CEOs and senior executives from leading economic organizations gathered to address the foremost challenges of a shifting business landscape: executive leadership, talent identification and development, artificial intelligence integration, emerging skill sets, and organizational agility.
Human First and Digital Always
Operating under the banner of "Human First. Digital Always.," the conference sought to place the intersection of technology and human capital at the heart of the corporate discourse. The discussion extended beyond mere AI adoption, examining how organizations translate technological shifts into genuine business value, cultivate workforce capabilities, and preserve decision-making autonomy amidst pervasive market uncertainty.
Serving as an international networking platform for ManpowerGroup across regions including Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and France, The Exchange connects chief executives and decision-makers to deliberate on the future of labor, global macroeconomic trends, and corporate challenges. The Israeli event successfully bridged global insights with local realities, where enterprises must constantly navigate rapid fluctuations, economic pressures, and the imperative for swift adaptation.
Core Leadership Questions for Modern Executives
David Herranz, president of the Southern Europe region at ManpowerGroup, delivered the international perspective, dedicating his keynote to the fundamental forces reshaping modern commerce. Meanwhile, Dror Litvak, CEO of ManpowerGroup Israel, addressed local market dynamics by outlining five core dilemmas confronting contemporary management: talent recruitment and cultivation, artificial intelligence implementation, emerging professional skills, operational flexibility, and sustainable business differentiation.
Discussions highlighted that market transformations compel leadership teams to reevaluate long-standing operational assumptions. For instance, executives must weigh whether past professional experience remains the primary metric for candidate selection or if greater emphasis should be placed on learning agility and adaptability. Similarly, organizations are discovering that AI integration transcends deploying new software, requiring a profound redesign of core operational workflows.
Strategic Insights from Industry Leaders
The dimension of executive leadership during times of uncertainty was further explored in a conversation between journalist Galit Hemi and Boaz Levy, chairman of the board of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). This dialogue held profound resonance for Israeli executives operating within a uniquely complex economic and security environment.
Additionally, a panel discussion titled "How to Make Change Actually Happen?" featured Guy Kivily, CEO of Afcon Holdings; Amos Bracha, VP of Logistics and Engineering at the Port of Ashdod; Shlomi Otmazgin, former VP of R&D at Yad2 and current CEO of Velloris.ai; and Shiri Birman-Cohen, Employee Experience Unit Manager at Strauss Group. The panel analyzed how to enact technological transformation that yields tangible business value while maintaining human judgment and operational accountability.
