XLRI’s Metamorphose 2026 To Bring CHROs And People Leaders To Udaipur To Shape The Future Of Work

Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) [India], September 24: Organisations today are preparing for a rapidly changing world of work, where transformation extends beyond technology to how people lead, organisations evolve and businesses create value. These questions will take centre stage at Metamorphose 2026, XLRI – Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur’s annual CHRO Strategy Conclave to be held on September 25–26, 2026 at Mementos by ITC Hotels, Udaipur.

Returning for its second edition following its inaugural gathering in 2024, Metamorphose 2026, themed “Emerge, Sustain, Lead,” will bring together around 120 CHROs and people leaders from India, the Middle East and Singapore for two days of strategic dialogue and knowledge exchange. The conclave will provide an opportunity for leaders to step back from operational priorities, exchange experiences and reflect on the organisational choices that will shape the future.

As part of the Metamorphose initiative, XLRI, Jamshedpur organised a series of mini-conclaves led by CHROs on the Future of Work and Organisational Readiness, bringing together 24 CHROs representing diverse sectors. The insights emerging from these conversations were further triangulated through inputs from more than 160 HR and business leaders, creating a broader perspective on how organisations and the HR function are evolving.

A key insight emerging from these discussions is that the HR function of the future will need to move beyond managing the next generation of the workforce towards designing organisations where people can create greater value. In this evolving landscape, CHROs are increasingly being called upon to play a broader role as architects of the future organisation.

The outcomes of the mini-conclaves and the broader survey have been brought together in a Future of Work White Paper which will be officially launched at Metamorphose 2026 in Udaipur.

The 2026 edition will examine the evolving challenges facing organisations and the choices required to translate them into meaningful action. Key areas of discussion will include Agentic AI and the evolving digital workforce, organisational value and agile design, future-ready talent and succession planning.

The discussions will look beyond individual trends to examine the organisational choices required to build more adaptive, technology-enabled and people-centric organisations while continuing to create sustainable value. A key highlight of the conclave will be a keynote address by Mr. Sandeep Bakhshi, Managing Director and CEO, ICICI Bank, who will offer perspectives on leading through change and building organisations for the future.

For XLRI, Metamorphose is more than a forum for discussing emerging trends. It brings together academic perspectives, industry insights and lived leadership experience to explore how organisations can evolve while remaining grounded in people and purpose.

The journey leading to the 2026 edition reflects this approach with conversations involving CHROs and business leaders informing the research and insights that will be presented at the conclave. As leaders gather in Udaipur, Metamorphose 2026 will seek to move the dialogue beyond anticipating the future of work towards understanding the choices that will shape it.