The future of work is not just changing fast. It is becoming harder to interpret. Leaders are dealing with the spread of AI, declining trust, greater public scrutiny, and rising complexity across teams, systems and decisions.
That is why the 2027 Skills Horizon is such a useful resource for business leaders, HR teams and event organisers planning for what comes next. Developed by Sydney Executive Plus and The University of Sydney, the report helps organisations make sense of the capabilities leaders need now, next and in the years ahead.
At Saxton, we are proud to represent Dr Sandra Peter and Dr Kai Riemer, the experts behind the Skills Horizon. Their work helps audiences move beyond broad future-of-work commentary and focus on the real skills, tensions and judgments leadership now requires.
What is the Skills Horizon 2027?
The Skills Horizon is a practical framework designed to help leaders understand which capabilities matter most in a changing world. It is not simply a list of future skills. It is a way of reading the environment around us, understanding what those conditions demand, and building a shared language for capability, leadership and change.
This year’s edition expands the model further. The report maps:
- 6 shifts shaping the world around leaders
- 17 provocations that challenge leaders to think differently about the issues they need to solve for
- 37 skills to build now, next and over time
- 5 blobs of skill convergence, including a new fifth blob, Leading the AI transition
The report also introduces consequential thinking and play as two of the skills leaders need to master. That matters because the most effective leaders are not just adapting to new tools. They are learning how to think better, work through uncertainty, and lead others through messier conditions.
For organisations, the Skills Horizon 2027 can support strategy, leadership development, learning and development planning, and broader conversations about future workforce capability. It is designed to provide clarity without oversimplifying what leaders are facing.
Who are Dr Sandra Peter and Dr Kai Riemer?
Sandra Peter and Kai Riemer are Co-Directors of Sydney Executive Plus at the University of Sydney and two of the most compelling voices on leadership, AI, technology and the future of work.
As keynote speakers, Sandra and Kai are known for translating complex change into sharp, practical insight. Their sessions help leaders understand how technology is reshaping decision-making, trust, work design, organisational culture and leadership expectations.
What makes their work especially valuable is that it is built to be used. Their ideas are grounded in research, but they land in a way that helps audiences apply them to real decisions, real teams and real organisational pressure.
Saxton is proud to represent Sandra Peter and Kai Riemer exclusively, making it easy for organisations to bring their perspective into conferences, corporate events, leadership off-sites and strategy sessions.
What leaders and executives need to know next: the Skills Horizon keynote
In their keynote on the 2027 Skills Horizon, Sandra Peter and Kai Riemer turn the report into a clear and highly engaging experience for leadership and executive audiences.
The session begins with a simple reality. Change is constant, trust is falling, and AI is everywhere. But the challenge for leaders is not only technological. It is interpretive. Leaders need to make sense of a noisier information environment, navigate competing expectations, and develop the judgment to know what to learn, what to unlearn, and what to prioritise.
Drawing on more than 200 conversations with leaders and executives, as well as a thematic media analysis of 1,000,000 articles, Sandra and Kai show audiences how the leadership landscape is shifting and what this means in practice.
They explore the six shifts shaping the current environment, including the new Information Shift, which reflects how AI is complicating the information ecosystem and making it harder for leaders to cut through noise. They also unpack the 17 provocations that run through the report, helping audiences think more clearly about the tensions they are already facing inside their organisations.
A highlight of the keynote is the way Sandra and Kai bring the five blobs to life. These areas of skill convergence help leaders see how future-ready capability really works in practice, especially when AI is touching everything from strategy to communication to team design.
Key takeaways
Audiences leave with a clearer understanding of the skills they need to build, the habits they may need to unlearn, and the tensions they need to engage with more directly.
They also gain:
- a practical framework for thinking about leadership capability
- sharper language for discussing skills, change and uncertainty across teams
- insight into the emerging risks and opportunities created by AI and information overload
- a more useful lens for planning leadership development and workforce capability
This is part of what makes the Skills Horizon keynote so effective. It does not just name what is changing. It helps leaders understand what to do with that change.
Why the Skills Horizon matters for leaders and organisations
For many organisations, the idea of future skills can still feel broad, abstract or difficult to translate into action. The Skills Horizon 2027 offers a more practical way forward.
It helps organisations:
- align leadership teams on the capability priorities that matter most
- build a shared language around skills, disruption and resilience
- strengthen workforce planning and leadership development strategies
- support better decision-making in uncertain environments
- think more clearly about AI readiness beyond technical literacy alone
This is especially valuable for organisations navigating transformation, investing in leadership capability, or trying to prepare teams for a future that is both more technology-driven and more complex.
The report is also notable for its tone. It is described as the most provocative edition yet, but also its most playful. That combination is not accidental. It reflects a serious point: leaders need frameworks that help them engage with uncertainty, not simply feel overwhelmed by it.
Book Sandra Peter and Kai Riemer for your next event
A report can spark conversations. A keynote can create momentum and action.
If you want your audience to leave with clarity on the future of work and the skills leaders need to succeed, book Sandra Peter and Kai Riemer for your next:
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Leadership conference
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Corporate event or internal keynote
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Strategy day or executive offsite
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HR, L&D, or People & Culture event
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Customer or industry forum
As Saxton Exclusive Speakers, Sandra and Kai can help your organisation understand what’s changing, what matters most, and how to lead effectively in a complex future.
Enquire now to book Sandra Peter and Kai Riemer through Saxton.
