What will you walk away with
Co-hosted with Microsoft, this session brings together a diverse group of senior executives for an open, honest discussion on AI transformation, sharing real stories and shaping a clearer path forward for your business.
When
August 26
Time
8:30 AM - 2:00 PM NZST
Location
22 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland 1010
Costs
Free
Language
English
HSO Advance is an exclusive half-day event for senior leaders ready to move beyond AI pilots and proofs of concept and turn ambition into measurable business outcomes
The event focuses on how your business operates as a whole, where applications, data, systems, operations and AI work together to drive real results, helping you cut through the noise and focus on what matters next.
You'll hear how organisations like yours are putting this into practice, connecting platforms, data and operations to drive impact, understanding what's working (and where it stalls), and leaving with a clear, practical next step for your business.
Key takeaways
- 1
AI readiness
Where your organisation genuinely sits on AI readiness, and the smartest next step rather than the loudest one.
- 2
A practical plan beyond pilots
How to move from pilots that stall to solutions that scale, and sidestep the data, integration and adoption traps that derail most projects before they deliver.
- 3
Evaluating ERP and CRM with AI
A practical blueprint for elevating ERP and CRM with AI, shaped around how your industry actually sells, delivers and serves.
- 4
Your Copilot agent
What Copilot and agents do in day-to-day work, and where they earn their place in weeks, not years.
- 5
Trustworthy AI
How to keep AI trustworthy as it scales, with governance, security and responsible AI by design.
- 6
Advisory session
A potential platform to explore in an advisory-led session aligned to your priorities.
Agenda
The day at a Glance
8:30 AM — Registration
Arrive, grab a light lunch, and settle in over informal networking.
9:00 AM — Welcome & Framing
The HSO Managing Director opens the day and sets the scene for turning AI ambition into impact.
Featured Speaker
Ajay Singh — Managing Director, HSO | Australia and New Zealand
Frank Handerhan — Senior Sales Director, HSO | Australia and New Zealand.
9:10 AM — Joint keynote
HSO and Microsoft joint keynote: The path to the Frontier Firm, turning AI opportunity into business outcomes.
A shared view of how leading organisations are becoming AI-first, and what it takes to get there.
Featured Speaker
Kshitij Gopal — Head of AI Business Solutions, Microsoft
Ajay Singh — Managing Director, HSO | Australia and New Zealand
Frank Handerhan — Senior Sales Director, HSO | Australia and New Zealand.
9:40 AM — Innovation Showcase
Get ahead of the market with an early look at innovation from Microsoft and HSO.
We showcase Microsoft's latest products and the solutions HSO has built, giving customers and prospects hands-on access to what's next.
Featured Speaker
Jourdan Templeton — Service Line Director, Customer Advisory, HSO | ANZ- IN
10:10 AM — Customer Panel
Senior leaders share what they built, what worked, and what it delivered.
Customer Panel Highlight
Stephen Morison — Artificial Intelligence Adoption Lead, Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited
Frank Handerhan — Senior Sales Director, HSO | Australia and New Zealand.
10:35 AM — Break
A morning break with demo stations to explore up close with our specialists.
11:05 AM — Breakout Sessions
Parallel breakout tracks, each following the Enable, Extend, Transform path:
CRM Transformation with AI
An AI-first CRM on Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform
See three live agent demos that make money, save time, and reduce risk, then map your own Enable–Extend–Transform next step.
Speakers
Virendra Agrawal — Service Line Director, CE | HSO
Nathan Rose — Client Advisor, CE & Power Platform | HSO
ERP Transformation with AI
AI in Finance and Operations, from Copilot to intelligent agents
See how intelligent agents are changing finance and operations, from procurement and order management through to AI-driven insights and faster decisions across Dynamics 365.
Speakers
Marc Hugelshofer — Chief Technology Officer ANZ | HSO
Faisal Bukhari — Client Advisor Architect D365 F&O/SCM & CE | HSO
Copilot and Agents at Work
Learn how modern AI agents can automate complex business tasks
Explore how Copilot and agent frameworks work, see live skill-building demos, and gain practical guidance to future-proof your technology investments.
Speaker
Fraser Paine — Head of AI | HSO
Choose your track and go deeper into the area that matters most to your business.
12:05 PM — Executive Advisory
A facilitated discussion for leaders on shaping a practical, board-ready AI roadmap.
Featured Speaker
Jourdan Templeton — Service Line Director, Customer Advisory, HSO | ANZ- IN
12:25 PM — The Innovators circle
Recognising customers for their exemplary work turning AI ambition into real business outcomes, shared as short on-stage stories.
12:45 PM — Closing the day
We draw the day together with clear, practical actions to take back to your team.
Featured Speaker
Ajay Singh — Managing Director, HSO | Australia and New Zealand
Frank Handerhan — Senior Sales Director, HSO | Australia and New Zealand.
12:55 PM — Networking Lunch
A networking lunch running to 2:00 PM.
On the panel
Industry leaders you'll hear from
A look at some of the organisations joining us at HSO Advance, from across industries and already putting AI to work in their business.
Stephen Morison
Artificial Intelligence Adoption Lead, Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd
Kshitij Gopal
Head of AI Business Solutions , Microsoft
Featured Speakers
Meet the people driving the conversation
Frank Handerhan
Senior Sales Director | HSO
Jourdan Templeton
Service Line Director, Customer Advisory | HSO
Marc Hugelshofer
Chief Technology Officer ANZ | HSO
Ajay Singh
Managing Director | HSO
Faisal Bukhari
Client Advisor Architect D365 F&O/SCM & CE | HSO
Fraser Paine
Head of AI | HSO
Virendra Agrawal
Service Line Director, CE | HSO
Nathan Rose
Client Advisor CE & Power Platform | HSO
Reserve your seat now
Seats are limited and by invitation, so secure your place before they fill. Fill out the form, and we will be in touch to confirm.