NT Business
Monday, 21. september 2026
Session hall EUROPA
9:30 - 16:00
Technology is no longer simply changing the way we work. It is redefining how organizations compete, how value is created, and what leadership looks like in practice.
AI, geopolitical uncertainty, cybersecurity, demographic change and shifting expectations of work are no longer separate trends - they are converging into a new business reality. Organizations are rethinking strategy, operations and leadership at the same time. The three NT Business tracks reflect these interconnected themes: from AI and competitive advantage, through the changing nature of work, to trust, resilience and leadership in an increasingly complex world.
Most companies are already experimenting with AI. The real question is no longer whether to use AI, but how to turn it into measurable business value.
The organizations pulling ahead are those that move beyond isolated pilots and make AI part of how they operate, innovate and compete. AI is reshaping products, services, decision-making and entire business models, creating a new generation of companies built around data, knowledge and intelligent systems. The next wave of competitive advantage will come not from adopting AI, but from knowing how to use it better than everyone else.
How do we preserve human agency, purpose and responsibility as artificial intelligence transforms our organisations and society?
Drawing on first-hand experience and real-world examples, journalist and digital futurist Andreas Ekström will explore what makes AI implementation succeed—and why it sometimes fails. He will offer practical insights for leaders seeking to move their organisations forward while empowering motivated teams and specialists.
Looking beyond the workplace, Andreas will examine how AI will reshape society and why we must actively participate—as leaders, professionals and citizens—in building the companies and communities we truly want. Through a highly personal and engaging story about life and death, with and without technology, he will open an honest conversation about humanity’s role in the AI revolution—and the choices that lie ahead.
AI is changing faster than any organization can predict. The advantage will belong to those ready to lead through it. In this keynote, Charles Calestroupat, President Microsoft Europe South, explores how organizations can move from AI experimentation to Frontier transformation by focusing on business value, human adaptability and trusted AI, and how the country can turn this moment of change into an opportunity to compete, innovate and lead.
Technology no longer simply waits for instructions. It detects anomalies, recommends actions, automates processes and increasingly takes on part of the decision-making. Through three real-world examples, you will discover where promising technology investments most often go wrong and why the problem is almost never the technology itself.
The key lies in how a company brings together technology, data, processes, security and accountability into a functioning operating model. The session will offer a practical framework for making better business decisions at a time when technology is playing an increasingly important role in decision-making.
The key question is no longer what technology can do, but how to manage it so that it remains in service of the business. The greatest obstacle of the next decade will not be technology. It will be trust.
Slovenia is falling short of its goals in AI adoption and digital transformation. Digital skills among the population are declining, smaller companies are not fully exploiting the potential of new technologies, and investment remains among the lowest in the European Union.
Drawing on findings from the OECD and Slovenia’s Development Report 2026, Dr Peter Wostner from the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development will examine where Slovenia is losing ground, which structural challenges are holding back progress, and how further delays could affect the country’s economic competitiveness.
The session will provide a data-driven assessment of Slovenia’s current position and address a critical question: what must change for AI to become a genuine driver of productivity and development rather than another missed opportunity?
Forget the IT talent market. What is happening is not an HR problem for the IT department. It is the biggest transformation in how we work that this generation of leaders has ever experienced. AI is not entering companies through IT. It is entering through every office, every process and every job, yet most management boards still treat it as an “IT project”.
Drawing on the example of an international group implementing AI across its processes and products at scale, Gregor will offer an unfiltered look at what has happened in practice: which jobs have disappeared, which roles have emerged overnight, where savings and new revenue have been generated, and where mistakes have been made. Above all, he will explain what this requires from management boards. Not new tools, but a new way of leading, a different culture that shifts from control to trust and speed, the courage to make difficult decisions about people, and clear ownership of the AI agenda at the top.
Slovenian companies have the expertise, the people and the capital. The question is whether their management boards have the will to lead this transformation, or whether, three years from now, they will be explaining why they merely followed it.
As AI becomes capable of performing increasingly complex cognitive work, the greatest challenge is no longer technological - it is organizational and human.
Leadership, culture and the ability to adapt are becoming the defining factors of success. As AI agents become everyday collaborators, organizations will need to rethink how people work, learn and make decisions. Judgment, creativity, empathy, ethics and purpose become increasingly valuable precisely because intelligence is no longer scarce.
Digital transformation and artificial intelligence are often treated as separate topics: one as a matter of “getting IT in order” and the other as a “revolution.” In practice, however, success comes from combining the two: clear, digitalized processes into which AI can be meaningfully integrated, supported by modern tools and devices that enable employees to use these capabilities effectively in their everyday work.
Drawing on different perspectives, the panelists will explore where companies truly stand on this journey, where they most often get stuck, and what separates projects that deliver measurable business value from those that never move beyond experimentation.
Why are business leaders learning from science fiction? What if the biggest risk is not failing to predict the future, but planning for the wrong one?
Session will introduce Design-ce Fiction, a fascinating approach that combines futures thinking, design methods and science fiction to challenge hidden assumptions inside organizations. Because companies often make decisions based on outdated ideas about markets, growth, technology and work.
A session for leaders who know that the most important decisions must be made long before the future becomes obvious.
Technology is advancing fast. Leadership must evolve faster.
As artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday work, the defining challenge for organizations is no longer technology itself. The question is whether leaders can create the culture, capabilities, trust and direction needed to turn technological potential into meaningful progress.
Join Dr. Gorazd Justinek, Dean of DOBA Business School; Tomaž Valjavec, Microsoft; Gorana Radojević, founder of CodeKido and Serbia's Engineer of the Year 2026; and Maša Košak, researcher at the School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana, for a discussion on how decision-making, responsibility, learning and leadership are changing in organizations where AI is becoming part of everyday work.
Because the future may not belong to the companies with the best technology.
It may belong to those who know how to grow people, build trust and lead change.
Trust is emerging as a competitive advantage. Organizations must protect data, intellectual property and critical infrastructure while navigating new regulatory frameworks and growing geopolitical uncertainty. Building secure, resilient and responsible digital organizations is no longer just about compliance—it is becoming a prerequisite for long-term competitiveness.
Digital sovereignty is becoming one of the defining challenges for Europe’s economy and public sector, and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is giving this debate a new dimension.
In the age of AI, cloud services, and growing cyber threats, the key question is no longer only what data is collected, but also where it is stored, who controls it, and under which rules it is processed. Issues such as control over data, computing power, data centers, and digital infrastructure are moving to the forefront, as these assets increasingly underpin economic competitiveness, resilience, and national security.
The discussion will explore whether Europe is prepared for the AI era, which elements of the digital ecosystem should remain under European or national control, and how technological dependence on global platforms can be reduced. Special attention will be given to the role of telecommunications operators, governments, academia, and industry in building a trusted, resilient, and sovereign digital environment. Inspired by the current debate around sovereign cloud and sovereign AI, the panel will examine what digital sovereignty means in practice and how Europe can strengthen its strategic autonomy in an increasingly interconnected world.
For decades, building advanced cybersecurity solutions required the capital, talent and market reach available almost exclusively to global technology giants. Europe therefore found itself mainly in the role of a user rather than a builder. Artificial intelligence is now beginning to change that equation.
Jan Bervar will explore how small, highly skilled teams can use AI to create capabilities that once required entire big-tech ecosystems. He will examine the opportunities this shift creates for European cybersecurity solutions built on sovereign foundations, local expertise and a deeper understanding of regional needs.
The session will consider whether AI can help Europe move from technological dependence to active innovation—and what smaller teams will need to turn this opportunity into secure, scalable and globally competitive solutions.
AI is moving quickly from experimentation into everyday business and society. But countries, companies and institutions are adapting at very different speeds.
IT and business leaders from across the Adriatic Region join journalist Dragan Petric to compare what is happening in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia. Where is AI already making a real difference? Who is moving fastest? What can we learn from each other, and which best practices are worth following?
From business and jobs to skills, regulation and competitiveness, the panel will look beyond the hype and share concrete examples of how AI is being adopted across the Adriatic Region and what needs to happen next.
News, insights, ideas, and success stories
