Leadership Horizon 2026: When leadership needs to be rethought

Vienna, January 23, 2026- Speed, complexity, and artificial intelligence are changing leadership more radically than many transformations before. Technologies are taking over tasks, decisions are becoming data-driven, and work realities are becoming more fragmented. What is often overlooked is the question of what makes leadership human, responsible, and effective.

This is exactly where Leadership Horizon 2026 comes in. The international leadership conference will enter its next round on May 5, 2026, with a new location at Prisma Vienna - clearly positioned, deliberately live on site, and with a focus that could hardly be more topical:

"Thriving in Complexity and Speed - Leading Human Potential in the AI Era." Leadership Horizon does not see itself as a traditional conference, but rather as a space for thinking and working for executives, HR and L&D experts who are not satisfied with simple answers. The central question is: What must leadership consciously shape today - and what should it not hand over to AI?

New location, new format, clear stance With the move to Prisma am Gruenen Prater, Leadership Horizon 2026 creates an open, light-flooded setting that promotes exchange, movement, and collaborative work. The event is deliberately held live on site. International speakers can be connected selectively, but the core of the event remains personal encounters.

In terms of content, Leadership Horizon 2026 combines keynotes, interactive workshops, AI & VR labs, practical cases, and curated networking formats. Topics include:

- "Artificial Intelligence vs. Emotional Intelligence: The Ultimate Battle" - Ricardo Cabete
A provocative keynote speech on the limits of automation and the role of emotion, empathy, and human judgment in leadership.

- "Culture Change through Practice - From AI Simulation to Real Leadership Behavior" - Claude MacDonald How organizations not only introduce AI, but actually integrate it effectively into leadership and collaboration through targeted practical formats.

- Workshop: "5 Success Factors for a Human-Centered AI Transformation" - Sonja Strohmer An interactive working format that shows how AI transformation can be consciously designed at the individual, team, and organizational levels.

- Panel: "AI Everywhere? Rethinking Leadership, Learning and AI-Free Spaces" Discussion about where AI creates real added value - and where leadership, learning and development consciously need human spaces. In addition, further international companies and speakers are currently in talks. The complete program will be published in the coming weeks.

Why this topic is crucial right now AI accelerates processes - but it does not answer questions about attitude, responsibility, or trust. Managers are increasingly faced with decisions for which there are no blueprints. Leadership Horizon 2026 offers guidance in precisely this area of tension: between efficiency, humanity, and conscious design. Who should attend

* Executives who bear responsibility in AI-driven organizations * HR and L&D experts who need to rethink learning, development, and leadership
* Organizational developers, consultants, and innovation managers
* Anyone who wants to actively shape the future of work, not just introduce tools

Early bird tickets are available until January 31, 2026.
For more information, program updates, and tickets, visit: www.leadership-horizon.com

Aline Motz-Depoorter
Head of Marketing & Employee Experience
aline.motz-depoorter@mdi-training.com

MDI is a leading global provider of leadership development with 60 years of experience. With offices worldwide and a network of over 250 international consultants and trainers, MDI offers training and consulting services in various languages. The company designs and delivers customized programs for executives at all levels, high potentials, experts, project managers, and sales staff--locally, internationally, and globally.

This release was published on openPR.