Who’s Speaking at HR Retail Africa 2026

Laura Durkan

Laura Durkan is Chief People & Culture Officer at Harris Farm Markets, one of Australia’s most loved independent grocery retailers, where she leads people strategy, AI transformation and leadership capability across a 3,600-strong workforce.

Her career spans IT, change management and people leadership a rare combination that means she doesn’t just talk about transformation; she builds it. She moves comfortably from AI architecture conversations to frontline leadership, closing the gap most organizations struggle with: turning strategy into execution.

At Harris Farm, Laura is leading the shift to AI-enabled ways of working and redesigning the workforce for performance at scale with a sharp focus on where it matters most: the store edge.

She’s known for her warm and direct style, commercial lens and refusal to separate people strategy from business results. She has three kids who keep her grounded in what real execution actually looks like.