Meet the OEB26 Speakers: Laureen Rwatirera Chivere

Laureen Rwatirera Chivere is VP Talent Management and Chief Learning Officer at Prosus, where she leads AI adoption and talent development across a global group of technology businesses, and a keynote speaker at this year’s OEB Conference. With extensive experience leading global learning and development teams, she was the founding Chief Learning Officer at both ASML and Naspers.

Originally from Zimbabwe, Laureen has built her international career across South Africa and the Netherlands, holding senior roles at EY, Mars, Levi Strauss and Investec. She holds an Honours degree in Industrial and Organisational Psychology from the University of Cape Town and is currently pursuing an Executive MBA at VU Amsterdam.

Ahead of the OEB 2026 plenary, Individual Agency, Collective Power: Rethinking the Role of Workplace Learning, we caught up with Laureen to discover more about the person behind the speaker, her perspectives on AI and workplace learning, and what she is looking forward to at this year’s conference in Berlin.

What was your first thought about this year’s conference theme “Sovereign Learning: Trust, Agency & the Education Reset”? 

My first thought was: finally. For years we’ve talked about AI in learning as a question of tools. The more important question is who stays in charge. I’ve watched thousands of employees build their own AI agents, and the people who learned most were those trusted to experiment, not those handed a finished solution. Judgement grows through use. If we design learning that does the thinking for people, we’ll get compliance, not capability.

If you could look into the year 2046, what do you envision learning will be driven by? 

By learning to unlearn. When AI can recall and process almost anything, memorising information stops being the point. Learning will be about working through ethical dilemmas, making sense of things and adapting when the ground keeps shifting. I can picture classrooms becoming immersive simulations, with surprise curveballs and live misinformation, where students are tested on how they solve problems together and recover from setbacks, not on how well they pass a fixed exam.

Which learning technology has recently impressed you? 

Khanmigo, Khan Academy’s AI tutor. I took the toughest math subjects all the way through high school without ever being brilliant at them, and I’m now a mum of four sons. Helping with IB math homework has taught me how much a patient guide at the right moment matters, and that I’m neither the most patient nor the cleverest one at the kitchen table. What impresses me is that Khanmigo doesn’t hand out answers. When a student gets stuck, it asks guiding questions and offers hints so they work it out for themselves. That’s what good teachers have always done, and it’s the kind of AI I want to see more of in workplaces too. It builds people’s thinking instead of replacing it.

Which book should everyone read?  

The Element by Sir Ken Robinson. He describes the point where what you’re naturally good at meets what you love, and he’s honest about what gets in the way: fear, other people’s expectations and cultures that undervalue certain talents. What stays with me is his view that life is organic, not linear. It’s never too late to find your Element, and you rarely find it alone. You find it with your tribe.

What was your most significant learning experience? 

Transforming the learning function at ASML while the business was doubling in headcount, revenue and almost every other measure. It felt like building the plane while it was climbing. I brought 468 people from scattered, decentralised teams into one ASML Academy, rebuilt the learning platform and created leadership programs for every level, from new managers to senior leaders. Along the way we cut the learning budget from €200 million to €115 million while delivering more. It was intense and a lot of fun, and it taught me to draw on the expertise of people around me, because no one could have done it alone.

 

Which question is asked too rarely when we talk about learning? 

Why do we wait until adulthood to treat learning as a way to discover who we are? In organisations, adult learning is mostly self-directed and focused on real problems and people’s strengths. We rarely give children and students the same freedom. Schools and universities are built around standardised achievement, yet research on Self-Determination Theory shows that people thrive when they have autonomy over their learning. I’d love to see education become a place where young people find their Element long before they reach the workforce.

What would be the title of your autobiography? 

Building the Plane While It Climbs: Raising the Bar at work with Four Sons at home, One Laptop and No Autopilot

What are you looking forward to the most at this year’s OEB?  

The session on women’s equity in learning. As a woman who has built a career while raising four sons, I know how many of the barriers women face are hidden in the details: when learning is scheduled, who gets put forward for development and who quietly opts out because something has to give. I’m keen to hear what’s working to change that.


Thank you, Laureen Rwatirera Chivere! Laureen Rwatirera Chivere will be speaking at the plenary
Individual Agency, Collective Power: Rethinking the Role of Workplace Learning on Friday, 4 December at OEB 2026.