Senior Sistemas, one of the largest management software companies in Latin America, held last Thursday (21), at the Transamerica Expo Center, in São Paulo (SP), the second edition of Senior Experience, a meeting that brought together more than 2,500 executives and leaders from Latin America to discuss the role of technology, artificial intelligence and data in business management.
At the opening of the event, the CEO of Senior Sistemas, Carlênio Castelo Branco, highlighted that artificial intelligence is no longer a distant trend and has started to occupy a central place in companies’ decisions. According to the executive, technology already acts as an engine capable of expanding analysis, execution and decision-making capacity, with gains that go beyond operational efficiency.
“When we talk about artificial intelligence in management, we are not just talking about automating tasks. We are talking about giving companies more autonomy to transform data into useful information and act more quickly in an increasingly competitive environment. Technology needs to help managers see the business better, reduce operational effort and make decisions with more context. This is the path we are building at Senior”, says Carlênio Castelo Branco.
Throughout the day, the program brought together discussions on artificial intelligence, tax reform, succession, people management, innovation and competitiveness. This year’s edition featured more than 80 speakers and more than 50 hours of content, distributed among plenaries, masterclasses, thematic arenas, panels and interactive experiences.
The 2026 edition of the event reinforced the idea that technology is no longer a topic restricted to technical areas and has become part of central business decisions. Among the highlights of the program were Gustavo Kuerten, Gabriela Prioli, Leandro Karnal, Walter Longo and Donald A. Thomas, former NASA astronaut.
Deciding under pressure
The masterclass with Gustavo Kuerten was one of the highlights of Senior Experience 2026. With the theme “Deciding under pressure: what the game teaches about choices in complex environments”, the former number 1 tennis player in the world drew parallels between high-performance sport and the corporate world, with reflections on preparation, discipline, scenario reading and emotional balance in moments of high pressure.
“There is a natural pressure when you are in the spotlight, but the big difference is in how you deal with it. I trained twice, three times more to fill gaps and arrive prepared for the competition. At the same time, before the game, I needed to disconnect from the external noise and only 10 or 5 minutes before the start of the match I returned 100% focus to the court. This is because, you enter with a plan, but the scenario changes, it requires adaptation, improvisation and persistence. The virtue of a tennis player is to solve problems and make it look easy”, says Gustavo Kuerten.
Held in an exclusive environment in the event pavilion, the masterclass brought participants and speakers together in a format aimed at exchanging experiences. The proposal was to bring together leaders who deal directly with business decisions, growth, management and building the future.
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What makes professionals irreplaceable in the age of AI
Another highlight was the talk by Gabriela Prioli and Leandro Karnal, with the theme “How to become irreplaceable in the age of AI”. The conversation addressed the role of people in a scenario of advancing artificial intelligence and the skills that tend to gain relevance as tasks become automated.
“Perhaps the first thing is to give new meaning to what we call intelligence. We are not yet talking about artificial intelligence in the human sense of the term, but about very powerful tools for reproducing, organizing and combining information. The difference remains in who has the repertoire to curate, formulate good questions and use these tools ethically and creatively. These elements are still in people’s hands”, highlighted Leandro Karnal.
The speakers spoke about critical thinking, judgment, repertoire and continuous adaptation as differentiators for professionals and leaders. At a time when AI tools already support routines, analyzes and decisions, the challenge also becomes knowing how to ask good questions, interpret contexts and decide responsibly.
“We need to learn to ask questions, to doubt and to understand which sources are being consulted. Otherwise we will believe in the hallucinations of new technologies. What we need to look for from now on is ‘Fluid Intelligence’, which is the ability to deal with logical problems”, said the lawyer and communicator.
Protagonism in a world in transition
Business transformation was also the topic of Walter Longo’s talk, a reference in innovation and digital transformation. With the theme “Protagonism in business: how to stay relevant in a world in transition”, Longo discussed what companies need to do to maintain relevance in a scenario of new technologies, changes in consumption and pressure for efficiency.
In his presentation, the specialist addressed the need for organizations to move away from a reactive stance and take on a more active role in the face of changes. For him, innovation needs to be connected to the strategy, culture and execution capacity of companies. “People seek simplicity in products, flexibility in processes, agility and individuality in relationships”, he argued.
Faced with all these challenges, managers need to take a read: “If the rate of change outside the company exceeds the rate of change inside, the end is near,” he said, paraphrasing Jack Welch (former CEO of General Electric Company). According to him, handing everything over to technology is the biggest risk of all. “We need to go beyond digital weapons, after all, in the land of robots, whoever has a heart is king”, he concluded.
Innovation inspired by space
The closing of Senior Experience 2026 was in charge of Donald A. Thomas, former NASA astronaut and veteran of four United States space shuttle missions. In his talk, “Small steps, big leaps: innovation inspired by space”, Thomas shared learnings from his journey in space exploration and related mission, science and collaboration experiences to challenges faced by companies and leaders.
A physicist and materials engineer, Thomas has accumulated more than 1,040 hours in orbit throughout his career and has worked on microgravity research and satellite deployment. On the Senior Experience stage, the former astronaut highlighted how planning, teamwork, preparation to deal with unforeseen events and vision of the future are decisive elements in highly complex projects.
“At NASA, we learned that there is no mission without uncertainty. The unknown will always be part of the path, whether in space or in business. What makes a difference is preparing for as many scenarios as possible, analyzing all the ‘what ifs’ and thinking, beforehand, about how to respond to each problem. When this happens, trust stops being just individual and starts being built with the team”, said Donald A. Thomas.
Technology applied to business practice
In addition to the main lectures, the Senior Experience featured a business fair and spaces to demonstrate solutions for different areas of business management. The program brought together tracks and arenas on topics such as artificial intelligence, data, ERP, logistics, agribusiness, industry, construction, people management and tax reform, always focusing on practical applications for medium and large companies.
With the second edition, Senior Experience reinforces Senior Sistemas’ role in promoting debates about the future of management. The meeting connected technology, leadership and practical decisions at a time when companies are seeking greater efficiency, adaptability and new growth paths.
