ACCER2021 is very honoured to have two distinguished Panelists, Prof Tom Gilbert (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) and Prof Mohd Shahir Shamsir Omar (UTHM) discussing “People Management in Academia” on 30th August 2021. Prof Tom, who is the Research Director of an established high performance research centre (Center For Evolutionary Hologenomics), and is also one of the most highly cited researchers in evolutionary biology (H index >100, grants 67 Mil DKK (RM50 mil) has shared his vast experience on managing a diverse group of people as well on how institutions could assist young staff to thrive in academia in a fast changing and unpredictable times. On the other hand, Prof Shahir who is one of the key persons on the MYRA team, addressed the importance of ensuring all levels of staff are clear about the research directions of Malaysian universities which should not just focus on world-rank but also with consideration of human factors. Both panels highlight the importance of hiring the “right” people in their team, understanding their “WHY” to keep the drive going and last but not least as a manager, we need to make every effort to know our people to help them flourish on what they are best at.