Speakers

A laser focus on super-actionable, case study driven content, keeping industry leaders informed about emerging trends and innovative solutions

2000+ ATTENDEES

250+ PRESENTERS

6 TOPIC STAGES

MAIN STAGE

Helen Webb OBE

WH Smith Chief People Officer

Helen is the Chief People Officer at WHSmith plc. She has 30+ years’ experience in retailing and financial services holding senior positions at Morrisons, ASDA, Aviva, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and The Co-op. She is a CIPD qualified HR professional with a passion for equality, inclusion, wellbeing and People Engagement within the workplace.

Joyce Idoniboye

Oxfam Chief People Officer

Results-oriented HR professional with a proven track record of driving organizational success through strategic talent management. Skilled in developing and executing people strategies that foster high-performing teams and a positive work culture. Leverage coaching expertise to unlock employee potential and foster a culture of continuous learning and development. Adept at building strong partnerships with stakeholders to deliver impactful HR solutions.

Catherine Douglas

The Co-Operative Bank Chief People Officer

A proactive and dynamic professional who effectively combines strong commercial awareness with extensive multi-site management experience in competitive industry sectors. Passionately committed to the delivery of service excellence whilst remaining focused on achieving and exceeding targets and business objectives. An innovative strategist capable of directing successful projects and change initiatives aimed at driving improvements in profitability and service delivery. A motivational and inspirational manager capable of coaching and empowering individuals to enable them to fulfil their potential whilst ensuring that they make a positive contribution to the achievement of business objectives.

Fiona Hogg

NHS Scotland Chief People Officer

Fiona joined the Scottish Government from NHS Highland, where she had been Director of People and Culture since July 2019. Prior to joining the NHS, she worked for 20 years across a range of leadership, change and people roles in the financial services and pharmaceutical research and development sectors.

Hannah Spencer

National Grid Chief People Officer

Hannah was appointed Chief People Officer at National Grid in Jan 2025 where she leads people strategies to support the company's critical infrastructure projects, talent development, and workforce planning.

Hannah has been with National Grid for approximately 13 years.

Hayley Mann

Formula E Chief People Officer

Hayley serves as the Chief People Officer at Formula E, bringing a wealth of experience in human resources and people management to her role. With a career spanning seven years in HR and people departments, coupled with six years of prior expertise in recruitment, Hayley possesses a deep understanding of fostering vibrant workplace cultures. Her passion lies in comprehending the diverse needs and desires of individuals, making her a dedicated advocate for creating an inclusive and engaging environment at Formula E.

Natalie Rogers

N Brown Group Chief People Officer

An accomplished, purpose-led Chief People officer with over 25 years strategic and operational experience at executive board level. Trusted adviser to both the CEO and executive team and experienced in all aspects of HR including Remco.

Contributing at a senior level to business transformation and major corporate transactions including M&A, divestment, and integration and business relocation.

Natalie's experience includes companies at varying stages of maturity and sophistication in terms of HR policy and practice. She has worked in different ownership arrangements, from listed through to partnership structures, centralised and global matrixed organisations and across different geographical jurisdictions, including Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, and USA.

In recent roles, Natalie has dealt with a range of complex people and engagement issues in businesses undergoing significant change. Successfully leading performance and cultural transformation programmes, whilst aligning the people and business agenda to drive improved business performance and employee engagement. These have included several target operating model (TOM) reviews, working extensively with the CEO and executive team, and leading the HR function on design and implementation.
The scale and impact of each have ranged from 750 employees in one subsidiary to 1500 employees across four different legal entities and 6000 employees in two business divisions.

Sharon Johal

Osome Chief People Officer

As Chief People Officer at Osome, Sharon Johal manages global projects related to employee engagement, fostering true inclusion, high performance driven by accountability, and onboarding. Her goal is to attract, develop, and retain top talent in order to meet the company's business goals.

Sharon is deeply committed to driving meaningful change across all dimensions of DEI. With a background in championing systemic change, she advocates for equitable opportunities for underrepresented groups in the workforce.

Renarta Guy

Aviva Investors Chief People Officer

A customer focused People leader and partner who is able to consult and influence boards, leadership teams and leaders to influence clients' business plans and goals. Qualified executive coach. Material experience in financial services and independently leading the people function to deliver business goals and organisational change.

An HR leader combining 20yrs business partnering, centre of excellence and functional leadership experience in respected multinational environments across multiple stakeholder groups and industry types. Partnered and created solutions for Board level leaders through to hourly TU affiliated environments. Substantial experience leading the spectrum of People activity from strategic to transactional activity. Directly and indirectly managed large teams of HR generalists and specialists (up to 40 directly with a further 100 in a federated model) as well as extended project teams. Worked successfully in both centralised and de-centralised HR delivery models. Operated in very lean fast paced environments and at scale. Has also held roles in specialist roles including leadership development, recruitment and reward.

Clare French

Eurail Chief People Officer

I am a highly accomplished, internationally experienced HR professional. My expertise encompasses leading employees through change, significantly improving employee engagement, and demonstrating a proactive approach to employee development and motivation.

As a forward-thinking HR leader, I excel at identifying opportunities for change and growth, continuously seeking ways to enhance organisational performance. I have consistently delivered results-driven and innovative HR solutions, aligning them with the strategic goals of the organisations I have worked with.
My strong understanding of diverse cultural contexts has enabled me to implement global best practices that cater to specific organisational needs, and one of my core strengths lies in cultivating positive work environments that foster employee engagement.

As a seasoned HR professional, I bring an exceptional level of dedication, passion, and expertise to every organisation I work with, striving to create workspaces that empower employees to reach their full potential while aligning their goals with the broader objectives of the organisation. My commitment to nurturing talent and creating a supportive culture has resulted in the continuous growth and success of the teams I have managed.

Kate Evans

Norton Rose Fulbright Chief People Officer

Senior HR and learning professional with almost 20 years of international experience of working with C-Suite professionals supporting major brands across a range of sectors. Extensive experience in creating and executing winning people strategies. Excellent record of driving and leading culture change in complex organisations and in multiple regions and disciplines. Kate has broad business knowledge and commercial acumen and has been commended for her focus on creating the optimum high performance climate for the business and her teams.

Francesca Golding

Nationwide Director of Colleague Engagement

Francesca Golding, based in Shrivenham, GB, is currently a Director of Colleague Engagement at Nationwide Building Society. Francesca Golding brings experience from previous roles at Nationwide Building Society.

Sacha Harvey

Lucky Saint People Director

With over 12 years of experience in learning, development, and people experience, I am an innovative and creative professional who is passionate about the wellbeing, performance, and growth of people and businesses. As the People Director at Lucky Saint, a B Corp certified company that produces alcohol-free beer, I lead and implement people strategies that align with the company's values, vision, and goals.

My core competencies include L&D strategy, career development, inductions, employee training, management training, people management, team management, employee wellbeing, engagement and retention, data analysis, quality assurance, performance management, reporting, and budget management. I have a proven track record of building and owning strategies, and rolling out to exceed targets and expectations. I collaborate effectively across departments and at all levels, including CEO and senior management, and forge successful business relationships with third party training providers. I have a master's degree in applied positive psychology and coaching psychology, and I am a certified Strengthscope practitioner. I believe in evolving a culture of learning and a growth mindset to offer engaging opportunities for employees and benefit the company. I am big on innovation and using people analytics to create and implement people strategies that enable flourishing in the workplace.

Kate Aldridge

England & Wales Cricket Board EDI Director

Kate is currently the EDI Director at England & Wales Cricket Board .

Sonia Gupta

Save the Children International Global Talent and Learning Director

An experienced change leader with a successful record in leading and executing value-driven strategic people change programmes. A competent and professional senior leader, who maximises and develops the team’s capability, in order to achieve quantifiable results. With a unique specialism in organisational change and delivering innovative talent and learning programmes, she is an expert in building and sustaining organisational capability. She has a unique background in consulting and industry across different sectors and cultures, enabling her to be a insightful and powerful leader.

Luke Mason

Bolt Global Head of Executive Talent Acquisition

Luke joined Bolt in September 2024 as Global Head of Executive Talent Acquisition.

Ceri Connolly

Lloyds Banking Group People Director Insurance, Pensions & Investments

Ceri joined LBG in 2017 and since 2019 she has been the People Director for Insurance, Pensions & Investments. In addition to her day job, Ceri stepped in for 6 months in 2023 to also hold the role of Group DE&I Director and more recently was appointed as the Group’s Workplace Community Leader for Leeds. Ceri’s career began at Aviva, where she joined as an HR graduate: spending 18 years in various people-focused roles and culminating as the HR & Internal Communications Director for the UK Life and Pensions business. After Aviva, she worked as an HR Change consultant, primarily with Hastings Direct on their growth strategy and launch of a new operations centre. Ceri's expertise lies in major people transformation and change roles, including significant leadership of complex M&A programmes. She’s passionate about embedding best-in-class people and customer centric ways of working and is a judge for the Business Culture Awards and Personnel Today.

Rachael Payne

Jaguar Land Rover Head of Training

I’m very lucky to LOVE what I do and find my niche in working life which gives me boundless energy and enthusiasm.

I love the feeling that learning gives me and others; I always want to be better and live for helping others to succeed for the present and future.

I’m grateful every day for my epic daughters who have taught me to find balance and realise that the true joy in life is in committing to the moment. Sometimes that moment is a massive presentation and sometimes that moment is pushing a swing for 45 minutes straight; they are both equally important.

So, that’s me! I thought that was better than ‘demonstrative experience in education strategy and execution and a proven leader’. If I couldn’t do that it would slightly problematic considering the career I choose.

Reach out for anything, it’s always lovely to connect and I’ll leave you with the best advice I’ve ever received (from my incredible dad)

‘Get the teeth on high beam!’
It works every time, EVERY time.

Jennifer Lynch

Skyscanner Head of Learning & Development

With global experience leading Learning & Development and Organizational Development initiatives, I specialize in growing leaders, managers, and teams to deliver exceptional results. I aim to make the complex simple for others, ask powerful questions for better results, and turn ideas into action.

I’ve led end-to-end learning cycles that drive real impact, from leadership and management development to performance and skills strategies. At Skyscanner, I’m shaping leadership, skills, and change programs to empower people and fuel our business success as part of our brilliant People team. I love to geek out on leadership, psychology and all things learning!

Chris Parkinson

Bupa Global Head Organisational Development

I am a leadership, organisational development and talent expert, with blue-chip industry, consulting and public sector experience. My passion is to ensure that the solutions I develop truly integrate with the business strategy and have a positive impact on individuals.

I am an experienced project and operational leader who has undertaken roles globally, managing extensive teams with multi-million pound budgets. This has been focused in the areas of leadership development, organisational effectiveness and talent management.

I have really excelled when I have been presented with business issues and asked to develop solutions for them. I am able to gain cross-organisational support and momentum to ensure that people-related projects ‘stick’ and add value to the organisation. I strive to involve others in the solution to ensure better results and greater traction.

Sarah Tegerdine

Channel 4 Head of People Partnering

A qualified commercially driven strategic Head of HR and Development with a depth of experience mainly in the media sector.

With extensive experience in both strategic and operational human resource management and people development, I am a senior generalist practitioner who is able to communicate effectively at all levels.

My Head of HR specialist skills include: organisational design; employee relations; talent acquisition and talent mapping; TUPE; payroll, benefits and HR system management; employee engagement; workforce planning; coaching; design and delivery of learning and development programmes; a practitioner of Insights; a mental health accredited practitioner; facilitator of team development sessions; change management; building resilience workshops; wellbeing strategy; diversity and inclusion.

I also have the privilege of supporting schools and the military prepare their people for the next chapter of their lives.

Samantha Francis

Haleon Head of Benefits - EMEA & APAC

Samantha joined in November 2024 as Head of Benefits at Haleon.

Simon Gibson

Center Parcs UK & Ireland Head of Talent

Simon has a fresh and modern look on the world of work as an experienced Executive level People Leader. He carries a real passion to deliver meaningful commercial Change/Transformation via appropriate Learning/Organisational Development/Talent initiatives. He has a varied history and experience of working in different sectors and economic climates. From start-up to large multi-national Corporate including fields such as Finance (b2b and b2c), I.T., Sales, SaS, Solar Energy, Distribution, Media & Digital, Retail and Hospitality.

Tolu Osho

Diageo Head of Rewards- Continental Europe & MENA

A highly experienced HR and Reward professional with experience at various leading consulting and financial organisations. Tolu has held various specialist and generalist HR roles and possesses broad knowledge and experience of various facets within HR.

Tolu is accustomed to working in fast paced organisations and has a track record of working under pressure to deliver innovative results and meet deadlines.

Tolu is able to work at a tactical and strategic level and has experience of engaging with senior level stakeholders and other key decision makers to develop and implement policies and strategies.

Keeley Watts

The Alchemist Head of HR

Passionate about creating a vibrant and inclusive workplace culture within the hospitality industry, I bring over 8 years of experience as a Human Resources leader to my role as the Head of HR at The Alchemist Bar and Restaurant.

With a deep-rooted belief in the power of people to drive business success, I am dedicated to implementing strategic HR initiatives that align with the company's goals and values, whilst ensuring HR are accessible to all in the business.

Truly putting the ‘human’ in Human Resources, with a splash of colour and creativity, letting our teams be their authentic selves and supporting in a unique way to meet the strategic commercial vision for the business.

An Award Winning, Senior HR Professional with an MSc in HR Management and a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, I was thrilled to be awarded the Staff Wellbeing Award in 2022 with my HR Team.

I proudly sit on the Employment Advisory Board for HMP Hindley, supporting men leaving the prison with employment skills and also work with CIPD Trust within HMP Styal to support women leaving with CV and interview techniques.

Si Cox

Greene King Head of Learning Experience

Si is a dynamic leader specialising in employee engagement and learning innovation, with over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry. As Head of Learning Experience at Greene King Pub Company, Si oversees the design and delivery of impactful learning strategies for over 40,000 team members, helping to foster a culture of growth and excellence.

Drawing on expertise across operations, talent development, and organisational change, Si has successfully implemented transformative initiatives, including the launch of cutting-edge digital learning platforms and tailored career pathways.

These programs have not only enhanced employee engagement but have also improved retention and performance across Greene King’s extensive pub network. Passionate about creating meaningful development opportunities, Si believes in putting people at the heart of organisational success. By blending innovative technology with human-centered design, they ensure that employees feel supported, empowered, and equipped to excel in their roles.

Nick Searing

Butlin's Head of Internal Communications

Nick has worked with a variety of brands within the internal comms space including Virgin Media, Prezzo and is now Head of Internal Comms at Butlins.

Sean Tolram

HSBC Head of Mindfulness

The human brain is an amazing thing. But how often do we think about the conditions it needs to perform at its best? Are we even aware when our brains are exhausted and in need of a break?

With a focus on mindfulness, neuroscience and coaching, I'm interested in creating working environments which support our basic human needs. This opens up the possibility of turning work into something that's good for us, that makes us happy, and allows us to achieve our true potential.

Matt Cooper

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Head of Digital Communications

Experienced communications professional who has been working in NHS provider communications for a number of years.

With a press office background, I am a communications all-rounder and enjoy delivering external, corporate and internal communications projects, especially leading on change management projects.

I have recently launched a new intranet at King's College Hospital NHS FT.

I am digital-savvy and have a keen interest in videography and developing websites/intranets.

I have completed CIPR's Professional Diploma in Public Relations with the Cambridge Marketing College.

Lee Irving

Avanti West Coast Head of Internal Communications

Lee is currently the head of internal communications at Avanti West Coast. Prior to this, he spent 7.5 years at Thames Water, initially starting in the press office and producing the company's monthly magazine, before moving over to internal communications, and eventually promoted to head of internal communications and engagement at the start of 2023. Before Thames Water, Lee was a journalist working for local newspapers in Dorset and Somerset, as well as being a freelance sportswriter for national titles.

Lisa Gorski

HSBC Head of Performance, Group Communications and Brand

Lisa Gorski, based in United Kingdom, is currently a Head of Performance and People Strategy, Global Communications and Brand at HSBC. Lisa Gorski brings experience from previous roles at HSBC.

Maureen Chambers

Resillion Head of Internal Communications and Engagement

With almost 25 years of experience in internal communications, Maureen is an expert in delivering strategic and impactful communications that engage and inform diverse audiences across different sectors and industries.

She has led and supported multiple large-scale change and transformation programmes, including mergers and acquisitions and organisational restructures.

She has a proven track record of building solid relationships with senior stakeholders, providing professional and trusted communications advice, and leading teams both directly and virtually.

Following a successful career at BT, and several years at William Hill, Maureen decided to return to contract work. She spent some time working at Imperial Brands and The Crown Estate before joining Resillion late last year. She is now their Head of Internal Communications and Engagement, a new role at the company.

Resillion provides global quality engineering, testing, conformance, interoperability and assurance services from initiation to launch across software .

Nagina Kayani

WWF Head of Diversity,Equity & Inclusion

Experienced Diversity, Equality & Inclusion practitioner with a demonstrated history of working across public sector and charity sector. Skilled in developing and delivering DEI interventions, Programme & Project management,Community Engagement, Leadership, Contract Management, Positive Action initiatives,Policy development and review Team Leadership, and Employee Engagement.

Dan Selinger

University of Oxford Head of Communications and Engagement - Professional Service

Dan Selinger has more than 15 years’ experience working in communications roles in the education sector. He is currently Head of Communications and Engagement – Professional Services at the University of Oxford, where he is responsible for a wide range of internal and external communications activities. He previously worked at Oxford University Press where he held a variety of corporate communication roles – covering the UK, Africa and Australia.

Amy Ellis

phs Group Head of Internal Communications and Engagement

I lead the Internal Communications function at phs Group, with responsibility for all communications and engagement for our 3,000 employees. My role is to lead the function and ensure we're providing technical expertise and guidance for communications around the business and to execute communications for the group and for leadership. I own all communications channels and ensure we're using the right channels, at the right time, for the right audiences so our people are fully informed and engaged with our activities.

Hannah Rolph

Knight Frank Head of Talent Acquisition

Hannah Rolph is a leading figure in talent acquisition, renowned for her innovative approach and ethical decision-making. Starting her career in early careers recruitment, Hannah quickly established herself as a champion for diversity and inclusion. With a wealth of experience across multiple sectors, she has consistently demonstrated a commitment to fostering inclusive environments and unlocking the potential of young talent, regardless of background. Hannah is passionate about technology, innovation and fostering high performance teams - her latest role at Knight Frank see's her redesign their talent acquisition strategy for 2025 and beyond.

Odette Hamilton

MUFG Head of Employee Experience and Engagement EMEA

With extensive experience as a HR professional, I am currently serving as the Head of Employee Experience and Engagement EMEA at MUFG Bank, Ltd. My passion lies in shaping workplace culture, driving employee engagement, championing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and also in elevating the voice of employees and creating a working environment where employees feel heard, safe, and connected.

I excel in working in complex global matrix management environments and also in senior stakeholder management to consistently deliver innovative solutions that elevate organisational success. I have extensive and accomplished experience in all aspects of HR, especially policy development, employee relations, and the delivery of multiple global and regional projects.

Let's connect to explore opportunities for collaboration, share insights, and contribute to the ongoing dialogue on building inclusive, engaged, and innovative workplace cultures.

Luna Frank-Riley

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Head of Diversity and Inclusion

Luna was the Recruitment Lead for Diversity and Inclusion for the Ministry of Justice for 16 years before emabarking on her role in 2001 as Head of Diversity and Inclusion - Science and Innovation at Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Askin Yasar

PepsiCo Head of Total Rewards

Aşkin Yaşar, based in United Kingdom, is currently a Head of Total Rewards, United Kingdom and Ireland at PepsiCo.

Rebecca Moran

Chatham House Head of HR

Rebecca Moran, based in London, Greater London, United Kingdom, is currently a Head of Human Resources at Chatham House. Rebecca Moran brings experience from previous roles at Chatham House, Mander Portman Woodward Limited, Crown Aspinalls London and Naija Fine Wine Club. Rebecca Moran holds a 2004 - 2008 Master of Arts in Business, Business Studies @ University of Edinburgh.

Kelly Newman

Shakespeare Martineau LLP Head of Internal Communication & Engagement

Hello, I’m Kelly, a marketing communications professional with significant experience in strategic communications, national and international employee engagement initiatives, and managing social responsibility and charity partnerships. I also have corporate and brand marketing experience in both the private and public sectors. I am currently group head of internal communication and engagement for Ampa, a group of seven brands, within which leading national full service law firm Shakespeare Martineau is the largest.

As a motivated individual and all-round team player, I’m driven to succeed with proven, award-winning results. I lead integrated communications and engagement campaigns including resource, people and budget management. I apply attention to detail to monitor and adapt campaigns to ensure ROI and high engagement, optimising robust processes to ensure communications are delivered to best practice standards.

My creative flair, judgement, excellent communication skills and presentation expertise are invaluable with internal and external stakeholders alike. I have excellent negotiation and influencing skills, essential for calm and efficient problem-solving and managing multiple projects.

Specialities
• Strategic internal communications (with experience in highly-regulated industries)
• Change communications
• Internal engagement
• Marketing and communications
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Event marketing and management
• Experience in the Legal sector, Financial Services, Higher Education, Events and Fundraising

Rachel Lees

Money Plus Head of Recruitment, Learning and Development

With a background of over 10 years in people leadership in technology, retail, communications and financial services, Rachel currently leads the Talent and Learning & Development functions at MoneyPlus. A true advocate for employee engagement and experience, and an enthusiast for driving organisational performance through people and culture, Rachel aims to knit together key people elements to foster an open, consistent and inclusive environment were people feel empowered to thrive.

Rachel Dale

MSCI Inc. Head of Talent Development

I’m seasoned leader of talent, learning, leadership and culture development teams with diverse sector experience. A commercial background, business psychology training and a strong delivery focus position me to leader talent, culture and people development with impact. I have a strong track record of translating corporate strategy into people strategy, specifying the investments in people that will deliver strategic aims. I drive innovation and results by up skilling teams in evidence-based practice, Design Thinking and Agile methods to ensure the interventions they design will work for colleagues and deliver for the business.

I’m currently Head of Talent Development globally for MSCI. Prior to that lead Leadership, Learning and Culture team of 45 at Nationwide. During that time I was a Director of the Financial Services Skills Commission. I have also lead Talent and Leadership Team at Sky and the Global Learning Team at PA Consulting Group. I have worked as a consultant both as an Business Psychologist and, prior to mid-career retraining, in strategy and marketing. I started my career working as a Brand Manager for Unilever, where I uncovered a passion for innovation that has been a consistent theme of my professional life.

Alongside team leadership, I have considerable experience of executive coaching, psychometric design, training delivery and facilitation of groups large and small. I enjoy balancing these practical skills alongside setting strategic direction and working with senior stakeholders. I maintain my professional skills and knowledge by my membership of the British Psychological Society and by regularly speaking at HR events.

Dev Mistry

Dojo Internal Communications Specialist

For over a decade, Dev has been supporting a range of brands with his expertise in relationship management and stakeholder engagement. Currently Internal Communications Lead at Dojo, Dev has worked for the likes of Virgin Media O2, DICE, Honda and Subaru over his career – managing PR, CSR, Social Media and Internal Communications.

People-focused communications are at the heart of Dev’s approach, no matter the size of maturity of the business. This is coupled with Dev’s proactive stance on inclusivity and equity within business processes, culture and communications, both from a personal and professional point of view. Outside of work, Dev also has a keen interest in initiatives supporting LGBTQ+ and BIPOC people respectively, through volunteer projects, cabaret performances and mentoring schemes.

Craig Taylor

Nationwide Senior Manager - Colleague Engagment

My responsible and varied career path has given me the opportunity to develop the following skills:

• Comprehensive communication skills
• Stakeholder management
• Effective and efficient problem solving
• Ability to prioritise my workload
• I use my initiative, and learn both quickly and enthusiastically
• I am always striving for self improvement
• Consistently delivers and thrives even under severe pressure
• Strong Financial Sector working background
• Project planning and implementation

Amy Darks

Nationwide Senior Colleague Engagement Manager - Communications

I’m a passionate storyteller, committed to delivering meaningful and effective communications that have colleagues at the heart.

I have a breadth of experience in creating multi-channel communication strategies and leading company-wide campaigns and projects. Alongside this, I’ve had the pleasure of business partnering a number of senior exec leaders.

Prior to internal communications, I was a PRINCE2 project manager - planning and delivering end to end, large scale business transformation programmes.

Victoria Wilson

Royal Air Force (Ministry of Defence) Employee Engagement Team Manager

Victoria is an Employee Engagement Manager within the Ministry of Defence. She has worked in various civil service roles across the MOD for 18 years. Working in the HR profession, with a background in learning and development, she is passionate about facilitating a culture which allows people to flourish in their job roles.

Michelle Sage

Royal Air Force (Ministry of Defence) Employee Engagement Advisor

Michelle (Shell) Sage is an Employee Engagement Advisor within the Civil Service, working with the Royal Air Force since 2019. Prior to that she spent 11 years as a photographer working along side the Royal Air Force. People have always been at the heart of everything she works towards, and in her current role, with her team, in trying to make the workplace a better place for everyone.

Jonathan Austin

Best Companies Founder & CEO

Jonathan Austin is the Founder and CEO of Best Companies Ltd, the UK’s workplace engagement specialist.

Best Companies are pioneers of Employee Engagement for the UK. During their first year of trading they successfully published their first list of the 50 Best Companies to Work For in The Sunday Times.

Best Companies are now recognised as the experts in Employee Engagement for small, mid and big private sector and also not for profit organisations.

Today, Jonathan is even more enthused about engagement and ensures he is at the forefront of all they do, bringing a personal touch to an ever growing business.

Peter Durkin

Blink VP of Sales

Peter is the VP of Sales at Blink and has held the position for nearly 3 years.

David Purcell

HC-One Internal Communications Manager

David recently joined HC-One as their Internal Communications Manager.

Christina Lewis

Bolt Head of Global Operations and Engagement

Chrissie leads Global Operations at Bolt and has a decade of experience leading teams in fast-growth start-ups, including as an early-stage team member at Deliveroo. Passionate about Gender Equity and people-orientated leadership, Chrissie previously led the Gender Equity ERG at Deliveroo, spearheading the first woman-focused mentoring scheme, as well as introducing Accelerate, Deliveroo's programme for high-potential women. Chrissie was recently featured as a 'Women to Watch' in Tourism, Hospitality and Lesuire by WIHTL.

Cathy Brown

Handley Studios Ltd. Co-Founder

Cathy (she/her) works with people and organisations to create inclusive, healthy and more productive workplaces that work for everyone.

A renowned leader, speaker and communicator, Cathy blends curiosity and empathy with deep cross-sector experience. She prides herself on helping people move out of stressful situations to create human-focused workplace cultures where compassion and connectedness – and people – are encouraged and valued.
Cathy has led organisations across a range of industries including Engage for Success (the UK’s movement for Employee Engagement), and has helped to transform many more through her work as Capability Brown, and most recently at Management Geek.
Cathy carries her personal experience of neurodivergence into the solutions she co-creates with her clients, through conversations, commitment and curiosity - helping them to manage themselves and their teams in ways that work for everyone.

Jo Moffatt

Engage for Success Strategy Director

Jo has been a volunteer with the Engage for Success movement since its launch. As Strategy Director she sits on the Core Team and co-hosts the weekly Engage for Success radio show. EFS radio draws guests from across the engagement world with interesting stories to share. The Engage for Success agenda is absolutely aligned with Jo’s vision ‘to make workplaces better places to be’. Jo’s ‘day job’ is MD and founder of Woodreed, a specialist ad agency who use the tools, techniques, creativity and insight of the advertising world to engage employees inside organisations. Jo is passionate about brands and their power to move people. She is equally passionate about employee engagement and its vital role in delivering a high performing organisation. Put the two together and she becomes almost evangelical about the power a well-positioned and consistently delivered brand has as a catalyst for employee engagement and business success.

Charlotte Dahl

Woodreed Creative Planning Director

Charlotte is a director at specialist advertising agency Woodreed. She's an accomplished speaker, writer and facilitator, with a unique view on employee engagement and internal communications, having spent equal parts of her career in consumer, then employee communications. Having worked for clients spanning every industry sector, including Marks & Spencer, The National Lottery, Volkswagen Group, Jaguar Land Rover, Guinness World Records and the NHS, she brings the rigour of consumer marketing into internal communications. She is passionate about raising the profile, standards and effectiveness of internal communication, believing employees AND customers deserve the same reverence, effort and creativity in communication. Appearing on stages at home and abroad, she's talked for senior leadership summits and in-house teams as well as for the CIPD, Institute of Internal Communications, Engage for Success and at ABTA's travel convention in Malta. She's a regular chair for Engage Business Media's events and delivers training for the IoIC.

Jo Dodds

Engage for Success Co-Strategy Director

As co-Strategy Director of Engage for Success, Jo is focused on spreading the word about employee engagement and shining a light on good practise, inspiring people and workplaces to thrive. She also co-hosts the long running weekly Engage for Success radio podcast talking all things employee engagement with a wide range of guests from all over the world. Her corporate background is in regional and national HR and training roles within large retail and leisure organisations. She started her own business in 2005 and has since worked with people and organisations to take advantage of the digital and social media opportunities to create engagement with customers, employees and other stakeholders.

Martin Hill-Wilson

Brainfood Consulting Founder

I'm a customer engagement and digital business strategist. Also an author and international keynote speaker. Working under my own brand, Brainfood Consulting, I design masterclasses and transformational change helping clients evolve their social and digital capabilities. Current topics include omni-channel design, proactive, low effort customer experience, social customer service and customer hubs. All themed around service innovation.

Ruby Wax

Ruby Wax OBE

From the Royal Shakespeare Company to primetime TV; from a master's degree in mindfulness based cognitive therapy from Oxford University to best-selling author; from a mental health campaigner to being awarded an OBE for services to mental health. This is Ruby.

Steve Clarke

Virgin Atlantic People Communications Lead

Steve leads a team of communications professionals responsible for people engagement and culture, content development and storytelling, and communication channels at Virgin Atlantic. Steve spearheaded Virgin Atlantic’s launch of Workplace by Meta, and has radically evolved the approach to people communications to focus on mobile first, audio-visual storytelling.

Christina Lewis

Bolt Head of Global Operations and Engagement

Sarah Hood

Bupa Global Head of Engagement

Sarah has worked at Bupa for over 21 years, with a background in customer service and operations management in both healthcare provision and funding, before making the switch to HR in 2015. Sarah now leads Bupa’s engagement strategy and vision, and the delivery of a global listening program connecting all employees. Bupa employs 85,000 people in a mixture of healthcare provision and healthcare funding businesses around the world.

Emma Illingworth

OVO Head of People Transformation

A people centered, award winning, HR leader, with a track record of partnering Executive Leaders to design and deliver People Strategies. Led multiple large-scale acquisition, restructuring / efficiency, EVP and culture transformation programs.

Quick, creative thinker, calm under pressure, with a considered approach. Often described as an agitator and playmaker to achieve what can often feel like impossible change programmes. I thrive in bringing people together to co-create and deliver improved people's experiences.

Louisa McCabe

AXA Head of Internal Communications

I’d spent a number of years building a successful career in financial and technology marketing when I had what I can only describe as a career epiphany. I realised that two things really make me tick, people and their stories. So, I made the jump from marketing to internal communications.

With several senior communication roles and an MA under my belt, my only regret is I didn't make the move sooner. I now spend my days doing what I love, connecting people with our leaders, sharing stories, celebrating the good stuff, and supporting people through the tough stuff.

Core skills include developing high performing teams, building and maintaining trust with senior stakeholders, strategic thinking, content development, campaign creation, writing, events, and change management.

Dev Mistry

Dojo Internal Communications Specialist

Anaïs Nebel

Lipsy London Group Culture & Communications Manager

Anaïs is a culture leader and brand strategy expert, passionate about people empowerment. She leads culture and communications for Lipsy, a fashion and beauty group made up of 7 brands including Victoria’s Secret UK and Gap UK. Anaïs is known for creating out-of-the box engagement campaigns that create vibrant connections and bring the soul of a company to life.

She started her career in consulting before working for global retailers such as Estée Lauder Companies and The Body Shop. She has a unique understanding of internal and external brand experience - and how to make it resonate - having worked in marketing and customer experience before going into leadership development and people experience. In her current role, she looks after Wellbeing, Charity, Internal Comms, Employee Listening and Employer Branding.

Carlo Beschi

Treatwell Lead Agile Coach

I help value flow.

An accomplished professional, with a very broad skill set and 15+ years of experience in digital product delivery, cultural change and organizational transformation.

I leverage on agile-lean practices to partner with leaders and teams, and help them improve their time to market, customer engagement, product quality and operational efficiency.
I love envisioning, strategizing, and executing - both individually and together with others.

I relentlessly cultivate a safe, vibrant, collaborative working environment, focussed on learning, engagement and innovation. A place where people grow, projects succeed, and business KPIs flourish - all at the same time.

Beth Perry

First Central Head of Internal Communications and Culture

Hey, I’m Beth, Head of Internal Communications and Culture at First Central Group. With over a decade’s experience in creative and strategic positions, I’m a firm believer that comms and culture go hand-in-hand to deliver an awesome colleague experience. In a nutshell, it’s about listening, seeing people as people, and combining this with data to inform a truly authentic and kick-ass plan…that everyone wants to be part of.

Since joining First Central Group, we’ve been making a name for ourselves culturally by ranking #22 in Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work UK 2024 list, #7 for 2023’s Best Places to Work Wellbeing list and #7 in Best Places for Women (Super Large) …just to name a few.

When I’m not at work, I’m normally planning my next adventure (or living one). From Rio Carnival to the Trans-Siberian Railway, I’m never a few months away from a plane or immersing myself into something new.

Wendy Murphy

Exinity VP Corporate Communications

Wendy Murphy is VP of Corporate Communications at Exinity, a global fintech with offices in multiple locations around the world. Passionate about engagement and creating holistic experiences for colleagues, she was part of the core team that helped roll out a new wellbeing strategy across the company.

Melanie Page

Balfour Beatty Head of Group Innovation Programmes

Melanie has over two decades of change and transformation experience and has been at Balfour Beatty, the leading international infrastructure group, for over 16 years, spanning roles in IT, Digital and Communications.

Melanie heads up 'My Contribution': Balfour Beatty's award-winning engagement programme that harnesses the enthusiasm, knowledge, and expertise of the workforce to crowd-source ideas, innovate and problem solve. My Contribution gives employees a voice and empowers them to make positive change through the creation of powerful solutions that drive strategic growth and help make Balfour Beatty a great place to work.

Jeremy Gautrey-Jones

RSPCA Assistant Director Employee Experience

An highly experienced, Chartered FCIPD strategic HR and employee/industrial Relations professional that is results focused with a proven track record in a variety of sectors including the public, transport, higher education and charity sectors and who has worked at a UK, European and International level. Highly successful in negotiating and implementing change with trade unions and staff groups on key policy issues including pay and reward systems, organisational change programmes, TUPE transfers and terms & conditions of employment. Extensive experience in developing people strategies, structures and processes, leading negotiations, employee engagement, change management programmes, organisational change and project managing at the most senior levels. Proven track record in improving ER behaviours and cultures in difficult unionised climates. A resilient, effective and persuasive communicator who can influence key stakeholders in complex political landscapes. Highly effective in building relationships. A knowledgeable employment law specialist and experience Judicial Member of the Employment Tribunal. Key Speaker and contributor at a variety of conferences, webinars, podcasts and publications on industrial relations, managing change, hybrid working and wellbeing including HR Retail Bulletin, Personnel Today, CIPD.

Victoria Wilson

Royal Air Force (Ministry of Defence) Employee Engagement Team Manager

Michelle Sage

Royal Air Force (Ministry of Defence) Employee Engagement Advisor

Alix Ainsley

Virgin Group People Experience Director

Alix and Charlotte have worked as practitioners in HR for 25+ years, and whilst they describe themselves as commercial HR partners to the business, they also hold a great deal of experience in organisation and talent development field. They have worked together in a job share for over 11 years, and their passion for developing and coaching leaders has led them to a powerful belief in the positive impact that outstanding leaders can have on the performance of an organisation.

Alix and Charlotte bring their experience and leadership to their current role, leading the people partnering and proposition teams. The ‘north star’ for the team is alignment to Virgin’s organisational purpose, this means investing in, developing, and inspiring the teams that are Changing Business for Good.

Charlotte Cherry

Virgin Group People Experience Director

Emma Hughes

Phoenix Group Communication and Engagement of Colleague Representation Forum

Emma Hughes leads Communication and Engagement for the Phoenix Colleague Representation Forum, part of the Phoenix Group.
With over 20 years’ experience of internal communication, specialising in bringing the colleague experience to life and integrating the colleague voice into people initiatives.
Emma and the PCRF team won the engage award for best use of Innovation in employee engagement in 2023.

Susan Reilly

Phoenix Group Head of Colleague Representation

Susan Reilly is the Head of Phoenix Colleague Representation Forum, part of the Phoenix Group.

With over 15 years’ experience and a qualification in Employment Law, she is passionate about colleague engagement, building effective partnerships and the power of the colleague voice.

Susan specialises in colleague representation and progressive partnership working and loves utilising her skills and experience to create and promote industry leading representation propositions and it’s benefits in the modern workplace.

Susan created the PCRF in 2021 and they successfully won the engage award for best use of Innovation in employee engagement in 2023.

She lives near Edinburgh and loves spending time with her friends and family, particularly the latest addition to the family, her first grandchild.

Neil Morrison

Severn Trent Group Human Resources Director

Experienced FTSE100 executive with broad international experience. Neil has led fast moving, high growth organisations as well as those undergoing significant transformation and change, including both mergers and acquisitions. His career has included time working in media, retail, B2B services and utilities - all in times of significant change.

Technically, he has expertise in change management (especially digital transformation), compensation and benefits (including remuneration committees), organisational development, talent management, strategic resourcing, employee relations and communications. He's partnered with a range of CEOs and board members and contribute to the broader business leadership and strategy.

He prides himself on his communication skills and broad business knowledge. Down to earth, calm and measured whilst still working at pace and focused on delivery. The range of his experience means he's learnt to adapt and flex to different industries and cultures. he's also a qualified coach.

When he's not working, he is passionate about education, skills and the world of work in general. He's a regular commentator on leadership and management and has written for publications in the UK and US and spoken at conferences across the globe.

Tanai Vadera

Nando's Senior Product Manager

I describe myself as a young, confident and determined individual who has the drive and enthusiasm to work in all environments. I am always willing to learn to new things and obtain new learnings that will enhance my current skill set and benefit my employer in the best way possible.

Helen Card

Homes England Head of Internal and Digital Communications

Helen is a public sector communications leader and works as part of the Government Communication Service. Currently Helen is Head of Internal and Digital Communications at Homes England, the Governments Housing and Regeneration Agency. Previous to this Helen worked at the Cabinet Office as Head of Civil Service Communications and Cabinet Office Internal Communications. Helen is passionate about employee engagement and internal communications and how this makes a difference to organisations and people’s experience in the workplace. Helen is currently studying a MSc at the University of Huddersfield, in Strategic Communications Leadership.

Parysa Hosseini-Sech

Onecom People & Culture Director

Parysa Hosseini-Sech is the dynamic People & Culture Director at Onecom Group, known for her expertise in transformational change and a deep passion for talent development. With more than a decade at Onecom Group, she has been pivotal in growing the company to over 600 employees, skillfully navigating organic growth and acquisitions. Parysa's innovative approach places engagement at the core of people management, resulting in tangible commercial successes. She spearheaded an award-winning leadership development program, emphasising diverse talent nurturing strategies, from upskilling to mentoring. Under her leadership, Onecom embraced agile working and comprehensive health and wellbeing schemes, foundational during the pandemic and beyond.

John Townsend

Unicef UK Head of Internal Communications

John has a host of internal communications experience leading teams in the not-for-profit sector. He has been Head of Internal Communications at UNICEF UK for the last seven years, working to keep his colleagues informed, connected and inspired. Previously he led the internal communications function at the NSPCC, The Children’s Society and the Hilton Foundation.

John believes passionately in the power of internal communications to set the tone for an organisation’s culture, leading to better places to work and ultimately better organisational results.

Neil Bestford

Byggfakta Group Group Director of Brand and People Experience

Neil is Group Director of Brand and People Experience at Byggfakta Group. With over 20-years' experience, he specialises in fostering productivity, cultivating positive workplace culture, and harnessing the power and connectivity of brand, people experience, and health and wellbeing. Neil joined global commercial construction data organisation, ByggfaktaGroup, in late 2022, having previously spent 5-years as an employer brand and workplace culture consultant. His holistic approach ensures sustainable success and thriving teams within a diverse group of market-leading businesses across five global territories. Neil's insights, honed through a career dedicated to enhancing organisational culture and employee experience, are invaluable assets that empowers Byggfakta Group and its 30+ businesses to thrive in today's competitive commercial and talent marketplaces.

Henry Elworthy

John Lewis Partnership Partner Communications & Engagement Lead

Originally trained as a journalist, Henry has a decade of experience in corporate communications from crisis management to strategy launches. As an employee engagement expert, he’s rolled out employer brands, developed employee value propositions and created innovative routes to hear and measure employees’ opinions and feedback at scale.

At the John Lewis Partnership, he leads the team accountable for internal and external channels, events, planning, and leadership communications, as well as running a team of communicators charged with delivering fast-paced change communications. With 25 million hits to their intranet each year, over 70 sites and 550 communities to manage, there’s rarely a dull moment in his team.

Victoria Black

The Travel Chapter Head of Internal Communications

Victoria is a communications specialist with over 15 years of experience in customer and employee communications. Having started her career as a legal secretary specialising in employment law, she quickly transitioned into a marketing communications role and soon realised her passion for engaging audiences through communications and events. After years of specialising in email marketing, Victoria followed her passion for employee engagement and is now Head of Internal Communications at Travel Chapter, a leading holiday property company that operates multiple brands across the UK.

Laura Jamieson

Alshaya Group Head of Internal Communications

A seasoned expert in strategic internal communications and employee engagement having worked across multiple industries and regions. With a proven track record of understanding business needs to develop and deliver bespoke communications strategies and drive employee engagement. An advocate for the power internal communications and employee experience.

Duaa Almousawi

Alshaya Group Internal Communications Executive

Duaa brings a distinctive perspective and vision to the field of marketing and communications through her diverse experiences and forward-thinking approaches. Her ability to blend creativity with strategic thinking allows her to see opportunities where others might not, while her dedication to authentic connection-building ensures that her message resonates deeply with audiences, both in-person and online. This unique combination enables Duaa to inspire change and make a lasting, positive impact in her region and beyond.

Daniela Hoyos

Swissport Communications Manager

Global communications manager with over 10 years of experience leading communication programs in global Fortune 500 companies such as: Qatar Airways, Booking.com and Amazon. Now leading the employee experience transformation at Swissport.

Ross Parker

Allianz Employee Engagement Manager

An influential leader with over 10 years’ experience in the field of Employee Engagement, Wellbeing and Recognition.

Ross inspires and leads a network of Engagement Reps, Wellbeing Reps and Mental Health First Aiders to champion a culture where people matter, and voices are heard.

Following Allianz acquisition of LV= General Insurance, Ross is now using his expertise to roll out people strategies across Allianz Holdings.

Ross has led his past organisation to receive industry recognition as well leading project teams to scoop-up a number of internal awards too.

Dr Sarah Pass

Engage for Success

Sarah is a practitioner-focused academic concentrating on employee experience and engagement. Sarah is a member of the Engage for Success (EFS) Advisory Board. She also sits on the EFS steering group, chairs the East Midlands Area Network, the Line Managers TAG, the Engagement Champion TAG, and is the co-project lead for the EFS annual survey. In 2023, Sarah was ranked by HR Magazine as an Influential Thinker in HR. She is a Fellow of the RSA, an Academic Associate of the CIPD, and a member of the British Academy of Management. Sarah also sits on the Advisory Board for the EX-Space and is a member of the Involvement and Participation Association (IPA) Working Insights Group. Sarah currently works as a Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Business School (NTU).

Jo Moffatt

Engage for Success Strategy Director

Charlotte Dahl

Woodreed Creative Planning Director

Cathy Brown

Handley Studios Ltd. Co-Founder

Cathy (she/her) works with people and organisations to create inclusive, healthy and more productive workplaces that work for everyone.

Jo Dodds

Engage for Success Co-Strategy Director

Jill Scott

Women's Euro 2022 Champion, Queen of the Jungle & Soccer Aid Captain

One of England's most decorated players, Jill Scott is one of the few Lionesses to have surpassed 150 caps. After featuring at nine major tournaments, she got a winners' medal as part of the team who won EURO 2022 on home soil. An infectious character off the pitch, and a player for the big occasion on it, the influential midfielder stepped up to the plate whenever her country needed her most. Her England career was punctuated with some key strikes – the winner against Netherlands in the EURO 2009 semi-final, the equaliser against Belgium in EURO 2017 qualifying, and the finish in the 3-0 win over Wales which sealed England’s place at France 2019. Jill began her career with her hometown Sunderland, before spending seven years at Everton and then joining City in 2013. She later had loan spells back at Everton and Aston Villa. She won her hundredth cap against Australia in 2015, before clocking up another fifty over the following six seasons. When Jill started the 3-0 win over Cameroon at France 2019, it was her eighteenth appearance at a World Cup final, the most of any England player in history. Jill retired from football as the second-highest capped player. During her time in the game, she won every domestic honour, including the Women's Super League title with City, and four women's FA Cups. Jill was voted FA Players' Player of the Year, FA International Player of the Year, and was appointed an MBE for services to women's football. She also entered the jungle and was crowned the winner of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

Alex Scott MBE

BBC Sport and Sky Sports Former professional footballer, pundit and presenter

The former Arsenal Captain and England Centurion is a well-regarded pundit for BBC and Sky Sports, a regular on BBC’s Match of the Day as well as fronting ambassadorial campaigns with Nike, Barclays and Cadbury’s. Alex signed with Arsenal at age 8 and stayed with the team for most of her career. Alex helped the club achieve a domestic double of the FA Women’s Cup and the FA Women’s Premier League. She was also a key figure in the historic quadruple season for Arsenal in which they won all their trophy competitions. This became the obvious prelude to Alex’s captaincy for the club in the 2014/15 season. While playing for England Alex had the opportunity to travel all over the world playing the game she loves. Retiring from international football in 2017, though not before representing Great Britain in the Olympics. Alex ended up the second most capped England player with 140 appearances. Since her retirement in 2018, Alex has begun a successful broadcasting career and has quickly become renown for her insights into the game and sharp punditry skills. Alex is a steady part of BBC Sport’s football broadcasting team and has become a regular face for Sky Sports football coverage, even providing courtside coverage of the NBA in January of this year. Alex made history last August as the first female Sky Pundit on a Sky Sports’ Super Sunday and made waves as a fresh addition to the BBC World Cup
Commentary line up. Alex has been involved in co-presenting Match of the Day Kickabout most Saturday mornings as well as forming part of the presenting team for The Women’s Football Show on Sunday evenings. She also took to writing a weekly women’s football column in the Morning Star and is a regular face on Premier League Productions’ Fan Zones. Away from the world of football, Alex took part in and won Bear Grylls: Mission Survivor and the Sports Relief Strictly Come Dancing special in 2018. Along with her achievements in broadcast, Alex has undertaken some exciting commercial and ambassadorial opportunities. In 2018, Alex began her partnership with Cadbury’s alongside Jamie Redknapp and Ian Wright, which is to continue into this year. She has also begun an ambassadorial role with Nike and is continuing her relationship with Barclays as a key spokeswoman for their move into the world of Alongside this, Alex is an ambassador for Arsenal Football Club. Alex is also heavily involved in charitable projects, working with Premier League Communities and launching the Sky Ocean Rescue and Premier League Plastic Pollution Challenge. She also opened The Alex Scott Academy in 2012 in partnership with Kingston College and Puma, the first of its kind for women in the UK. Alex wanted to create an academy system that not only focused on training but also focused on working towards qualifications, providing players with an unrivalled calibre of training, skill development and match play all while promoting excellence in the class room as well.

Gail Emms MBE

Former World Champion Badminton player

With Team GB achieving unprecedented Olympic success and the whole of the United Kingdom fascinated by the sporting world, Gail Emms MBE is an icon of British sporting success. Former world champion and having won a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games with mixed badminton doubles partner Nathan Robertson, the sporting star can now look back on a career that saw her reach the very top of her sport. As one of Britain’s inspiring Olympians, Gail represents the very best of the nation’s sporting offering. Playing badminton from the age of four, she has shaped her career around the sport and began representing her country in 1995. Her appearances in both women’s and mixed doubles tournaments have seen her awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals and she consistently achieved results that saw her reach the top of the world rankings. Inspired by her family’s love of sport, Gail was destined for a glittering career. Now retired from professional competition, she has turned her attentions to sharing the hugely positive impact that sport can have on life and well-being, working as an ambassador for sport and inspiring young people to be more active.

David MacLeod OBE

Engage For Success Co-Chair

David is co founder of Engage for Success. He is a visiting Professor of the Bayes Business School (formerly Cass), An Honorary Professor of Nottingham Business School, a fellow of the RSA and a companion member of the CMI. David is co-author, with Nita Clarke, of the MacLeod Report, ‘Engage for Success’ described by the CMI as the definitive work on this subject. This follows an early career in marketing followed by becoming a divisional CEO of a global business. He has been an NED of three Government Departments and has worked for a year and a half in the Cabinet Office. David is an NED of the Institute of Customer Services. He was awarded an OBE for services to Employee Engagement and Business in 2013.

Chalene Hanson

Burberry Global HR Director

Chalene is a Global HR Director at Burberry, leading the people agenda for Marketing & Communications. Having initially joined Burberry to deliver the global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategy, she has succeeded in a number of roles charged with embedding inclusion within the people experience through recognition, wellbeing and engagement initiatives. Chalene is a certified project manager and practised HR professional, with extensive experience in the UK, Germany and the US across talent acquisition, engagement, reward, organisational change management, board effectiveness and leadership development programmes. She is also an accredited workplace coach and passionate about creating spaces for individuals to be seen and heard for the benefit of organisations and society.

Paul Finn

Amazon Head of Employee Experience Amazon Grocery Logistics - North America & Europe

As a Senior Operations Manager at Amazon, I lead one third of the online sub-same day grocery operations in the UK, overseeing over 500 associates and 18 managers. I have over 8 years of experience in operations and project management at Amazon, where I have delivered complex and customer-impacting projects across Europe.

My core competencies include operational analysis, strategic leadership, analytical skills, and people management. I have successfully launched Fresh and AMXL sites in the UK, France, and Italy, creating value for customers and stakeholders, and optimizing operations and processes. I have also built and led high-performing teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence. My mission is to solve challenging problems, develop and inspire people, and drive growth and efficiency for Amazon's online grocery and large and bulky operations.

Sophie Allington

Ocado Group Head of People Operational Excellence

Sophie began her HR career in People Operations, going on to gain experience in Talent Acquisition, specialising in employment contracts, contractor management, data protection, and compliance. After a number of years in the public sector, she joined Ocado in 2021 to lead various Talent Acquisitions teams across the business. In 2023, she transitioned to the Group People Operations, initially serving as the People Product Manager, before being promoted to Head of People Operational Excellence.

In her current role, Sophie leads a team of systems and Product specialists, focused on optimising HR processes, generating innovative product solutions, and ensuring operational efficiency. Passionate about process improvement, risk, and compliance, Sophie leads large-scale change initiatives, including new market expansions, system implementations, acquisitions and mergers and multi-disciplinary projects, as well as overseeing governance, fraud controls and audit.

Sophie also chairs the Parents & Carers Association at Ocado Group and is dedicated to enhancing the experience of working families in the workplace.

Frankie Freeman-Day

YouTube Head of Internal & Executive Communications

Frankie Freeman-Day is senior communications executive and former financial journalist, with almost a decade's experience in Google's EMEA leadership team. Frankie is currently Head of Internal & Executive Communications for Europe, the Middle East & Africa at YouTube, previously overseeing Internal & Executive Comms for Google's EMEA Sales business. She has extensive experience in internal and executive communications, crisis and change communications, employee engagement, corporate communications, media coaching, speech writing and events. Prior to joining Google, Frankie was a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in London and San Francisco. She holds a Master's in Communication from Stanford University.

John Townsend

Unicef UK Head of Internal Communications

Rebecca Bainbridge

YouGov Head of Internal Communications and Employer Branding

Rebecca is an internal communications leader with experience in large and mid-sized, rapid growth businesses where M&A, change management and organisational redesign have been key areas of focus. As Head of Internal Communications and Employer Branding at YouGov, over five years she built a global team from scratch, advising on change communications across several transformation projects at a time of vast growth for the company. This includes the largest M&A the company has ever seen, the first CEO transition and the launch of a brand-new digital workplace. Prior to YouGov, Rebecca has a wealth of experience working in IC across professional services, legal and real estate sectors.

Rachel Lees

Money Plus Head of Recruitment, Learning and Development

Sarah Hood

Bupa Global Head of Engagement

Anne-Marie Lister

Atom Bank Chief People Officer

Anne-Marie Lister is the Chief People Officer at Atom bank. As one of the first few to the Atom team for the last 8 years she has been responsible for building and scaling people systems, processes, the working environment, and culture of the award-winning team that launched the UK’s first app only bank. She has 20 years’ experience across people disciplines including Organisation Development, Learning and Development, Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, and Internal Communications. Her career with companies such as Reed, Bromley College of Further and Higher Education, ACCA and NorthernPowergrid has involved working in the UK, Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Caribbean on a range of People and OD initiatives. Anne-Marie trained initially with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Leeds, followed by an MSc in International Human Resources from London Southbank University. An alumnus of Roffey Park Institute she furthered her studies in organisation design and behaviour with a Post-Graduate Certificate in Organisation Development. Together with Level A and B certifications in psychometrics, Transactional Analysis, NLP, LIFO, and LAB profiling she has knowledge of and practices with a wide range of tools and methodologies.

Jonathan Bunn

MetLife Head of Communications and Sustainability, EMEA

A former award-winning journalist and broadly-experienced senior Corporate Affairs professional with international (Asia, EMEA & US) experience at a Fortune 50 and two FTSE25 plcs. Successful track record of communicating challenging and complex issues both internally and externally. A key strategic communications adviser to senior management, with regional and global leadership team experience.

Leading and developing Sustainability strategy across 23 EMEA markets including carbon footprint and net zero transition pathway analysis, stakeholder engagement and reporting.

Melissa Woodhead

EY Communications & Engagement Leader

Throughout her 25-year career, Mel has worked with BT and Big Four firms EY and Deloitte, along with start-ups in the UK and France. Her roles have included leading group-wide communications and extensive experience as a strategic business partner, advising senior stakeholders on strategy and change.

Mel's passion for employee engagement and experience includes that of her own team-members. Managing remotely dispersed teams has become the norm in recent years, and she has overcome geographic obstacles, fostering collaborative and fun working cultures through innovative approaches. For Mel, the true value of communications and engagement is seen through impact. The Strong when we belong campaign she worked on amplified colleague stories, promoted social connection and increased the sense of belonging of 18,000 employees. Achieving this sort of positive change through comms and engagement is incredibly rewarding, and Mel looks forward to many more opportunities to make a difference in these transformative times.

Brian Ranson

Cuckoo Head of Internal Communications and Engagement

Brian Ranson is a highly experienced communications professional, currently serving as Head of Internal Communications and Engagement at Cuckoo. With an Internal Communications career spanning leadership roles at Jurassic Fibre, Virgin Media O2 and Zurich Insurance, he specialises in crafting human led, targeted internal communication campaigns that deliver emotional outcomes and drive positive engagement.

Brian’s recent achievements include securing market leading eNPS scores at Cuckoo by developing and launching a series of values based content and platforms, all securing a place at the 2024 Engage Awards finals for ‘Vision and Values’ and ‘Best Employee Engagement Team’.

Imogen Dooley

BMW Employee Engagement Strategy Manager

In 2023, BMW Group UK took the decision to create a new position for the organisation. Following a strategic review, it was identified that there was a clear requirement to develop the current position of employee engagement with the UK business for the German car manufacturer.

Immie Dooley was selected as the individual to take on this new position. Joined with a strong background in experiential marketing and a well-known advocate for internal communications and activity, the launch of a new role has required Immie to establish the status of the position and the importance of the work at both a C-Suite level and the wider workforce.

Now just over a year into the role and the Employee Engagement has included presenting at company town-halls, individual team meetings and board meetings. The introduction of an internal analysis tools has allowed the business to establish a baseline from which to develop actions plans and identify areas, which has formed a key element of the Voice of our People initiative.

Looking forward within her role, Immie will be focusing on bringing people together, whether virtually or physically, to improve engagement and an environment of active listening and action.

Winnie Annan-Forson

Royal Mail Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Winnie Annan-Forson is an award-winning Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within the Logistics and Transport industry, leading the DEI strategy and team for an organisation with circa 140,000 employees. Her previous experience spans across various disciplines within the Financial Services industry including Learning and Development, HR Strategy and Partnering, Retail and Business Banking, before pivoting into DEI. She is an experienced DEI strategist and speaker, lending her thought leadership and lived experience across various facets of DEI, including the generational, gender, race and socio-economic lens. She is an ICF-accredited coach and is passionate about creating equitable spaces that enable underrepresented groups to thrive and spends a lot of time advocating for positive outcomes for others. Winnie is a Black British Business Awards Professional Services and We Are The City Award winner, recognized for building diverse communities that drive social change. She is a first-generation immigrant raised in Ghana, West Africa, is Christian and is married with two daughters.

Alyssa Jaffer

Careers Writer

Alyssa (a-lee-sa) Jaffer is a writing and communications expert, with two degrees in media and journalism and years of professional experience in content marketing. Alyssa is passionate about gender equity, learning and development and she actively advocates to support marginalised communities in the workplace.

Alyssa is a freelance journalist, covering women's careers, health, lifestyle and travel for publications like Stylist Magazine, Business Insider and AllBright Post. She also writes copy for small businesses spanning the luxury jewellery, wellness, higher education, femtech and interior design sectors. Check out her full body of work at alyssajaffer.com.

Glenn Grayson

River Island People Engagement Lead

Creative communicator, innovator and storyteller, Glenn is on a mission to create memorable moments that surprise, amaze and inspire colleagues during their everyday working life, helping them to be engaged and love what they do. His award winning and industry recognised strategies have challenged the norm, turning the ordinary into extraordinary. Previously at Selfridges and heading up Missguided’s internal communications and people experience, Glenn is now leading River Island’s people engagement function, creating a unique and powerful communication and engagement experience for over ‘8,000 ‘Islanders’.

Hayley Mann

Formula E Chief People Officer

Nicole Bearne

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team Head of Internal Communications

Over a 25-year career in the fast-paced world of Formula One motor racing, Nicole Bearne has contributed to winning nine Constructors’ and eight Drivers’ World Championship titles. Her experience spans executive and technical operations, internal communications and employee engagement. Nicole brings a blend of academic rigour and extensive real-world experience to building high-performing, people-centric organisations. Her research interests include employee voice and silence as information-sharing mechanisms in organisations, psychological safety and leader-follower exchange. She is also interested in work wellbeing and neurodiversity in the workplace. She holds a CIPR Diploma in Internal Communications and a Master’s degree in Organisational Behaviour. She is a member of the Institute of Internal Communication, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (MCIPR) and an Accredited PR Practitioner. Nicole speaks fluent Russian and also spent several years living and working in the former Soviet Union.

Ilaria Galfredi

Air France Project Lead and Engagement Partner

I am an accomplished manager with a robust history at Air France KLM.

My tenure includes roles as Training Officer, Customer Experience Leader, and currently as Business Support and Development Manager since 2021.

I am expert in training, coaching, quality and internal communication, and I have been leading projects that enhance continuous improvement and employee well-being. I am adept at creating inclusive work environments and implementing innovative work guidelines.

My expertise in training, knowledge management and customer feedback analysis underscore my commitment to excellence in customer service.

Suzy Jearum

Coca-Cola European Partners Associate Director of Employee Experience

I am dedicated to providing exceptional digital experiences for my colleagues. I enjoy engaging with employees, understanding what matters to them during their entire employment lifecycle. I implement changes and enhancements that affect those moments that matter.

Since 2018, I've contributed to the People & Culture digital transformation at Coca-Cola by introducing new global Hire to Retire processes and digital tools. My current focus is talent and learning technology and the opportunities that will unlock for our 42,000 employees.

Natalie Spencer

HSBC Head of Internal Communications, Commercial Banking and Global Banking & Markets

Experienced communications leader with 20+ years experience, including 11+ years with HSBC. Proven ability in developing and driving global communications strategies to deliver impactful results that support commercial business objectives, protect reputation, engage employees and strengthen organisational culture. Currently responsible for leading a global team of communicators that drive internal communications across HSBC's two global wholesale businesses. Strategic, proactive, results-driven and globally-connected. Champion for gender inclusivity and passionate about sustainability.

Yvonne Boateng

Amazon Global Engagement Programme Manager

I create the strategy and drive internal marketing and communication campaigns to:

Empower employees to become influential voices for the brand
Keep them informed and engaged on programs through different channels
Help them feel supported and continuously learning to drive adoption and retention.

My mission is to transform:

The way employees use social media to build their internal and external reputation
Adoption of social selling techniques
Internal communications so employees consistently engage and are driven to action.

My expertise includes:

Managing communication platforms and employee advocacy specific platforms
Measuring and reporting on the impact and outcomes of programs
Creative and innovative ways (with or without budget) to excite the workforce
Continuously asking for feedback on how I or my programs can improve or innovate further

Amrita Devaiah

Cabinet Office Deputy Director, Civil Service Communication and CO Internal Communications and Engagement

Prior to joining the Cabinet Office, she worked for a number of organisations from NUS to NCS Trust, setting up teams from scratch, implementing comms and culture strategies and delivering national and international events, from gala dinners to music festivals. She has been a fierce advocate for equality throughout her career, and has developed and delivered national training on privilege and works on embedding inclusive practices in teams and organisations. She also undertakes a number of speaking engagements on the importance of inclusion and empathy in leadership.

In her spare time she is the co-founder of Social Supper Club London, a zero-waste dinner club raising funds for the Felix Project, a London charity fighting hunger and food waste; she sits on the Board for both Creative Youth and The Bridging Project, organisations with social mobility at their heart, and is a mentor for Apprentice Nation.

Catherine Rennie

Mastercard, Cyber & Intelligence Director Internal Communications

With over 30 years in the Internal Communications and Engagement space, Catherine is a skilled & experienced strategic thinker, operating at a senior level in Employee Engagement & M&A both in the public and private sector; balancing strategic thinking with tactical delivery.

Previously responsible for an award-winning Employee Engagement Strategy obtaining the status of the 'Sunday Times Best companies to work' for in the UK.

Experienced in strategy development, leadership, crisis & transformation communications.

A keen volunteer and support to Oxfordshire and Berkshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and more latterly, BEAT (a national charity supporting those experience Eating Disorders).

Catherine Morris

Home Office Deputy Director, Group Head of Internal Communications

Catherine’s career as an experienced comms practitioner spans the private, not-for-profit and public sectors in a range of business development, marketing, research and communication roles. After working for a human rights charity, she joined the Civil Service working as an internal strategic consultant for the Cabinet Office on a range of integrated comms strategies and campaigns. These included stakeholder engagement, market research, branding and organisational change to drive better outcomes. She then moved to the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) where her team won awards from the CIPR and Institute for Government for a transformational change programme.

Currently working as Group Head of Internal Communications, Engagement and Change at the Home Office, Catherine is responsible for senior leadership engagement, oversight of an internal comms Community of Practice reaching out to 50K colleagues, and for delivering cross-departmental campaigns focused on behavioural change.

Jenny Bloxham

Marie Curie UK Head of Internal Communications & Engagement

Communications professional, combining business acumen with a strong understanding of the NGO and charity sector both in the UK and overseas. Skilled leader, project manager, writer and linguist with creative ideas aplenty. Proactive team player and initiative taker with a passion for child rights, development and addressing inequality.

Josh Novelle

Convatec Global Head People Solutions & Experience

Josh Novelle is an internationally recognized specialist in People Experience, providing more than ten years of award-winning corporate experiences to employees. During his career he has worked in both in house (Banking,Big4, Oil and Gas and Retail) and on the supplier side, while today he holds the role of Global Head People Solutions and Experience at Convatec. His passion is to take HR and talent to the next level, taking into account the wider experience of employees, ensuring rich experiences that are accessible to all, but with a clear connection to the real business goals and profitability of the company

Valeria Winkworth

EY Director, People Consulting

Dr. Valeria Winkworth is a recognised change leader with a passion for driving human-centred transformation to create a working world of equitable opportunities open to all. A Doctor in Medicinal Chemistry by background, Valeria has been a STEM professional throughout her career, working closely with Executive Directors from leading global corporations across a spectrum of industries, including pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, and utilities.

Her work focuses on technology-led business transformations and workplace of the future strategies, with expertise in Change Leadership and Organisational Design.

A lead-author of multiple high-impact scientific papers and thought leadership pieces and a dynamic and passionate presenter, Dr. Winkworth has attended numerous international conferences and has been a featured guest on a variety of podcasts, where she’s shared her experience in delivering successful end-to-end large scale transformations.

Stella Gavinho

Entain Group Head of Wellbeing

I am a global Head of Wellbeing with a decade of experience developing and delivering wellbeing strategies in the workplace. I have worked in international markets across Europe, Asia, Australia, and America.

It’s my personal mission to bring more wellbeing and engagement into the business so that people can flourish and achieve their full potential, as well as be healthier and happier. I believe that if you take good care of your employees, they will take good care of customers and the business will thrive.

I’m passionate about finding creative ways to solve tough challenges, I approach challenges with open mind and empathy - whether it’s tackling obesity in Saudi Arabia, delivering resilience programme to call centres in the UK or implementing a global mental health training for over 3,000 managers.

I have a strong sense of purpose and a deep commitment to making things happen, the core values that I’m guided by are authenticity, perseverance, and optimism.

Siobhan Corria

Versus Arthritis Head of Culture

As Head of Culture at versus Arthritis, I manage diversity and inclusion, safeguarding and wellbeing, learning and development and employee engagement and internal communications. I have over ten years of working as a senior manage in the charity sector and I have previous experience of politics and working in children’s services as a Youth Offending Team Officer and a Social Worker.

In my current role, I developed the charity’s first diversity and inclusion strategy, established a Community Involvement Network and more recently led a review of safeguarding, developed our approach to wellbeing and our approach to employee engagement and internal communications.

I am Mum to two adult children and my miniature dachshund, Archie. In my spare time I enjoy keeping fit and spending time with m family.

Clare Fenech

Eurail Chief People Officer

Clare is an internationally experienced HR professional with a diverse background in various human resources roles. Her expertise includes leading employees through periods of change, and significantly improving engagement by focusing on personalising key touchpoints within the employee journey. Clare is skilled in developing and implementing policies that address individual needs, ensuring inclusivity and flexibility. She is committed to fostering employee development and motivation through a proactive and tailored approach

When she joined Eurail in 2017, Clare brought an exceptional level of dedication, passion, and expertise to the company, striving to create workspaces that empower employees to reach their full potential while aligning their goals with the broader customer-centric objectives of the organisation.

Graham Bowditch

NHS Blood and Transplant Engagement Lead

Graham is originally from Nova Scotia, Canada where he obtained his postgraduate Master in Public Administration – since moving to the UK Graham has become a CIPD accredited member and worked in roles in Strategy and Organisational Development. Graham recently moved into the newly created Employee Engagement and Experience function as part of its Leadership, Performance and Culture team at NHS Blood and Transplant.

Carol Smith

AllPoints Fibre Employee Experience Director

A strategic HR leader with over 20 years’ experience, dedicated to transforming organisations through exceptional employee experiences. I am passionate about creating inclusive environments where employees feel empowered, valued and engaged, driving both personal and organisational success.

In my current role, I have been involved scaling a company from 34 to 500 employee in just two years, while ensuring employee wellbeing and engagement remained central to the growth. Supported the successful merger of four sister companies in 2023, implementing innovative people strategies, and prioritising the employee experience at every level. APFN introduced a new performance management process that focuses more on quality conversations and regular feedback which has started to cultivate a culture of continuous development and recognition.

I have been fortunate to build employee experience at APFN driving key initiatives which established diversity and inclusion networks, building proactive wellbeing strategies, creating mental health champions and a set of new values to connect the four different companies with a common set of behaviours and belonging. These efforts have led to us being a finalist at the 2024 Engaged Awards for vision and values.

Simon Bailey

BT Communications Lead

Simon leads communications on BT Group’s major change and transformation initiative (The Better Workplace Programme). This project affects over 50,000 BT employees and is the UK’s largest change project of this type involving changes to working practices, organisational structure and office locations in the UK. His role covers internal, external and public policy activities across the group which encompasses key divisions including Consumer (EE, BT, Plusnet), Business and Openreach. Previously, Simon was responsible for internal communications at Citi in the UK which employs around 10,000 colleagues across a number of offices from Canary Wharf to Belfast.

Charlotte Bailey

NHS Director of People and Organisation Development

Charlotte has worked in the public sector for 25 years as an operational and corporate leader. She started her career in child psychology and has worked in both Local Government and the NHS. Charlotte has a passion for engagement and inclusion and has been named as one of the top 50 leaders by the HSJ and was awarded runner up public servant of the year for her approaches to engagement. Charlotte has published multiple books and developed resources to enhance inclusive practices. She worked on numerous national working groups to support improvement, including the introduction of a new profession into Education. Charlotte’s journey in corporate service began after leading two major turnaround transformations in social care, where Charlotte realised her approach with the workforce was what made change and transformation a success. Charlotte has led workforce, communications, performance and transformation teams in large and complex organisations. The heart of her approach to a successful business has been through staff well-being, engagement, empowerment and organisational culture. Charlotte currently works at Central North West London as the Executive Director for People and OD and holds the corporate portfolio of Human Resources, Staff Well-Being, Organisational Development and Leaning and Equality, Inclusion and Diversity. She is also North West London’s Integrated Care System Lead for People.

Vivienne Morris

London Energy HR Director

Vivienne joined LondonEnergy in April last year as HR Director, joining the organisation in the midst of a significant change programme. Prior to that she worked at Transport for London in a business partnering teams, primarily supporting the capital programmes and Surface transport directorates, working with the organisation to navigate a large change agenda for both operational and nonoperational roles whilst supporting emerging thinking on inclusion and agile workforces. Her early career was in the air line sector working with logistics partners before moving the national rail environment again working for a logistics partner with a national presence and a number of logistical bases. Vivienne has naturally gravitated to the engagement and change elements of HR during her career, which she finds bring the greatest rewards.

Natasha Whitehurst

Rolls-Royce Global Inclusion Lead

Natasha has extensive experience within multiple industries, where she has gained operational and generalist HR experience, over the last 5 years she has specialised in Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging. An experienced speaker, facilitator and training professional, she uses her lived experience to help business leaders develop their own inclusive behaviours. She is currently bringing inclusion to life at Rolls-Royce -championing inclusion to support the winning culture globally, finding strength in working together, both inside and outside of the business, harnessing the diversity of people and perspectives. Natasha is co-founder and co-host of ‘D&I Spy: Inclusion Uncovered’ a weekly podcast, taking inclusion back to basics, tackling often unspoken topics with a number of high-profile guests from the entertainment, sport and business worlds. Natasha is experienced working with people and talent teams to establish more inclusive recruitment practices, and attracting diverse talent, which earned her a coveted spot on the Global Diversity List 2020.

Natasha lives in London, is a proud northerner. Natasha has endometriosis from which she campaigns and has found a new passion for running. She loves reading and learning, often travelling to feed her curiosity.

Sonia Gupta

Diageo Global Head, Leadership Development

Sonia is a highly experienced global leader, with deep expertise in leading value-driven, transformational organsiational change programmes in culture, talent and leadership development. Her unique background of management consulting and industry roles across different cultures and sectors has inspired her to bring creativity and curiosity to diverse teams to achieve extraordinary business results.

Joshua Reynolds

Lloyd's Banking Group Workplace Adoption Lead

Having spent time across a variety of roles in innovation, products and colleague experience Josh now leads the strategy behind Workplace Communities at Lloyds Banking Group, setting the direction, vision and objectives across this and other Workplace Experience initiatives and projects. Lives just outside London, a Father of 3 kids and and an avid football fan (and player when time permits!).

Stacey Ramm

Evri Head of Diversity Equity & Inclusion

Stacey has spent most of her early career in the Talent and Resourcing space, before moving into the world of DE&I and Culture. Stacey is currently setting and leading the strategic direction of both DE&I and Wellbeing agenda at Evri (formerly known as Hermes Parcelnet) for c.8000 colleagues. Prior to Evri, Stacey was the DE&I Lead for Virgin Media, then Virgin Media O2, following the merger in June 2021, leading the DE&I agenda for c.17,000 colleagues. Stacey is incredibly passionate about DE&I and Culture, using her own personal lived experience to drive positive, meaningful, and sustainable change.

Nikki Humphrey

Virgin Group Chief People Officer

I’m the Chief People Officer for the Virgin Group, Board Director of Virgin Hotels, and trustee of Virgin Unite. Creating workplaces where people find their full potential and feel like they truly belong is my greatest passion. Joining the Virgin Family has been one of the most rewarding career moves I’ve made. Following board-level experience in retail, banking, insurance, asset management, media, manufacturing, and engineering, I joined Virgin Atlantic as Chief People Officer and was immediately impressed by how forward-thinking, people-first and purpose-driven the brand was. Richard Branson has always said that if you take care of your employees, they’ll take care of your business – and it’s incredible to see how this ethos filters across the Virgin family, covering five different sectors and continents. Over the years, I’ve seen how people (including myself) thrive in environments where human connection, inclusion, ambition and progress sit at the heart of the business. I’ve also realised there is nothing more motivating than unlocking the potential of individuals, teams and businesses.

Laura Colantuono

Fremantle Head of Internal Communications

Laura is a communications professional with over 12 years of experience gained in global organisations. She’s Italian but has lived abroad for most of her life. Laura started her career as a journalist to then join Unilever Italy in 2010, where she discovered her passion for Internal Communications. In 2014, she joined the luxury fashion brand Fendi to lead the global IC function and in 2019 she moved to London, where she joined Harrods as Internal Communications Manager. In 2020, she returned to the FMCG sector and joined The Kraft Heinz Company as Head of Internal Communications, International. After a short-term assignment at the fintech Klarna, she has recently joined the media company Fremantle, where she leads the global Internal Communications team.

Adam Dilks

Nightcap Plc Group People Director

Adam Dilks is the Group People Director at Nightcap PLC. Adam spent the beginning part of his career in retail, where he spent many years at Tesco finding his true passion for the people function, and in 2018 Adam joined the hospitality industry as part of the HR Leadership team at Greene King. Adam began his tenure at Greene King as Head of Employee Relations, and in 2020, Adam moved into the role of HR Director leading People Teams across the groups’ Premium, Urban and Venture Brands Division. Adam joined Nightcap in March 2023 as Group People Director and is excited to get underway his ambitious people strategy. Adam’s key focus is around connecting the management teams to the people strategy across the business, which is entirely centred around improving the employee experience through creating a culture of inclusion and belonging. Adam has a track record of building high performing diverse teams, who through his leadership, have supported businesses to achieve some remarkable results, including a step-change improvement in sustainable engagement, producing industry leading results. Outside of work, Adam has a huge passion for running, reading and spending time with his family.

Tor Goldfield

Expedia Group Senior Director, Internal Communications

Tor has been at Expedia Group for six years and leads internal communications across Expedia Group's three operating divisions, which span marketing, business to business (B2B) and product and technology. Tor and her international team are responsible for deepening business knowledge, sharing strategic progress, supporting key business initiatives and enhancing community and culture within and across the three divisional groups. Prior to joining Expedia Group, Tor worked in a variety of internal and external comms roles, including PR and content marketing. She has an MSc in Marketing Communications from Birkbeck, University of London.

Elise Sallis

Wolters Kluwer External Communications Manager - Tax & Accounting

Strategic, creative and commercially-focused corporate communications expert with a 20+-year track record of delivering superior public relations counsel to numerous high-profile and respected technology and software businesses. I have extensive experience in external, internal, executive, crisis and investor communications.

Sacha Harvey

Lucky Saint People Director

Innovative and creative professional with 12 years’ experience in Learning, Development & People Experience across food & beverage, hospitality, retail and online industries. Passionate about the development, performance and experience of people to improve wellbeing, maximise efficiency and increase profit.

Holly Gaffney

Lloyds Bank Communities Lead, Future Workplace

Riffat Ahmed

Bupa Head of People Technology & Digital

A senior leader with deep expertise in project and change management and transformation programmes in financially regulated environments. An Agile practitioner, with an uncompromising passion for digitisation and employee experience. An advocate of consistent employee experiences through deliberate and intentionally digital experience layer aimed at delighting employees. Has won multiple awards internally and externally acknowledging progress in employee experience theory and practice in a newly defined domain. Currently responsible for end-to-end delivery of People technology and business services from ideation to delivery and support. Leading a function compromising of continuous improvement, programmes and projects, security and support, digital learning, digital experience, and people analytics teams - built into an integrated model for optimum delivery using DevOps. All aimed at delivering a people technology strategy of align, harmonise, and maximise.

Charlotte O'Reilly

British Red Cross Head of Internal Communications & Engagement

Charlotte, Head of Internal Communications and Engagement leads the British Red Cross Internal Communications Team, communicating with audiences on the frontline, based in hospitals, out on the road, in offices and at home doing everything from raising vital funds to being their when disaster strikes.

Her mission is to make the organisation a modern and inclusive place work through communications with a sprinkle of magic! Previously, Charlotte worked at Citizens Advice leading communications for large scale change, technology rollouts and established their staff engagement strategy.

She’s also a proud mum to a toddler, a recently moved back to the midlands and always keen for an outdoor swim.

Alena Korcinova

Lipsy London Head of People & Culture

Alena is a dedicated and enthusiastic business psychologist and L&D professional, driven by her passion for empowering individuals to reach their potential by being their authentic selves. Throughout her career, Alena has collaborated with a diverse range of companies across different sectors, creating L&D strategies that foster agile, inclusive, and highly engaged cultures, fuelling exceptional performance.
In her current role as the Head of People Development & Culture at Lipsy, she focuses on creating environments where everyone can thrive. Alena's commitment to employee development, wellbeing, diversity, and inclusion ensures that the company nurtures a supportive and empowering work culture. With a background in coaching and facilitation, she also provides leaders and managers with engaging stretch opportunities that maximise their impact on both people and the organisation.

Anisha Mistry-Jones

Which? Senior Internal Communications Manager

Hi! I’m Anisha, an award winning communications and employee engagement specalist. I’m incredibly passionate about supporting organisations with enhancing their digital employee experience and using effective internal communications to foster an inclusive culture. Over the last decade, I’ve been fortunate enough to worked across a range of sectors both public and private on a diverse range internal comms and engagement projects and initiatives.

Zoe Shaughnessy

Alzheimer's Society Head of Internal Communications & Engagement

For the last two decades, Zoe has been immersed in the world of internal communications across various industries, spanning telecommunications, transport, and banking. Her journey has led her to her current role as the leader of internal communications and engagement at the Alzheimer's Society. Zoe's profound expertise extends to psychology, with prestigious degrees from renowned universities in the field of occupational psychology.

Eleanor Gooding

Boost Drinks People & Culture Director

Eleanor has been in the role of People & Culture Director at Boost drinks in Leeds since 2018. She has 20+ experience of managing people, 10 years of strategic consulting, and 7 years working in an HR best practice accolade. Not scared to roll her sleeves up and tackle the elephants in the room, Eleanor passionately believes in getting to the heart of the business, dealing with problems first and paving the way for people programmes to thrive. She is also a strong believer that you should be kind within business, even when dealing with the tough stuff.

Jennifer Ashton

BT Group HR Director

A transformative, cross-functional, high-impact Executive HR Leader. During the last 10 years, Jennifer has provided Executive HR leadership expertise to the BBC, Amazon, Sainsbury's and Tesco, working in close partnership with C-suite stakeholders to drive change and deliver HR strategy in sync with organisational vision. Consistently successful in leading high-profile change projects within fast-moving, complex and large matrix organisations. Her most recent HR experience has included, directly reporting to, and supporting founder owned businesses, CEOs, and Start-up companies, to build HR infrastructure and drive international business growth, usually through fundraising, mergers & acquisition and achieving IPO. With expertise in Tech, SaaS, B2B, B2C, retail, and media sectors and a deep knowledge and experience of working with venture backed, private equity investment organisations headquartered in US and UK. Working as a truly cross functional HR leader at senior C-Suite level, strategy influencer, advisor, and coaching executive teams to develop and innovative business-minded solutions, whilst creating and leading best-in-class People and Culture function.

May Holloway

British Transport Police Head of Internal Communications

May is responsible for the delivery and leadership of Internal Communications for BTP’s 5,100 people across England, Scotland and Wales (c.160 locations).

She is a multi-award-winning Internal Communications leader who has reached the top of the Internal Communication profession at considerable pace through consistently demonstrating communications excellence, exceeding C-suite expectations, and delivering measurable change.

A problem-solver and creative at heart, May has extensive and deep experience in transformation – cultural, technological and operational – and comfortably navigates ambiguity and changing outcomes. May has led turnaround communications for performance – supporting organisations to make significant and sustained improvement.

Sam Bleazard

Fortnum & Mason Head of Employer Brand

Sam Bleazard has over 25 years of experience working in marketing, internal and external communications: with global engineering and construction firm Laing O’ Rourke; Dow Jones; retailer John Lewis; central Government at the Cabinet Office; Royal Mail Group plc, and; FMCG giant Unilever all part of his work portfolio.
He has worked with leadership teams, CEOs and C-Suite leaders for over a decade to develop their communications on strategy, crisis and employee engagement.
During the pandemic he started two podcast shows – Comms from the Shed (as a human response to Covid-19), and How Can U Just Leave Me Standing? In Search of Prince (inspired by experiences as a freelance music journalist).
He is currently at Fortnum & Mason – a 316-year-old heritage brand, with a unique mix of luxury retail and hospitality - helping to develop their Employer Brand.
At Fortnum’s Sam is continuing to tell the unique story of Fortnum’s, whose underlying purpose to ‘make joy’ continues to surprise and delight customers in the UK and internationally.

Andy Webb

Bupa Digital People Experience Manager

A digital expert with a deep understanding of user experience and how to effectively transform experience across large, complex organisations consistently. Leading a team of award-winning digital experts which make up our Digital People Experience Team, who all share an ultimate responsibility for creating consumer-grade experience along with maintaining its integrity, across all our internal platforms. My recent focus is now shifting to all things ‘future of work’, researching automation and generative AI along with it’s potential applications within our business.

“There was some really inspiring talks at the conference and I am amazed that the event was free! To have that quantity and quality is incredible.”

Recruitment and Wellness Lead, NHS

“Due to the quality of speakers and the variation in subject matters. Very insightful and makes taking a day out of the office worth it.”

Director of People Experience, Simply Better

“Always an enjoyable experience. A great opportunity to hear about the fantastic work going on across our industry and pick up a few nuggets to use in my own work. You're always delighting with the range of speakers and the topics they cover. ”

Culture Change & Communications Lead, Currys

“Really well organised event, with an opportunity to hear from other business areas. Sharing ideas and learning from current processes, ideas and plans that help to engage the workforce. Time to connect with other businesses and potential solutions that are already in place in other areas. ”

Innovation Manager, British Airways British Airways Logo

Single Ticket

All-Access Pass for Senior Employee Engagement/HR Professionals
6 Topic Stages + Main Stage
Event Networking App
Interactive Interviews
Interactive Panel Debates
Pre-Arranged One-to-One Meetings
Focus Group Roundtable Sessions
Lunch available - Gourmet Street Catering
Networking Drinks Party - Night Summit
All registrations subject to approval
Not available for Suppliers/Vendors

Premium TICKET

Includes all items as per Single Ticket
Full Recordings of Talks
Access to Presentation Slides
AI Summary of your event and agenda overview
Registrations are subject to approval
Lunch Provided
After-Event Drinks
Registrations are subject to approval

SUPPLIER TICKET

For Suppliers
Networking and Commercial Opportunities
Interviews
Panel Debates
Networking Opportunities
Lunch Provided
After-Event Drinks
Registrations are subject to approval

How do I register for the conference?

Registration to attend the conference is free for senior individuals working in employee engagement. Free tickets provide access to the entire event.

If you want access the on-demand content after the event has taken place, there is a Premium Ticket type which means you'll receive the on-demand talks direct to your inbox.

For those who are suppliers within the industry, you can purchase a supplier ticket.

Registration links for all ticket types can be found above this box.

What should I wear to the conference?

The dress code to all of our events is smart casual. If you're presenting, we recommend wearing more formal attire.

What should I bring to the conference?

Bring your registration confirmation email (printed or on your smartphone), a notebook, and pen. Don't forget any necessary chargers or adapters.

We also recommend downloading the Event App before you arrive at the conference. You can do this by searching 'Engage Business Media' in your App Store.

What time does the conference open/close?

Registration opens at 8:15am and we recommend arriving early if you want to guarantee a seat in our Opening Keynotes.

We have several coffee and networking breaks throughout the day as well as a dedicated lunch break.

The Summit agenda concludes at 5:40pm, but please do join us at the Night Summit for live music and a well-deserved drink (alcoholic and non-alcholic options are available).

Are meals provided during the conference?

There are a number of Gourmet Street Food catering vans providing a range of food. There are also Barista Coffee stands around the venue. There is a bar open from lunch, and an evening Networking Drinks party providing an assortment of alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments.

How do I view the agenda?

Before the event, the full agenda will be available on the website and also on our Event App (download the Engage Business Media App in your App Store).

On the Event Day, the agenda is available to view on the Event App only. With the Event App, you can personalise your schedule and receive reminders when your chosen sessions are due to start.

We aim to be as sustainable as possible, so printed copies of the agenda are not available on the day.

How can I network effectively at the conference?

Utilise the Engage Business Media event app to schedule meetings with key decision-makers. The app is your central hub for scheduling meetings, personalising your agenda, navigating the event, and staying connected with attendees.

Can I choose which sessions to attend?

Yes, the Summit offers multiple topic stages and tracks.

You can use the Engage Business Media App to view the agenda in advance and plan which sessions you'd like to attend.

Some popular sessions may have limited capacity, so we recommend arriving early.

What if I need to cancel my registration?

If you aren't able to make it all we ask is that you let us know.

We do allow you to transfer your registration to a colleague, but they do need to fill in the registration form if this is the case.

Speakers

A laser focus on super-actionable, case study driven content, keeping industry leaders informed about emerging trends and innovative solutions

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2000+ ATTENDEES

250+ PRESENTERS

6 TOPIC STAGES

MAIN STAGE

Helen Webb OBE

Joyce Idoniboye

Catherine Douglas

Fiona Hogg

Hannah Spencer

Hayley Mann

Natalie Rogers

Sharon Johal

Renarta Guy

Clare French

Kate Evans

Francesca Golding

Sacha Harvey

Kate Aldridge

Sonia Gupta

Luke Mason

Ceri Connolly

Rachael Payne

Jennifer Lynch

Chris Parkinson

Sarah Tegerdine

Samantha Francis

Simon Gibson

Tolu Osho

Keeley Watts

Si Cox

Nick Searing

Sean Tolram

Matt Cooper

Lee Irving

Lisa Gorski

Maureen Chambers

Nagina Kayani

Dan Selinger

Amy Ellis

Hannah Rolph

Odette Hamilton

Luna Frank-Riley

Askin Yasar

Rebecca Moran

Kelly Newman

Rachel Lees

Rachel Dale

Dev Mistry

Craig Taylor

Amy Darks

Victoria Wilson

Michelle Sage

Jonathan Austin

Peter Durkin

David Purcell

Christina Lewis

Cathy Brown

Jo Moffatt

Charlotte Dahl

Jo Dodds

Martin Hill-Wilson

Ruby Wax

Steve Clarke

Christina Lewis

Sarah Hood

Emma Illingworth

Louisa McCabe

Dev Mistry

Anaïs Nebel

Carlo Beschi

Beth Perry

Wendy Murphy

Melanie Page

Jeremy Gautrey-Jones

Victoria Wilson

Michelle Sage