• How the HR profession has evolved from administrative support to strategic business partner
• The growing role of HR in shaping organisational culture, leadership, and employee experience
• Navigating major UK employment law reforms and their impact on people management
• The influence of AI, data, and HR technology on decision-making and workforce planning

• Key changes affecting employers, such as new worker protections, enforcement mechanisms, and shifts in employment rights
• Implications for HR practice, particularly in recruitment, dismissal procedures, contracts, and workplace policies
• Preparing organisations for compliance

• Unlocking overlooked talent: how inclusive hiring helps tackle skills shortages and deliver real business benefits
• Kier’s Making Ground programme: over 250 people with convictions into employment
• Hiring with Conviction: practical guidance to help HR professionals and managers hire with confidence
• What actually works: building momentum, securing buy-in and embedding change in a fast-moving organisation

• Understanding the changing drivers of workplace conflict
• Early intervention and the role of HR as a trusted mediator
• Complex and sensitive conflicts in the modern workplace
• Developing a proactive conflict management culture

• What is evidence-based HR and how does it lead to better decisions? Aren’t we all evidence-based anyway?!
• What different sources of evidence do you have and how can you use them?
• What skills and resources do you need to get started… and to reach a higher level?
• How HR leaders can make best use of research and organisational data and blend it with their expertise to improve decision-making, increase strategic influence and demonstrate measurable impact.

• Integrating physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing into day-to-day operations
• Supporting employees while driving productivity and engagement
• Practical approaches to diversity, equity and inclusion in leadership behaviours and decision making
• Practical HR interventions that create sustainable impact
• Tracking and demonstrating influence and progress across all aspects of a modern workplace

Speakers:

• Dr Sarah Dauncey, Research Fellow, Work, Employment and Organisation, University of Strathclyde
• Julie Dennis, Head of Inclusive Workplace Strategy & Policy, ACAS 
• Parul Singh, Founder of Parallel Minds Neurodiversity Consultancy & Inclusive Workplace Specialist
• Dr Lucy Walker, Lecturer in Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University

• Discover why brilliant senior women often stall just short of the top table - and the hidden leadership patterns that may be holding them back.
• Drawing on work with 4,000+ senior women across the NHS, Civil Service, banking and professional services, Saj Zafar reveals 21 recurring patterns that influence progression - and how organisations can address them.
• This thought-provoking session moves beyond confidence and DEI conversations to explore the neuroscience behind leadership progression and why senior leadership teams often remain unchanged.
• Leave with fresh insight into what helps senior women progress, improve retention, and create stronger pathways to top leadership role

• How HR can move beyond basic compliance to actively shape organisational strategy, culture, and performance
• Linking HR initiatives to business outcomes and competitive edge
• HR leaders and builders of resilient, adaptable and high-performing organisations