Executive Summit

 Exclusive to Governing Body members and select guests, this dinner is a can’t-miss opportunity to connect with your peers prior to tomorrow’s Executive Summit. 

In today's dynamic business landscape, cultivating a culture that harmonises care, productivity, and success is essential for sustainable growth.  Danny Harmer, Chief People Officer, will share how Aviva have built a thriving workplace culture by prioritising inclusion, employee engagement, well-being, and strategic talent development. 

Join this fireside chat with Danny, alongside Charlotte Eaton, Chief People Officer at Arm to:

• Discover the keys to Aviva’s outstanding engagement scores, driven by leadership that truly cares and values employees beyond their roles
• Explore how the insurance powerhouse has widened the doors to attract diverse talent and foster an environment where every employee feels valued and safe
• Delve into innovative upskilling initiatives like 'The Foundry' and the Wealth Academy to meet future business and tech needs

A common media narrative around AI often fuels fear of job loss, diminished career purpose, and ethical and environmental concerns. However, AI holds the potential to enrich our working lives and create a more meaningful future. Chief People Officers, along with other leaders, are uniquely positioned to redefine how organisations support and empower their people — from the frontline to the Head Office — by leveraging the power of AI.In this keynote, Abigail Vaughan, CEO at Zellis, explores how AI can:

• Enhance work experiences and strengthen human connections
• Transform work through 24/7 personal assistance and enable HR teams to be at the forefront of change
• Drive value creation to both the top and bottom lines

Amid a talent war and profound skills evolution, nurturing high-potential, future-focused talent is more vital than ever. Through their immersive development centres, AstraZeneca have found that moving beyond mere identification into a sustained, long-term experience is vital to cultivating the engaged, courageous and authentic leaders of tomorrow.

Join Phoebe Garfinkel, Head HR, AstraZeneca UK as she delves into:

• Employing a multilayered experiential approach to learning and leadership development
• Distinguishing between high potential and high performance in the context of growth and innovation
• Ensuring ongoing evolution in alignment with shifting organisational needs and future trends

Diversity, equity, and inclusion shouldn’t just be tracked through metrics — they should be felt in everyday experiences, leadership decisions, and career growth. By embedding DEI into the heart of its culture, AB Agri is redefining what inclusive success looks like.

Join Kelly Brown, Group People & Performance Director, as she shares:

• The delicate balance between equitable practices and positive discrimination, using gender as a measurable blueprint
• The challenges and insights from engagement surveys, highlighting biases and the path forward for ethnicity and disability inclusion
• How embedding inclusivity into culture, rather than treating it as a separate initiative, enhances overall talent management

Effectively engaging shareholders is key to driving agendas and attracting investment. By strategically communicating stories, policies, and governance, organisations strengthen shareholder relationships. HR plays a crucial role, though many professionals are unsure how to engage effectively. Understanding HR's contribution to shareholder engagement is vital for aligning organisational goals with shareholder interests across sectors.

Join this workshop to discuss: 

• Strategies for engaging shareholders through effective communication
• The role of HR in aligning organisational practices with shareholder interests
• Techniques for HR professionals to actively participate in shareholder engagement initiatives

As rapid technological and societal change reshapes the workplace, organisations risk falling into “generational sleepwalking”, failing to notice the shifting expectations and values of their workforce. With Millennials and Gen Z projected to make up 85% of the global workforce by 2030, the stakes for getting it right have never been higher. International speaker and generational expert Dr. Paul Redmond explores why attention is the new workplace currency, and how CHROs can turn generational differences into drivers of collaboration and innovation.

In this session, Paul will explore:

• Harnessing the power of generational diversity for long-term success
• Recognising the subtle cultural shifts reshaping employee expectations
• Identifying which generation holds the key to tomorrow’s workplace

As we see advancing levels of geopolitical instability across our global markets, it becomes increasingly important for organisations to understand how best to navigate their way through the uncertainty this presents and the potential impacts upon their workforce, productivity and our broader sense of security.  How can organisations best maintain their defined operating culture and identity through such times of uncertainty? As HR leaders, how can we work through turbulence, ensuring company 'lighthouse principles' guide our teams to remain focused upon agreed plans and sustainable business outcomes. 

Join this Boardroom to discuss:

• What impact do periods of uncertainty and divisiveness have on company culture, and is this the new norm? How can HR facilitate dialogue around these challenges?
• How do peers communicate the links between company principles and business outcomes, and how can the value of culture and inclusion initiatives be framed alongside disruptive change?
• What role should HR play in supporting company dialogue around uncertainty, complexity, and aligning cultural initiatives with business objectives?

***Must attend Part 1 as this is a continuation of that session.

Effectively engaging shareholders is key to driving agendas and attracting investment. By strategically communicating stories, policies, and governance, organisations strengthen shareholder relationships. HR plays a crucial role, though many professionals are unsure how to engage effectively. Understanding HR's contribution to shareholder engagement is vital for aligning organisational goals with shareholder interests across sectors.

Join this workshop to discuss: 

• Strategies for engaging shareholders through effective communication
• The role of HR in aligning organisational practices with shareholder interests
• Techniques for HR professionals to actively participate in shareholder engagement initiatives

The behaviours, practices, and habits of executive leaders in high-performing organisations are different. The approaches and strategies they used to partner, learn, make decisions, prioritize, trust, influence, take risks, and build culture are what sets them apart from their peers in lower performing organisations. Findings from our executive leadership dynamics study illustrate this. In this session we reveal the secrets to their success and show you how to demonstrate and implement these in your role.

Join VP Analyst Rob O'Donohue as he shares the latest Gartner Research on:

• Increasing leadership impact by building credibility and influence with the CEO and Board of Directors
• Using AI to augment executive effectiveness at the individual and team level
• Developing social savviness to collaborate, communicate, and co-lead with the rest of the C-Suite