Speakers

Dr Hannah Fry

Author, Presenter and Mathematician

Dr Hannah Fry is a well-known TV and radio Personality, mathematician, best-selling author, and a popular keynote speaker.

As Professor in the Mathematics of Cities at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, UCL, Hannah studies patterns in human behaviour. Her research applies to a wide range of social problems and questions, from shopping and transport to urban crime, riots and terrorism.

As well as her media work, Hannah has written a number of books. Her latest, Hello World: How to be human in the age of the machine won the 2020 Asimov Prize and was shortlisted for the prestigious Baillie Gifford Prize for Non Fiction, and the Royal Society Book Prize.

Joyce Idoniboye

Chief People Officer @ Oxfam

Strategic, dynamic and innovative HR leader and qualified coach. Developing and implementing people strategies that align with business goals and provide engaging employee value propositions. Strong consulting and influencing skills along with a flexible, solution-based approach.

Dr. Andrew White

Research Fellow at Said Business School

CEO of Transcend.Space and global leadership consultant, collaborates with leaders globally to navigate strategic challenges, ensuring sustainable high performance. As a faculty member at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, he directs the Advanced Management and Leadership Programme, coaches CEOs, and conducts leadership research.

Dr. Mark Vernon

Psychotherapist, Writer & Broadcaster

A psychotherapist with a PhD in philosophy, writes for The Idler and various magazines. His recent books include “Spiritual Intelligence in Seven Steps” and “Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey.” With degrees in theology and physics, he appears on the BBC and other programs, exploring topics on friendship, love, and the good life.

Robert Rowland Smith

Author & Prize Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford

An award-winning author and Prize Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, now a partner in a London advisory firm, uniquely combines philosophy with practical expertise. Renowned for his work in systemic constellations, he authored bestsellers like ‘Breakfast with Socrates’ and ‘The Reality Test.’ As a Sunday Times Magazine columnist on moral dilemmas and a frequent speaker at events, he has established a prominent reputation.

David Baker

Writer, thinker, speaker, broadcaster, consultant

Writer, broadcaster, and consultant, David simplifies complex topics for diverse audiences, covering economics, cultural anthropology, and work/life balance. Published in Wired, Financial Times, and The Guardian, he was the launch managing editor of Wired UK. David predicts science and tech trends in The Wired World and teaches at The School of Life, presenting programs for Radio 4 and Radiolab. A sought-after speaker, he addresses the impact of science and technology on humans at global conferences.

Louisa Moreton

Partner, Transformation and Change @ FGS Global

A strategist specialising in change, employee engagement and purposeful business. I support leaders and teams driving change to balance the emotional and the rational as they bring people on the journey and advocate a collaborative approach that ensures adoption.

Sharon Bagshaw

Managing Director, UK&I @ AMS

Sharon joined AMS in early 2023 from the leadership team of technology and business services provider IBM where she was a UK Board Director. She has over 30 years’ experience in technology outsourcing, implementation and complex business service delivery across industries as varied as financial services, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and the public sector.

A passionate advocate for the skills agenda Sharon was co-founder of ‘TechConnect’, a programme between the UK government and TechUK, which brings industry and civil service early professionals together to collaborate on innovative ideas to solve real world issues. She is a recognised mentor and coach and proud to be part of the development of the ‘next gen’ new talent.

Jane Farquharson

VP Global Integrated Resourcing @ Shell

Jane leads a global organisation of c.300 who are collectively accountable for internal resourcing (12,000+ internal staff moves per annum), external recruitment (6-9,000 per annum) and contingent workforce optimisation and their Employer Brand globally across all Shell businesses, geographies and sectors.

Ben Chambers

Head of Learning, Performance & Talent @ Grant Thornton

Ben works for Grant Thornton, a market-leading professional services firm, where he’s responsible for learning, talent and performance and also works in the fields of purpose and culture.

He has also founded the Talent and Leadership Club, a global community of ‘in house’ talent, learning and leadership professionals with nearly 1,000 members. He also founded the Learning Leader Programme, a 12 month programme that provides learning professionals with the skills they need in a leadership role.

Simon Gibson

Group Head of Learning & Development @ Marks & Spencer

Simon Gibson is a modern and experienced Chief Learning Officer. A real passion to deliver meaningful commercial Change/Transformation via appropriate Learning/Organisational Development/Talent initiatives.

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), IT, Sales, SaaS, Solar Energy, Distribution, Media & Digital and Retail.

Dr Emma Karoune

Senior Researcher @ The Alan Turning Institute

Emma started her academic career as an Archaeological Scientist with a PhD from University College London, but now specialises in the implementation of open research across multiple disciplines including ED&I and accessibility practices and data science skills. Emma currently leads skills related research projects including   ‘Professionalisation of data science roles’- a data science skills focused project to inform policy makers about diverse data science careers, ‘People in Data’ – a national project to convene a cross-domain and cross-sector community of data science professionals to provide knowledge sharing, upskilling, and professionalisation for those working in data science roles and ‘The Turing Way’ – a community-led open educational project to establish a guide for data science best practices.  

Larissa Harrison

Group HRD Talent @ Babcock International Group

As a global HR executive, Larissa is passionate about people reaching their potential through personal growth, creating opportunities that inspire and purpose-driven business. Larissa’s career track spans 30 years’ experience across the globe in multiple industry sectors and functions. You will frequently hear Larissa quote her journey as moving from fast moving consumer goods to slow moving warships and submarines, via fashion, fragrance and automotive.

Flexible and curious by nature, Larissa enjoys problem solving and translating ideas into realistic, pragmatic, and executable plans. Leading by empowering, developing, and setting aspirational expectations of team members, peers and stakeholders thereby driving continuous improvement in her functional area. Larissa is highly regarded for her professionalism, creativity, energy, and the ability to read, lead and motivate people.

Larissa has recently completed her Executive MBA at Said Business School.

Maria McLachlan

MD, Talent Acquisition, Assessment & Skills Planning @ Citi

An experienced Recruitment and Talent Management professional with extensive agency and in-house experience spanning all corporate functions and levels, with particular expertise in Executive Resourcing, Talent Acquisition and pipelining for critical succession needs.

Jim Carrick-Birtwell

Founder & CEO, Future Talent Learning

Ken Brotherston

CEO @ TALiNT PARTNERS

With vast experience successfully running and building global businesses across the TA and recruitment ecosystem. Ken leads the TALiNT Partners team, helping to create exceptional experiences for our audiences. With over 30 years of industry experience including Board positions at Robert Walters, Korn/Ferry International, Morgan McKinley, and as HR Director Fidelity Investments.

Learning themes for the day will include:

The Evolving Relationship Between Humans and Digital Technology
Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on Workforce and Society
The Importance of Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence in a Digital World
Upskilling and Reskilling Strategies for the Modern Workforce
Corporate Responsibility for Inclusive Education and Lifelong Learning in a Digital World