Navigating the future of work with transformative workplace and people leaders. Explore how organisations are rethinking employee experience, culture, workplace design, leadership, AI-enabled working and the people systems shaping high-performing, connected organisations 🚀

In a world where change is constant, leaders must deliver today while building the capability for tomorrow. Drawing on SharkNinja’s rapid global growth, consumer-led innovation and “Outrageously Extraordinary” culture, Maja Troedsson Thuroczy explores how organisations can turn ambiguity into competitive advantage. She shares lessons from responding rapidly to disruption, including tariffs and AI, and explains why change is really about but helping people understand why it matters and their role in it. The talk offers insights on creating clarity, building commitment, owning change, and strengthening talent, culture, leadership and reinvention for sustained performance.

Organisations want to become more innovative, adaptive and human, yet often overlook the thoughtful people who see more than they say. This session explores the hidden rules that shape who contributes, whose ideas carry weight and which voices remain unheard. Moving beyond familiar calls to “speak up”, it examines how leaders can create the conditions for highly capable, less vocal colleagues to share their insight. Discover how everyday leadership behaviours and cultural expectations influence participation, and what it takes to build workplaces where more intelligence becomes visible, talent is genuinely heard and a wider range of perspectives shapes meaningful change.

From its origins as a print directory to its position today as the UK's leading tech platform for trusted tradespeople, Checkatrade has moved decisively ahead of the curve in the age of AI. Ashley will share Checkatrade's transformation journey - how the business has delivered strong year-on-year growth while building a resilient, future-ready talent pipeline. She'll unpack Checkatrade's proactive approach to AI adoption, embedded into the company's culture and daily operations: from performance management and employee recognition, to company-wide hackathons and fully automated agents solving real customer problems. This talk offers a candid, practical guide for HR and leadership teams navigating the challenges and opportunities of AI integration - and what it takes to secure long-term durability and market leadership.

How can organisations move beyond measuring engagement to creating a culture that employees genuinely want to be part of? This panel explores the role of trust, purpose, employee voice and shared experiences in strengthening connection at work. Alongside the everyday actions of leaders and managers, we’ll examine how employee giving and volunteering can bring organisational values to life, build relationships and connect colleagues with causes that matter to them. Expect practical perspectives on designing inclusive initiatives, overcoming barriers to participation and understanding impact beyond headline numbers, with lessons for building engagement that lasts beyond a single campaign or annual survey.

When processes fail, we often blame people rather than question the systems shaping their behaviour. This session explores why explaining a process is not enough, and how intentional design can make the right behaviour the easy choice. Drawing on experience influencing tens of thousands of daily passengers in mass transit and leading complex change programmes in facilities management, Paul examines how structural, environmental and behavioural guardrails can support better outcomes. Discover how to move beyond instructions and assumptions to create processes that guide action, give people greater confidence and make organisational change easier to navigate, adopt and sustain in practice.