As AI moves from concept to reality, many organisations are struggling less with the technology itself and more with its impact on people and culture. This session focuses on the practical and human challenges of AI adoption: anxiety about job security, confusion over future skills, and a growing divide between “AI insiders” and the wider workforce. We will consider how poorly managed implementation can erode trust, disengage employees, and undermine organisational values and what we can do to avoid that eventuality.
CHAIR
Jeff Uden, Global Head of Performance & Attraction, Aventum Group
SPEAKERS
Jamie Nevshehir, VP, HR Operations and People Analytics, NBCUniversal | James Gilding, Chief Strategy Officer, Kings Secure Technologies
Modern Succession Planning involves collaborating with other departments in identifying and developing potential leadership successors, ensuring a seamless transition of power and resilience in adapting to a faster-changing workforce.
SPEAKERS
Sue Whalley, Chief People & Performance Officer, Associated British Foods | Peter Jackson, Former CEO, Hill Dickinson LLP
Uniting the Generational Gap: A Culture Framework for High-Performance Marketing
Join Matt Field, CMO of Aventum Group, for a critical session tackling the dual talent crisis facing modern marketing: a retiring workforce converging with an acute shortage of emerging talent. As AI accelerates change and widens the generational gap, the solution isn’t more tools, it’s building the right culture first.
SPEAKERS
Matt Field, Chief Marketing Officer, Aventum Group
Over the past decade, data has increasingly become a board-room discussion point and a strategic driver for companies. CIOs were first charged with building centralised data platforms and capabilities. Data resources often followed.
CHAIR
Rob Newnes-Smith, Owner, Newnes-Smith Consulting
SPEAKERS
Tor Bøe-Lillegraven, Chief Data Officer & Global Head of Data Management, ING Group
Human, Skills & Agentic AI – The Rolls-Royce Story
In 2022, Rolls-Royce faced a critical juncture: multiple business units in the company were heading towards significant skills shortages in specific skillsets. To solve it, the organization didn’t just recruit; they fundamentally redesigned how work happens.
SPEAKERS
Stuart Evans, Director – Future of Work & Digital Employee Experience, Rolls-Royce
“The Skills Gap”: Bridging the Divide Between Education and Industry
The UK faces a growing misalignment between the skills graduates leave university with and the capabilities businesses urgently need. With automation, AI, and demographic shifts reshaping entry-level roles, organisations are struggling to source talent equipped with both technical expertise and the human skills of resilience, empathy, and curiosity.
CHAIR
Alastair Procter, SVP, Strategic Human Resource Operations, The Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG)
SPEAKERS
Phil Beach CBE, Chairman, Energy & Utility Skills | Ruchika Karakoti, Founder and Principal Consultant, Karakoti Consulting Limited | Steve Saville, VP, People, BAE Systems Digital Intelligence
