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.
CHAIR
Misti Melville, NED/Chair Nominations & Remuneration Committee, Al Jammaz Group
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.
This breakfast session will examine how business leaders can bridge the divide, from reimagining graduate programmes to accelerated learning pathways and building pipelines in technical fields where demand outstrips supply. We’ll also explore how to meet employees’ evolving expectations for faster career development and greater transparency in reward and progression, while balancing organisational constraints.
Our panel will consist of Phil Beach CBE, Former Chief Executive and now Chairman of Energy & Utility Skills and Ruchika Karakoti, former Head of HR at Capita, who will all share practical insight on how organisations can strategically reshape their approach to talent.
The conversation will be chaired by Alastair Procter, Head of Global Reward, Mobility, Analytics and HR Shared Services at Omnicom Europe.
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
