From Exit to Onboarding: Leveraging the CHRO Role in CEO Transitions
Together, we’ll explore what happens before the welcome announcement, how executive relationships are formed in the earliest days, and why the most valuable information often comes from beyond the boardroom. We’ll also examine how leaders can stay connected to the reality of employee experience during periods of significant change.
CHAIR
Misti Melville, NED/Chair Nominations & Remuneration Committee, Al Jammaz Group
SPEAKERS
Helen Easton, Chief People Officer, Darlington Building Society | Neil Hayward, Chair, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust
Executive Transitions – Why They Often Fail & How to Better Navigate to Success
Stepping into a new executive role is one of the highest-stakes moves a leader, and their organisation, can make. The numbers tell a sobering story: research consistently shows that more than 40% of executive transitions fail within the first 18 months. Behind that statistic sit real costs: lost momentum, unsettled teams, damaged reputations, and, too often, a talented leader whose potential never had the chance to land.
CHAIR
Laurence Kiddle, Partner, Head of Data and Technology Services, S&W
SPEAKERS
Peter Jackson, NED, Taha Capital | Richard Turner, Portfolio CFO, Executive Transition Coach / Adviser
Google Cyber Dinner: Protecting C-Suite, Board and High-Profile Individuals
Join us for this in depth session centred on the nexus of cyber and physical security for the modern executive in 2026 and beyond. The modern threat landscape requires a comprehensive approach to executive security, inclusive of both cyber and physical protections. This requires robust solutions that respects the individual’s privacy while ensuring the executive is protected like every other key corporate asset.
SPEAKERS
Blake Renaud, Lead – High Value Asset Protection (Mandiant), Google
Leaving a full-time C-Suite role can open the door to one of the most rewarding stages of a career but it benefits from careful planning. This candid session explores how senior leaders can build a successful plural career across Chair, NED, advisory, investment and other opportunities, while creating the right balance of purpose, income and flexibility. Our panel of leading Chairs and NEDs, alongside wealth management and executive career experts, will share practical lessons on making the transition, building a portfolio, managing reputation and networks, and financially planning for a career that may look very different from the one before.
CHAIR
Catherine Lynch, Non Executive Director, RemCo and NomCo Chair, Staffline Group Plc
SPEAKERS
John Jeffcock, Chief Executive, Winmark | Neil Hayward, Chair, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust | Elisabeth Stheeman, Non-Executive Board Member, M&G Plc | Patrick Dunne, Chairman, Boardelta | Helene Usherwood, Senior Partner, Anderson Quigley
Most organisations still identify skills gaps by asking people what training they think they need. Rami Busbait, Head of Talent Management at Savvy Games Group, took a rather different route.
CHAIR
Catherine Lynch, Non Executive Director, RemCo and NomCo Chair, Staffline Group Plc
SPEAKERS
Rami Busbait, Head of Talent Management, Savvy Games Group
