Boardroom Capital: Where Investment is Heading – and Why It Matters
This Chairs & NED meeting explores how today’s capital markets are shaping strategic decision-making at board level. Led by Investec, this session begins with a top-down view of public markets, macroeconomic conditions, and investor sentiment, before drilling into the sectors, themes, and geographies attracting capital.
CHAIR
Diane Moore, Independent Non-Executive Director, Cantor Fitzgerald
Have ORAs Got Trustees To The Next Level In Terms of Scheme Governance?
As the first tranche of schemes approach the deadline for signing their first ORA, we reflect on what we have learned, and what could be done better going into the next cycle and the ongoing ORA process. We will also discuss a response to the challenges of seeing the ORA as not just a one-off compliance exercise but as a valuable ongoing part of business-as-usual. Chairs of pension schemes can also take the opportunity to reflect on whether the implementation of the General Code more generally has brought real governance benefits for their schemes.
SPEAKERS
Jenny Gibbons, Head of Trustee Governance Consulting, WTW | Mat Backus, Pension risk specialist, WTW
This Executive to Non-Executive Director masterclass is designed to support senior executives in successfully transitioning into non-executive (NED) roles.
A Bridge Over Troubled Waters: The River Island Restructuring Plan
The UK retail sector has been grappling with subdued consumer demand, an accelerated switch to online shopping during the pandemic and rising costs squeezing profit margins. High Street and mixed channel retailers face stiff competition from online-only stores. This was the backdrop to clothing retail brand River Island sustaining losses in 2023 and 2024.
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
The Contract Value Imperative: Negotiating With Giants
Contracts are where commercial value is created and most often lost, and this risk is compounded when dealing with global digital giants. This session will examine how senior legal leaders protect contract value and manage risk when traditional leverage is constrained.
SPEAKERS
Per Hoffman, Group Function Legal Affairs & Compliance, Ericsson
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
A confidential whistleblower allegation against the CEO lands late in the evening—hours before the board is due to meet. Reputational risk is immediate, evidence is partial, and the CEO is unaware. What does good board leadership look like in the first 24 hours?
Attendees will discuss the conclusions of ‘Career Paths Reimagined’, a report published by the ACCA on the evolution of CFO skillsets and career opportunities over the next decade. Career paths are less linear and more fluid than in the past. Opportunities will favour the flexible specialists who can best adapt to technological change. Updating skills and maintaining curiosity in mindset are key. A panel of current CFOs will review the report’s assertions reflecting on their own experiences and insights with the report’s author Clive Webb.
