Have you ever crawled into bed exhausted, but since it was just a “normal” day, you can’t quite figure out why you feel so drained? Is your team struggling to perform at their best? It may not be your fault! Karen Dillon’s research on high performers reveals a hidden culprit: microstress. Microstress is so subtle that you might not even know you’re facing it, but it’s affecting your performance at work and your everyday life. In this talk, Karen will define and identify microstress — and, more importantly, what you can do about it.
TRAINERS
Karen Dillon, NYTimes Best Selling Author, Contributing Editor HBR, Harvard Business Review (HBR)
With growing scrutiny on the sector, understanding how the Ombudsman interprets issues of service delivery, accountability, and trust has never been more important.
CHAIR
Mark Foxcroft, Partner, Devonshires Solicitors
SPEAKERS
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, Housing Ombudsman Service
This masterclass explores how senior leaders can identify, evaluate, and execute successful mergers and acquisitions to accelerate growth and create long-term value. Participants will examine the full M&A lifecycle — from strategic rationale and target identification to due diligence, deal structuring, and post-merger integration.
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
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.
This Executive to Non-Executive Director masterclass is designed to support senior executives in successfully transitioning into non-executive (NED) roles.
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
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?
