Thursday 12 March
9.30am – 10am
From digital strain to digital strength: Future-proofing workforce health and resilience with AI
From digital strain to digital strength: Future-proofing workforce health and resilience with AI
Keynote
As artificial intelligence reshapes how work is organised and delivered, it is also transforming the health risk profile of the workforce, with direct implications for wellbeing, benefits spend and long-term organisational resilience. For reward and benefits leaders, this raises critical questions: how is AI affecting mental load and stress risk? How can data and AI enable earlier prediction and prevention, without compromising trust or human agency?
This session explores how organisations can:
- Understand the impact of co-working with AI on mental health, decision-making and workforce health
- Use secondary data and AI to anticipate health risks and cost trajectories earlier
- Prepare for emerging AI-enabled health models with responsible governance and sustainable adoption
Drawing on global health policy and real-world digital health implementation, Anca del Rio brings a health-led, systems perspective to the future of work, examining how AI can be used to strengthen workforce health and resilience in a data-enabled world.
Speakers
From spend to value: The measures and metrics that secure leadership buy-in
From spend to value: The measures and metrics that secure leadership buy-in
Workshop
The challenge for every benefits leader is to translate healthcare spend into demonstrable business value. This workshop examines the metrics, analytics and storytelling techniques that strengthen leadership confidence, justify continued investment and elevate health benefits as a strategic lever. The discussion is framed to move the conversation from cost pressure to strategic value and designed to help participants reflect on where they are today, where they need to get to and the steps they need to take to make it happen.
Key discussion points:
- Reframing the challenge to align to business outcomes: Rising healthcare spend is often the headline issue but how are organisations connecting health benefits to broader business objectives around attraction, retention, productivity and absence? How can benefits leaders reframe benefits as a strategic investment rather than a cost line?
- Where are you today on your data journey: From limited visibility over what’s driving costs, to identifying specific health risks to knowing what actions to take next. What data are you using now, what insights are still missing and using actionable segmentation to deliver maximum impact?
- Turning data into a compelling leadership narrative: How to bring fragmented data together in a credible, comparable and business-relevant way (e.g. tied to both clinical and operational outcomes) to secure sustained leadership support?
- Business case for change: How can early interventions, preventative tools and non-insured solutions be used alongside health insurance to reduce high-cost claims, improve outcomes and shift accountability closer to employees?
Managing a seamless transition from insurance to healthcare trusts
Managing a seamless transition from insurance to healthcare trusts
Workshop
This workshop provides vital insight for benefits directors considering shifting from traditional insurance to healthcare trust models or optimising ones they have. Highlighting the strategic advantages, governance considerations and long-term sustainability of health trust solutions, attendees will gain critical knowledge to help empower them to make informed decisions that align with organisational goals and workforce needs.
Key discussion points
- Why healthcare trusts? Understanding the strategic drivers and market trends behind the shift to healthcare trusts and exploring when a trust may or may not be suitable for your organisation
- Tailoring healthcare trust benefits for organisational needs and future potential: Adapting benefit offerings to meet unique organisational requirements and exploring what is typically included, what’s not suitable and emerging areas such as obesity, genomics, and mandated treatments
- Best practice for trust fund management and risk mitigation including the role of stop loss cover as a smart risk mitigation tool
- Governance, compliance and long-term success: Unpack the legalities, governance structures and trustee responsibilities essential for compliance, effective administration and long-term growth of your healthcare trust
Harnessing AI to improve visibility and efficiency: Redefining health benefits optimisation
Harnessing AI to improve visibility and efficiency: Redefining health benefits optimisation
Workshop
AI and advanced analytics are reshaping how global health benefits are designed, managed and optimised. This strategic workshop will explore practical AI-use cases, from predictive analytics to personalised care pathways, to uncover how AI can be used to gain visibility across regions, predict and mitigate future health costs, and help organisations transition from reactive benefits management to proactive, AI-driven decision-making that improves outcomes for both the business and employees.
Key discussion points:
- Designing from scratch: What information do you need and how AI can act as ‘an expert in your pocket’ to bridge knowledge gaps across multiple regions
- Is your global healthcare programme working? Using AI to optimise health benefits investment and reveal where spend should be rebalanced, benefits redesigned or removed and how competitive your offer is in your region
- Predicting and mitigating future health costs: Using AI and predictive analytics to support personalised care pathways that reduce claims, prevent over-insurance and manage regional cost variation
Delivering whole of workforce healthcare: Closing gaps and advancing inclusion
Delivering whole of workforce healthcare: Closing gaps and advancing inclusion
Workshop
Equity in healthcare access is now a defining element of an inclusive workforce strategy. As employers seek to address key workforce challenges around sickness absence, productivity, recruitment and retention, what are the options for creating affordable and scalable healthcare solutions that support uninsured and under-served employees? Join this workshop to delve into the real business pain points, learn from practical case studies and explore approaches that balance cost, access and engagement across the whole workforce.
Key discussion points:
- Where are you now on your journey to delivering whole of workforce healthcare?
- What are the critical business and workforce challenges you need to address in your organisation? (eg. reduce sickness absence, increase productivity, better retention, improve employee health outcomes etc)
- What could an accessible, scalable solution look like for your organisation?
- How can you demonstrate value and ROI for your healthcare spend?
Speakers
Navigating global health: balancing local needs with global consistency
Navigating global health: balancing local needs with global consistency
Workshop
Drawing on Howden’s recently published Global Health Trends Research, this workshop will drive discussion around three key areas: the opportunities to have a more globally consistent approach, the claims trends and innovations driving costs in different regions and how data and governance is or should be enabling better decision-making.
Key discussion points
- When and how multinational organisations should balance centralised global governance with locally relevant solutions;
- How claims trends are varying across regions and what that means for cost inflation and benefits design; and
- How emerging technologies and interventions are being used either in a global or local way to control costs and risks
Investing in prevention to futureproof workforce health and sustainability
Investing in prevention to futureproof workforce health and sustainability
Workshop
Prevention is essential to workforce sustainability. Join this interactive workshop to explore how employers can balance short-term cost pressures with long-term health outcomes, using targeted investment to drive engagement, resilience and productivity across global populations. Drawing on Marsh’s 2026 Health Trends Report and practical use cases, the discussion will delve into key areas for targeted preventative interventions, explore common stumbling blocks and how to overcome them, and share strategies to effectively measure outcomes and secure leadership buy-in.
Key discussion points:
- Identifying primary health risk drivers across the organisation, including metabolic and cardiovascular conditions, mental health and psychosocial risks, work-related factors and underserved areas
- Building data maturity: leveraging diagnostic tools, local and global data analysis, benchmarking and evidence-based insights to design targeted preventative interventions
- Using measurement to track utilisation, assess the impact on claims and evaluate the effectiveness of preventative measures
- Demonstrating the business case for prevention and proactive risk mitigation: practical approaches to illustrate ROI and the long-term impact on reducing costs
How to design and fund a global employee health benefits programme
How to design and fund a global employee health benefits programme
Workshop
As multi-national employers navigate the challenge of rising costs and employees that expect more from their benefits, many are looking at using global employee benefits programmes to gain control, drive consistency and deliver better value. But where do you start? Join this workshop to learn:
-
Which approach is right for your organisation? Get an overview and understanding of how pools and captives work and the advantages and challenges of each option
-
Which employee benefits risks can be included in these programmes, including life, accident, disability and medical, plus the emerging trends shaping employer decision making
-
Three key success factors – defining risks, costs and outcomes for your programme
Effective deployment of healthcare trusts in a cost control environment
Effective deployment of healthcare trusts in a cost control environment
Workshop
While recognising the value of healthcare benefits to employees and their dependants, companies are looking for more than short-term fixes to contain rising healthcare costs. Healthcare trusts are one of the key potential solutions for larger employers, providing flexibility, transparency and control. Join this workshop to understand what questions you should be asking and how to get the best out of the trust approach, without creating a significant administrative or management burden.
Key discussion points
- What cost control mechanisms can a trust use? Considering good practice for claims oversight and review, administrator costs, design elements, pricing considerations, stop loss approaches, cashflow etc.
- What is required for the healthcare trust to be most effective? Operation and management of a trust requires a range of activities, which might be carried out in-house by the sponsoring employer, or by trustee(s), consultants, administrators and other third parties. Defining the respective roles and responsibilities is crucial. Discussion will lay out options, and compare different structures and approaches to trusteeship, governance and operation.
- How might the trust support broader company thinking about health and wellbeing? Broader perspectives on the role of the trust and how it aligns with other activities and metrics.
State of the nations: emerging trends from exclusive REBA research
Creating a shared view of risk: Integrated collaboration across HR, benefits, health and risk teams to address people risks, drive improved employee health outcomes and help control costs
Creating a shared view of risk: Integrated collaboration across HR, benefits, health and risk teams to address people risks, drive improved employee health outcomes and help control costs
Spotlight talk
- How you get teams to come together over a shared purpose and outcome
- How communication is key between all stakeholders
- How it can be achieved and the outcomes of a joined up model of data and reinvestment into wellness
Speakers
12.35pm – 1pm
Pre-lunch quiz - Networking table exercise
From spend to value: The measures and metrics that secure leadership buy-in
From spend to value: The measures and metrics that secure leadership buy-in
Workshop
The challenge for every benefits leader is to translate healthcare spend into demonstrable business value. This workshop examines the metrics, analytics and storytelling techniques that strengthen leadership confidence, justify continued investment and elevate health benefits as a strategic lever. The discussion is framed to move the conversation from cost pressure to strategic value and designed to help participants reflect on where they are today, where they need to get to and the steps they need to take to make it happen.
Key discussion points:
- Reframing the challenge to align to business outcomes: Rising healthcare spend is often the headline issue but how are organisations connecting health benefits to broader business objectives around attraction, retention, productivity and absence? How can benefits leaders reframe benefits as a strategic investment rather than a cost line?
- Where are you today on your data journey: From limited visibility over what’s driving costs, to identifying specific health risks to knowing what actions to take next. What data are you using now, what insights are still missing and using actionable segmentation to deliver maximum impact?
- Turning data into a compelling leadership narrative: How to bring fragmented data together in a credible, comparable and business-relevant way (e.g. tied to both clinical and operational outcomes) to secure sustained leadership support?
- Business case for change: How can early interventions, preventative tools and non-insured solutions be used alongside health insurance to reduce high-cost claims, improve outcomes and shift accountability closer to employees?
Managing a seamless transition from insurance to healthcare trusts
Managing a seamless transition from insurance to healthcare trusts
Workshop
This workshop provides vital insight for benefits directors considering shifting from traditional insurance to healthcare trust models or optimising ones they have. Highlighting the strategic advantages, governance considerations and long-term sustainability of health trust solutions, attendees will gain critical knowledge to help empower them to make informed decisions that align with organisational goals and workforce needs.
Key discussion points
- Why healthcare trusts? Understanding the strategic drivers and market trends behind the shift to healthcare trusts and exploring when a trust may or may not be suitable for your organisation
- Tailoring healthcare trust benefits for organisational needs and future potential: Adapting benefit offerings to meet unique organisational requirements and exploring what is typically included, what’s not suitable and emerging areas such as obesity, genomics, and mandated treatments
- Best practice for trust fund management and risk mitigation including the role of stop loss cover as a smart risk mitigation tool
- Governance, compliance and long-term success: Unpack the legalities, governance structures and trustee responsibilities essential for compliance, effective administration and long-term growth of your healthcare trust
Harnessing AI to improve visibility and efficiency: Redefining health benefits optimisation
Harnessing AI to improve visibility and efficiency: Redefining health benefits optimisation
Workshop
AI and advanced analytics are reshaping how global health benefits are designed, managed and optimised. This strategic workshop will explore practical AI-use cases, from predictive analytics to personalised care pathways, to uncover how AI can be used to gain visibility across regions, predict and mitigate future health costs, and help organisations transition from reactive benefits management to proactive, AI-driven decision-making that improves outcomes for both the business and employees.
Key discussion points:
- Designing from scratch: What information do you need and how AI can act as ‘an expert in your pocket’ to bridge knowledge gaps across multiple regions
- Is your global healthcare programme working? Using AI to optimise health benefits investment and reveal where spend should be rebalanced, benefits redesigned or removed and how competitive your offer is in your region
- Predicting and mitigating future health costs: Using AI and predictive analytics to support personalised care pathways that reduce claims, prevent over-insurance and manage regional cost variation
Delivering whole of workforce healthcare: Closing gaps and advancing inclusion
Delivering whole of workforce healthcare: Closing gaps and advancing inclusion
Workshop
Equity in healthcare access is now a defining element of an inclusive workforce strategy. As employers seek to address key workforce challenges around sickness absence, productivity, recruitment and retention, what are the options for creating affordable and scalable healthcare solutions that support uninsured and under-served employees? Join this workshop to delve into the real business pain points, learn from practical case studies and explore approaches that balance cost, access and engagement across the whole workforce.
Key discussion points:
- Where are you now on your journey to delivering whole of workforce healthcare?
- What are the critical business and workforce challenges you need to address in your organisation? (eg. reduce sickness absence, increase productivity, better retention, improve employee health outcomes etc)
- What could an accessible, scalable solution look like for your organisation?
- How can you demonstrate value and ROI for your healthcare spend?
Speakers
Navigating global health: balancing local needs with global consistency
Navigating global health: balancing local needs with global consistency
Workshop
Drawing on Howden’s recently published Global Health Trends Research, this workshop will drive discussion around three key areas: the opportunities to have a more globally consistent approach, the claims trends and innovations driving costs in different regions and how data and governance is or should be enabling better decision-making.
Key discussion points
- When and how multinational organisations should balance centralised global governance with locally relevant solutions;
- How claims trends are varying across regions and what that means for cost inflation and benefits design; and
- How emerging technologies and interventions are being used either in a global or local way to control costs and risks
Investing in prevention to futureproof workforce health and sustainability
Investing in prevention to futureproof workforce health and sustainability
Workshop
Prevention is essential to workforce sustainability. Join this interactive workshop to explore how employers can balance short-term cost pressures with long-term health outcomes, using targeted investment to drive engagement, resilience and productivity across global populations. Drawing on Marsh’s 2026 Health Trends Report and practical use cases, the discussion will delve into key areas for targeted preventative interventions, explore common stumbling blocks and how to overcome them, and share strategies to effectively measure outcomes and secure leadership buy-in.
Key discussion points:
- Identifying primary health risk drivers across the organisation, including metabolic and cardiovascular conditions, mental health and psychosocial risks, work-related factors and underserved areas
- Building data maturity: leveraging diagnostic tools, local and global data analysis, benchmarking and evidence-based insights to design targeted preventative interventions
- Using measurement to track utilisation, assess the impact on claims and evaluate the effectiveness of preventative measures
- Demonstrating the business case for prevention and proactive risk mitigation: practical approaches to illustrate ROI and the long-term impact on reducing costs
How to design and fund a global employee health benefits programme
How to design and fund a global employee health benefits programme
Workshop
As multi-national employers navigate the challenge of rising costs and employees that expect more from their benefits, many are looking at using global employee benefits programmes to gain control, drive consistency and deliver better value. But where do you start? Join this workshop to learn:
-
Which approach is right for your organisation? Get an overview and understanding of how pools and captives work and the advantages and challenges of each option
-
Which employee benefits risks can be included in these programmes, including life, accident, disability and medical, plus the emerging trends shaping employer decision making
-
Three key success factors – defining risks, costs and outcomes for your programme
Effective deployment of healthcare trusts in a cost control environment
Effective deployment of healthcare trusts in a cost control environment
Workshop
While recognising the value of healthcare benefits to employees and their dependants, companies are looking for more than short-term fixes to contain rising healthcare costs. Healthcare trusts are one of the key potential solutions for larger employers, providing flexibility, transparency and control. Join this workshop to understand what questions you should be asking and how to get the best out of the trust approach, without creating a significant administrative or management burden.
Key discussion points
- What cost control mechanisms can a trust use? Considering good practice for claims oversight and review, administrator costs, design elements, pricing considerations, stop loss approaches, cashflow etc.
- What is required for the healthcare trust to be most effective? Operation and management of a trust requires a range of activities, which might be carried out in-house by the sponsoring employer, or by trustee(s), consultants, administrators and other third parties. Defining the respective roles and responsibilities is crucial. Discussion will lay out options, and compare different structures and approaches to trusteeship, governance and operation.
- How might the trust support broader company thinking about health and wellbeing? Broader perspectives on the role of the trust and how it aligns with other activities and metrics.
Case study: Driving value through data: How DHL has transformed workforce health cost management
Case study: Driving value through data: How DHL has transformed workforce health cost management
Employer Case Studies
- Predicting risk, preventing cost: Using data-driven predictive analytics to identify and manage workforce health risks globally
- Empowering local action: Leveraging a point-based incentive model and real-time dashboards to drive accountability, efficiency and healthy behaviour change
- Securing leadership buy-in: Building a strong business case that links health investment to measurable cost savings and healthier employees
Speakers
Case study: Innovative financing - How Philip Morris International transitioned to a virtual captive to drive the financial efficiency of their insured benefits
Case study: Innovative financing - How Philip Morris International transitioned to a virtual captive to drive the financial efficiency of their insured benefits
Employer Case Studies
- How it all started, the initial steps and key considerations: the rationale behind the move to a virtual captive arrangement to unlock cost savings
- Building a strong business case: the journey to securing stakeholder approval and alignment throughout the decision-making process
- Implementation and next steps: key lessons learnt from the rollout and future aspirations
Speakers
Case study: Global alignment, local impact: How Tetra Pak created medical insurance principles and a robust governance structure to control costs
Case study: Global alignment, local impact: How Tetra Pak created medical insurance principles and a robust governance structure to control costs
Employer Case Studies
- Shifting towards global consistency: Defining clear and enforceable global medical principles across eligibility, cost-sharing, provider access and dependent coverage
- Strengthening global governance: Building a robust framework to drive local accountability and deliver measurable, sustainable cost efficiencies
- Securing local engagement: Combining gap analysis and broker collaboration with an effective communication strategy to ensure local HR and employee buy-in and adoption
Speakers
