The speakers and round table hosts this year are an impressive line up of industry experts, celebrities and senior benefits and wellbeing professionals:
Tim Harford OBE
Simon Reeve
Janet Cooper OBE
Jenni Wilson
Described as ‘British television's most adventurous traveller’, Simon has journeyed across epic landscapes, walked through minefields, and been detained for spying by the KGB. His deep insights into global issues and strength in the face of adversity provide great motivation to innovate and adapt in an ever-changing world.
Taking time out from his ‘To the Ends of the Earth’ national theatre tour, Simon joins us with stories and surprises as he explores resilience, head health, and our place on the planet.Celebrity guest speaker: Simon Reeve, Adventurer, TV presenter and New York Times bestselling author with a passion for travel, wildlife, history, current affairs, conservation and the environment. Thursday @ 4:55 PM
Chair’s welcome Thursday @ 9:15 AM
Opening keynote: How to make workforce data add up: Three tools to help you think clearly about reward and benefits data Thursday @ 9:40 AM
Option 5: Panel – Flexible Benefit Technology in Global Benefits Strategy: Enhancing Consistency, Equity, and Cultural Sensitivity Thursday @ 11:00 AM
Janet Cooper OBE is an experienced reward professional, chairing 3 Remuneration Committees, she is a Non-Executive Director of Nurture Landscapes Group, Chair of ProShare.
Janet was one of the first women partners at global law firm Linklaters where she led the executive incentive and employee share plans team for over 20 years and has advised many global companies on their remuneration strategies. She is currently ranked in the legal directory Chambers as the top lawyer in the UK for Employee Share Plans and Executive Incentives.
Janet has worked across both the private and public sector, recently completing a 9 year term on the RNLI Trustee Board where she was the first woman to be Chair and is Vice Chair of the University of Roehampton.
Jake is the Head of Strategy at Fair4All Finance where he leads on new initiatives and research to improve the financial services system for people in vulnerable circumstances. Jake joined Fair4All Finance in September 2021 from the Money & Pension Service (MaPS) where he led the development of the delivery plans of the UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing with a specific focus on creating a Nation of Savers and the role employers and partnerships should have in improving the financial lives of people across the UK. Prior to MaPS, Jake was HR Director at T-Systems in the UK where he developed a holistic wellbeing and inclusion programme, implemented a responsible investment strategy for the company pension scheme and worked with partners and industry bodies to improve pension and benefit provision. Jake has a BA in History of Art & the History of Scientific Thought from Leeds University and holds a master’s degree in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge.
Saumya Barber joined Unum in 2013 and has worked in various roles across Unum’s Claims, Rehabilitation and Proposition teams. As Head of Proposition Development at Unum she is responsible for driving innovative, customer centric solutions with a key focus on health and wellbeing services that deliver impactful outcomes.
Prior to joining Unum Saumya has worked across many industries in Risk Consulting and Advisory positions at KPMG and Employer Mutual in Australia. She has experience in risk management, audit, workers compensation, illness/injury prevention, employee relations and wellbeing.
Saumya is originally from Sydney Australia and attended The University of Sydney where she completed Bachelors in Applied Science (Occupational Therapy) and has completed a Masters in Science (Work, Health and Safety).
Option 3: Mitigating people and health risks: Future-proofing your workplace wellbeing benefits for 2025 and beyond Thursday @ 12:25 PM
Camilla is the Head of Corporate, SME and Intermediary sales at Simplyhealth. Passionate about addressing and reversing the workplace sickness epidemic, Camilla leads and drives the engine that delivers simple and affordable access to healthcare for UK workforces.
Option 4: Tackling inequalities in workplace healthcare: Creating fair and equitable access for all employees Thursday @ 3:20 PM
Lucy leads Mercer’s UK DEI & Pay Equity Consulting practice. Lucy has 10 years of consulting experience with a focus on creating an inclusive workplace culture. Lucy co-curated Mercer's Neurodiversity proposition and has supported employers in creating an LGBTQIA+ inclusive environment.
Option 4: How the drive for reward transparency is shaping global pay strategies Thursday @ 11:00 AM
Option 5: Panel – Flexible Benefit Technology in Global Benefits Strategy: Enhancing Consistency, Equity, and Cultural Sensitivity Thursday @ 11:00 AM
Guy Clarkson is an accomplished Technology and Consulting Growth Leader with a versatile skill set and a proven ability to create value, engage clients, and drive business growth while upholding a steadfast commitment to Employee Engagement & Wellbeing. Guy’s approach is grounded in effective communication and establishing productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Guy is dedicated to pioneering innovations that enhance commercial performance through organisational design and process efficiency improvements. As the UK Digital Growth Leader at Mercer Marsh Benefits, Guy leads a dynamic team responsible for driving digital growth across the UK. Guy’s primary focus is on delivering a fully integrated Employee Benefits (EB) brokerage, consulting, and technology solutions to clients.
Option 2: Masterclass - Harnessing innovation and benefits optimisation to manage future health costs and improve outcomes Thursday @ 3:20 PM
Dan Cobley is an entrepreneur and investor in innovative tech startup businesses, focusing on financial services. He is a popular keynote speaker at conferences; speaking on the disruptive power of fintech, technology, innovation, and Google’s unique approach to business. He is also an accomplished moderator, interviewer and after-dinner speaker.
Dan has shared his thoughts on Physics and Marketing at a Global TED conference and with over 1.5 million people online. He was named as number 3 in Wired UK top 100 list 2012 and among the Maserati 100 Innovators of the Year in 2018 and Business Insider’s top 100 Innovators in 2019.
Dan spent 8 years at Google, running European marketing and then the $5Bn UK and Ireland business. Since leaving Google he has become a successful entrepreneur and investor in innovative startup businesses.
Option 3: Fireside chat with Dan Cobley: Using AI to build a healthier global workforce without increasing healthcare budgets Thursday @ 11:00 AM
If you work in employee benefits, chances are you’ve come across David in one form or another. David has built a solid reputation as someone who believes passionately in the value of a clear, well considered benefits strategy. After all, employee benefits without a purpose risks being just another drain on budgets and resources. With over 20 years delivering employee consulting services, David’s list of achievements is considerable. He has helped a broad scale of organisations – from SMEs to large FTSE 100 companies – and worked across a wide range of employee benefit areas. What does David enjoy most about his role? It’s in seeing the value generated for clients by an innovative, well thought through employee benefits strategy. One that really meets the specific needs of an employer, as well as the people who work there.
Option 1: Masterclass - Get behind the latest Benefits Trends research: Uncovering changing workforce needs, priorities and pressures to find out what you can do today to be future-ready for tomorrow Thursday @ 11:35 AM
Carmen joined Nationwide Building Society in 2022 and heads up the benefits, recognition, health and wellbeing and strategic proposition team. Carmen is passionate about employee experience and influencing colleague journeys that are consumer centric. Leading with a ‘great place to work’ mindset, Carmen has successfully designed and launched Nationwide’s bold and refreshed employee value proposition which will form the basis of future employer brand activity. Prior to Nationwide, Carmen has over 25-years experience working in global professional services organisations across a range of people function roles, including culture, organisational change, employee relations and business partnering.
Option 4: Case study: Putting an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) at the heart of the business to align with strategic ambition at Nationwide Thursday @ 2:45 PM
Jamie is now the VP, Reward at Chart Industries.
He used to be the Global Director of Reward and HR Policy at Howden. Howden is a global engineering business headquartered in the UK, and specialising in air and gas handling solutions. The business has over 6,500 employees across 35 countries.
Jamie has led reward functions in both publicly owned and private equity backed companies and a large part of his recent experience has been managing through significant periods of change and M&A activity. Jamie was previously Group Head of Reward at ASOS and prior to that the Global Head of Reward at Costa Coffee.
Jamie spent almost ten years in HR consultancy Hay Group, which became part of Korn Ferry. During his time in consultancy, he supported a number of large clients with reward work designed to promote fairness and equality, as well as supporting the delivery of the business strategy.
Option 5: Panel – Flexible Benefit Technology in Global Benefits Strategy: Enhancing Consistency, Equity, and Cultural Sensitivity Thursday @ 11:00 AM
Ross Elmsly is the Head of Solution Advisory at beqom, a leading provider of performance management and compensation solutions. With a decade of experience in beqom, working with global organizations across diverse industries, Ross specializes in helping clients tackle complex challenges related to performance management, compensation, and pay equity. He brings a deep understanding of the challenges, coupled with real world experience of the tools and technologies, to chart the way forward.
Prior to joining beqom, Ross held roles at SAP in Singapore and the UK.
Ross holds a Masters of Commerce with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland.
Option 1: Case study: Demystifying pay equity with lessons from Diageo Thursday @ 2:10 PM
Catherine has over 20 years' experience within the global retirement industry, helping clients manage the risks and opportunities associated with their global portfolios. Catherine supports multinational companies with global retirement & benefits governance, from the early stages of developing a governance framework through to ongoing operational oversight, compliance & performance monitoring. She has particular interest in the retirement aspect of pay equity and the implications for retirement adequacy.
Catherine Engelhardt | LinkedIn
Option 6: Workshop - Successful execution of a global retirement strategy: Getting visibility, control and governance of DC plans for a global workforce Thursday @ 12:25 PM
Sebastian is a Co-Founder and CEO at Ben, with a mission to help build a world working at its best by building the world’s most flexible employee benefits platform. He’s been an entrepreneur for nearly 15 years with his first venture selling to UK-headquartered travel firm Secret Escapes where he ran the UK market as MD following the acquisition for several years. Sebastian started his career as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company and is passionate about product and technology.
Option 4: Rethinking global benefits design: using AI to transform strategy and solve complexity Thursday @ 2:10 PM
Peter Frampton is the Head of Talent, Performance and Reward, and Global HRBPs with Teneo, based in London.
Prior to Teneo, Peter spent over 20 years in banking in international roles across Operations and Human Resources. For the last nine years, he has built his expertise in Performance Management and Reward, launching innovative and effective approaches to pay-for-performance at both the individual and business level. Central to this is using data to drive decision making, including insights derived from continuous employee listening and feedback.
Earlier in his career, Peter helped build a market-leading People Analytics function, which included the early adoption in HR of Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing capabilities.
Peter is passionate about making a difference – helping people, businesses and charities to achieve their goals and full potential. He is currently the Chair of Allergy UK and is a trustee at a fast-growing Multi-Academy Trust.
Option 5: Panel - AI’s transformative role in shaping future benefits strategies Thursday @ 2:45 PM
Curated roundtables or visit exhibition Thursday @ 4:10 PM
As Co-Head of Culture, Talent & Inclusion at Schroders, my team are dedicated to enhancing employee wellbeing and experience through targeted health and prevention programmes that positively impact our workforce. By identifying health risks and reviewing our health and absence management processes, we have reduced long-term absenteeism, resulting in significant cost savings. Additionally, we focus on fostering an inclusive environment that values diverse employee perspectives, integrating health into our organisational culture. I take pride in these initiatives, as they demonstrate the tangible benefits of investing in prevention, intervention, and a holistic employee experience.
Curated roundtables or visit exhibition Thursday @ 4:10 PM
Option 5: Panel - Future benefits 2030: Adapting to evolving employee needs and preparing for the next generation workforce Thursday @ 12:25 PM
Option 5: Panel - AI’s transformative role in shaping future benefits strategies Thursday @ 2:45 PM
Karen Gaynor has over 20 years HR experience in major global conglomerate organisations providing solutions in Healthcare, FMCG and Energy. With leadership experience as a HR Director and in Compensation and Benefits, Karen has a wealth of experience that results in a true understanding of the diverse requirements of employees and leadership.
Karen is part of the Centrica reward leadership team delivering powerful reward, incentives and benefits. Karen is responsible for leading compensation topics within Centrica, including pay, incentives, share programmes, recognition, and executive remuneration.
She is passionate about diversity and inclusion and ensuring reward solutions support building a more diverse and inclusive workplace.
“I'm looking forward to hosting this round table because I have experience of creating reward strategies that are aligned to changing business strategies and I look forward to finding the right pathway to further support pay transparency, equity and inclusion.”
Curated roundtables or visit exhibition Thursday @ 4:10 PM
Rebecca has 15 yrs experience in business development and accountmanagement. She has worked for KareHero for 8 years, andhas significant first-hand experience working within the broken care sector supporting Enterpriseclients to overcome the effects of the ageing population on the workforce.
Rebecca (Becci) Gill | LinkedIn
Breakfast/Pre-conference workshop - Care in crisis: Why the NHS can no longer support and what employers can do to step in Thursday @ 8:25 AM
Today, Matthew oversees all aspects of Howden’s proposition for Corporate clients. He has over 20 years’ experience in employee benefits, including a large portion of his career helping shape the flexible benefits market in the UK. Matthew has personally helped many large and complex employers introduce transformational change to their pension and benefits programmes, working with providers and partners in industry to innovate and maximise the value they bring to clients.
Option 2: How the climate outlook will reshape risk, the benefits supply chain and the wider benefits ecosystem Thursday @ 2:45 PM
Gregg’s career has spanned over 20 years; starting in payroll and gaining experience across benefits, pensions and share plans, as well as wider reward. Gregg has worked in various sectors from aviation to construction and most recently financial services. He brings knowledge and expertise gained from companies like easyJet, Kering (Gucci, Alexander McQueen etc.) and Entain (Ladbrokes, Coral etc.) Gregg is a financial wellbeing enthusiast and has launched various campaigns and benefits to support multigenerational and global workforces with all things money. A self-confessed pension geek, he also loves to lead pension governance, education and engagement to support people preparing for their future. With a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion, Gregg has also chaired a previous employers LGBTQ+ employee network.
Curated roundtables or visit exhibition Thursday @ 4:10 PM
Natalie is a strategic marketing leader at Experian UK, specializing in data-driven innovation that supports key life moments. With deep expertise in understanding customer, industry, and market needs, she leads efforts to bridge gaps in digital and financial inclusion. Passionate about human-centred marketing, Natalie leverages data to drive impactful change, enhance customer and business outcomes, and improve employee wellbeing. Her experience in crafting and executing strategic marketing initiatives across different industries - alongside proposition development, and thought leadership has established her as a skilled leader, capable of driving meaningful progress for both consumers and the industry.
Option 1: Unlocking life’s key moments: Empowering employees to navigate financial milestones and build a more inclusive financial ecosystem Thursday @ 3:20 PM
Liz is a Life Science and Health Innovation Partner and she is the European leader of the Deloitte Health Equity Institute. She leads work to create patient and societal value from health innovation and supports governments developing health strategy. She is a passionate advocate for mental health in the workplace and has led work on Mental Health and Employer Health for over a decade, this includes authoring the Deloitte flagship report “The case for investment in employee mental health” which was first published as part of the Thriving at work review.
Option 2: Investing in support for working parents to build mental resilience and mitigate future health and productivity costs Thursday @ 11:00 AM
Ruth Handcock is CEO of Octopus Money, a money advice brand for everyone. The new brand – Octopus Group's second mass consumer brand alongside Octopus Energy – offers money coaching and advice to millions of people across the UK, regardless of how much they earn or are able to invest.
For her first 5 years as part of the Octopus Group she was CEO at Octopus Investments, an asset manager with £13bn under management. Prior to this she was a founding employee at Tandem, a new UK challenger bank, and was responsible for achieving their banking licence. She is an independent non-Executive Director of Aldermore Bank and sits on the Octopus Group main Board.
Ruth is passionate about education – in finances and beyond – having spent a year working in the Ministry of Trade in Sierra Leone to attract overseas investment and establishing a primary school in Freetown. Ruth was also Governor at Bolingbroke Academy, a non-selective state secondary for 6 years.
Option 3: Rethinking pensions: the benefit employees overlook but can’t afford to ignore Thursday @ 2:10 PM
Evan Harris is the Co-Founder and CEO at Peppy, with a mission to transform digital healthcare. Following a scholarship with PwC, Evan worked in global finance, commercial and operational roles with responsibility for up to 2,000 people. At Peppy, Evan primarily focuses on strategy, products and technology.
Option 5: Panel - AI’s transformative role in shaping future benefits strategies Thursday @ 2:45 PM
In this role Michele is working with Zurich’s benefits businesses across the globe to transform employee benefits into a personalized experience. With over a decade of experience in the Employee Benefits Industry, Michele has held several senior roles in distribution and business development at Zurich across the local, regional, and global level, including Head of Market Management for Zurich Global Employee Benefits Solutions and Head of Distribution for Zurich Corporate Life & Pensions Latin America. Michele is based in Zurich, Switzerland and holds a Master Degree in International Affairs and Governance from the University of St.Gallen and the CEMS Master of International Management from the University of St.Gallen and ESADE Business School.
Option 5: Panel - Future benefits 2030: Adapting to evolving employee needs and preparing for the next generation workforce Thursday @ 12:25 PM
Option 1: Navigating the impact of the Labour Government’s employment policies on future reward and benefits strategies Thursday @ 11:00 AM
Sara is Founder and CEO of RoleMapper. She has spent the last 20+ years as both a leader and advisor across start-ups and government to FSTE/Fortune 100 companies, building innovative solutions in the future-of-work space. At RoleMapper, Sara leads on product strategy, working with customers to solve complex data challenges and build innovative technology and AI-powered solutions in the jobs, work and skills domain.
Option 1: Using technology and AI to support the shift to skills based organisation, while enabling pay transparency readiness and equal pay governance Thursday @ 2:45 PM
Clare has over 20 years’ experience in HR and Reward across manufacturing, retail, market research and loss adjusting sectors. She specialises in reward, benefits, wellbeing and DEI and has managed many complex projects.
Clare’s passion is to improve the employee experience through benefits and wellbeing solutions to enable employees to thrive both in and outside of work.
Curated roundtables or visit exhibition Thursday @ 4:10 PM
Paul has almost 30 years’ experience working in a variety of Reward roles at GE, Orange Business Services, FNZ Technology Ltd, and is now working for Hiscox plc. Over his career he has gradually expanded his employee benefits experience to encompass all global regions, specifically, Europe, Middle East and Africa, North America, South Asia and the Far East.
Over the years, he has been involved in providing advice on the impact of employee benefits on mergers, acquisitions and dispositions and has been a pension trustee for UK, US, Canadian and Irish pension plans, and has had experience as a Total Rewards Manager, covering the Middle East & Africa. His last three roles have been as a Head of Global Benefits.
At Hiscox he is focused on delivering reinvigorating the global benefits and wellbeing strategy and establishing a global approach to employee benefits and wellbeing.
Curated roundtables or visit exhibition Thursday @ 4:10 PM
Option 1: Navigating the impact of the Labour Government’s employment policies on future reward and benefits strategies Thursday @ 11:00 AM
Tina Kennedy is a Product Director at Simplyhealth, driving forward the product strategy and roadmap to support UK businesses with affordable and accessible healthcare for their employees.
Option 4: Tackling inequalities in workplace healthcare: Creating fair and equitable access for all employees Thursday @ 3:20 PM
Dr. Hiba Sher Khan is a practicing NHS Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, currently also serving as the UK Medical Director at Maven. As a clinician, she provides comprehensive care to women throughout the life course and is a passionate advocate for empowering patients and improving healthcare outcomes.
In addition to her clinical work, Hiba holds multiple leadership roles within healthcare management and digital innovation. She has served as National Clinical Advisor and Obstetric Lead at NHS England and currently leads digital transformation efforts at a London NHS Trust as the Deputy Chief Clinical Digital Officer. In this capacity, she collaborates with local and regional healthcare organisations to enhance digital care systems and reduce health inequalities.
Hiba is also an active mentor to early-stage founders and has advised several international digital health companies, offering expertise in clinical operations, strategy, and product optimisation. A recognised speaker and thought leader in women’s health, she is committed to driving innovation and improving outcomes in this field. She regularly partners with organisations dedicated to advancing women’s healthcare and fostering meaningful change.
Hiba’s passion for innovation stems from her personal experiences as both a clinician and patient. This unique perspective fuels her commitment to redesigning healthcare systems, enhancing clinical workflows, and elevating care for women.
Option 3: Preparing for rising costs and new trends: How employers can lead the way in designing inclusive, global women’s and family health benefits Thursday @ 3:20 PM
David Kirk leads Aon's Employee Technology Growth and a team of strategic consultants who advise across all health and broader human capital solutions.
With approaching 15 years of experience in new category design technology businesses, David joined Aon 1 year ago to bring the same approach to our enterprise technology capabilities.
Option 6: Workshop – Leveraging data and analytics to empower reward and benefit leaders to make informed decisions and future-proof your workforce Thursday @ 11:00 AM
Max Landry is the Co-Founder at Peppy, with a mission to transform digital healthcare.Max has spent his career launching and building businesses. Before Peppy, he co-founded The Conversation, a platform connecting academic expertise with the public,andPaperstone, one of the UK’s first online office supply companies. He is passionate about using technology to improve employee wellbeing and deliver inclusive healthcare.
Breakfast/Pre-conference workshop - How forward-thinking reward and benefits professionals are using AI-powered personalisation to make their people strategy unbeatable Thursday @ 8:25 AM
Sarah Lardner is a leading expert in employee rewards and compensation strategy, currently serving as a Principal Consultant and Director of Business Innovation at Innecto Reward Consulting.
With a deep understanding of the complexities involved in designing effective reward systems, Sarah has been instrumental in helping organisations enhance their employee value propositions through tailored reward strategies. Her expertise spans various industries, where she provides insights into pay benchmarking, incentive plan design, and overall compensation management for high-profile clients such as Waterstones, Bentley, Mitie and Bloomsbury.
Sarah’s approach is both data-driven and people focused, ensuring that reward solutions not only align with business goals but also drive employee engagement and satisfaction.
Option 6: Workshop - Future-proofing beyond pay: Navigating new government employment policies and how they are impacting workforce strategy planning Thursday @ 2:10 PM
Kay is a Partner at Mercer and leads the Mercer Marsh Benefits Multinational Advisory Team in the UK with over 25 years’ experience consulting in employee benefits.
Kay works with multinational companies on worldwide employee benefit issues with a focus on strategy and design (incorporating personalization, digitization and ESG), retirement and broader benefit governance including the impact of global pensions and benefits on the EU Pay Transparency Directive.
Kay provides M&A due diligence, separation and integration advice and support. As an actuary, she also works with clients to manage their accounting for pensions and other benefits under various standards.
She works with some of Mercer’s largest clients across all sectors.
Kay has a Bachelors degree in Mathematics from the University of Manchester. She qualified as an actuary and became a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries in 2005.
Breakfast/Pre-conference workshop - Navigating global pensions under the EU pay transparency directive Thursday @ 8:25 AM
Stephanie has been a family caregiver to her parents since she was a teenager - and 7 years ago, Stephanie founded KareHero, a business with a mission close to her heart.
KareHero aims to champion the needs of carers in the workplace, helping simplify the complex journey for carers going through the adult social care system.
Prior to founding KareHero, Stephanie ran Operations across 20 countries in Uber Europe. She was also DEI Co-Chair and the EMEA Head of Women@Uber. Over the last 20+ years, she has also held various C-level roles in enterprises across Asia and Europe. She is currently a NED for FTSE100 company, Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust.Breakfast/Pre-conference workshop - Care in crisis: Why the NHS can no longer support and what employers can do to step in Thursday @ 8:25 AM
Option 2: Tools to support employers as they navigate the adult care crisis Thursday @ 11:35 AM
Sarah joined WEALTH at work in 2021 and heads up the new business team. Sarah has extensive experience in both broad based and executive compensation plans on an international level and has over 20 years’ experience in the equity plans/employee benefits market. She is passionate about all aspects of wellbeing in the workplace and in particular financial wellbeing to help improve people’s lives. A keen runner having participated in many marathons and is proud to have raised over £28,000 for breast cancer charities. In her spare time Sarah is also a Rugbytots coach.
Option 4: How financial wellbeing strategies are shifting to meet workforce demands Thursday @ 11:35 AM
Dr. Shane Lowe is a musculoskeletal health in the workplace expert with a PhD in advanced technologies for predicting and diagnosing musculoskeletal injuries like neck and back pain. With a background in academic research, where he published multiple international papers, Shane transitioned into industry over a decade ago. He has since worked at the cutting edge of designing advanced camera and AI technology for injury prevention, used by the world’s top athletes. As a co-founder of Vitrue, he has leveraged AI to help employers of tens of thousands of office workers reduce pain by up to 48% through personalised, tech-driven programs. His unique expertise in merging AI with sports science has positioned him as an expert voice on why musculoskeletal issues like neck and back pain are a top cause of absenteeism and healthcare costs across industries and what employers can do to reduce them.
Option 5: Innovation Demo - Tackling the hidden cost of MSK: leveraging cutting-edge technology to proactively predict and prevent musculoskeletal issues Thursday @ 3:35 PM
Option 5: Panel - Future benefits 2030: Adapting to evolving employee needs and preparing for the next generation workforce Thursday @ 12:25 PM
Matt is a global thought leader and Founder & CEO of Benefex, the award-winning global employee experience provider. Matt’s vision is now impacting the lives of millions of people at work every day, but he also believes we’re just getting started. Matt believes that no one comes to work to do a bad job, or be actively disengaged, and he's helped hundreds of organisations understand their employee engagement, working with them to design and deliver an employee experience which enables them to achieve their strategy. His mission is simple: Everyone deserves to have an exceptional employee experience, every day. Matt is part of the Advisory Board for KPMG’s Global Fintech 100 business, and for Salary Finance. He is also a Barclays Entrepreneur Ambassador and Advisor. He’s been nominated as a ‘Business Hero’ by The Times, and secured a place within the Reward100 most influential leaders in the Industry. Plus, he has a 99% CEO approval rating on Glassdoor.
Option 1: The practitioners guide to AI for benefits communication, personalisation and competitive advantage Thursday @ 12:25 PM
Fabio Mazetti is a Senior HR professional with over 20 years of experience. He excels in various HR subsystems, including staffing, compensation, benefits, organizational changes, business partnering, data analysis, business intelligence, analytics, and reporting. Fabio has led projects across the Americas Region and globally, working with multicultural teams.
Fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, Fabio holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology and certifications in Business Administration, coaching, and health & wellbeing programs. His diverse skill set bridges the gap between technology and HR, driving continuous improvement and innovation.
Option 5: Panel – Flexible Benefit Technology in Global Benefits Strategy: Enhancing Consistency, Equity, and Cultural Sensitivity Thursday @ 11:00 AM
Graham, a seasoned product and innovation leader, boasts over a decade of experience leading pioneering products and services. As the Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Zest, Graham leads the teams responsible for designing and developing Zest’s market-leading employee proposition platform. His unwavering passion lies in creating workplaces where individuals thrive, feel valued, and unlock their full potential—a vision that directly impacts employee productivity, engagement, and overall business success. With a profound belief in the power of data, Graham champions informed decision-making and strategic evolution.
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahammeinke/
Option 3: From wellbeing washing to real impact: Building a unified employee proposition for a multi-generational workforce Thursday @ 11:35 AM
Option 2: Case study - Engaging the disengaged to mitigate rising health costs: Unlocking employee health ownership with lessons from NatWest Thursday @ 2:10 PM
Judith’s reward career spans over 20 years and includes working at global consulting firms, as well as holding senior in-house positions. Her experience includes reward strategy, remuneration governance and short-term and long-term variable pay schemes. Judith has worked with a broad range of organisations, with recent focus on the Financial Services and FinTech sector. Her current role is leading the reward and mobility team at Wise plc, a high growth Fintech specialising in cross-border and domestic money transfer services.
Option 4: Masterclass - Preparing for pay transparency: leveraging change and setting new standards for fair pay Thursday @ 12:25 PM
Bridget is a Principal in MMB Multinational Advisory based in Paris, France with 20 years of international pension and benefit experience.
Bridget started her career in the domestic pension practice at Mercer in the US, including a secondment to Paris where she launched her international career. Prior to returning to Mercer Paris in 2023, she advised clients across various sectors on international M&A pensions due diligence and strategy and performed annual pensions audit reviews at KPMG in London. She led a global benefit redesign project to align benefits with Fair Pay Charter objectives in addition to leading the implementation of flexible benefits at Standard Chartered Bank in both London and Singapore. She was responsible for improving regional pensions governance and risk management at Canon EMEA.
Bridget is part of the Centre of Excellence which is focusing on EU Pay Transparency Directive reporting.
Bridget’s broader experience includes employee communications, stakeholder engagement, project management, operational process design and systems testing and integration.
Bridget has a BA in Mathematics & Statistics and Psychology from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio). She is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) in the US.
Breakfast/Pre-conference workshop - Navigating global pensions under the EU pay transparency directive Thursday @ 8:25 AM
Kevin Newman leads WTW’s Health & Benefits practice across Europe. He specialises in consulting large multinational clients on modernising their benefit programmes to align with evolving corporate objectives and the future of work. Kevin is a key advisor for organisations in designing, financing, and delivering innovative benefit schemes. With strong relationships at the board level of major benefit insurers, he is able to drive proposition and product innovation. Additionally, Kevin is a regular contributor to industry and national press, offering valuable insights on major corporate healthcare and benefit issues.
Option 3: Fireside chat with Dan Cobley: Using AI to build a healthier global workforce without increasing healthcare budgets Thursday @ 11:00 AM
Jonathan Parr–MD, Performance, Reward and Mobility at SMBC Group. Over 25 years ofHR delivery in financial and professional services including Deloitte, ING and Nomura.Global experience in retail, wholesale and investment management with deep technicalexpertise in performance and reward policy design for board, executive and all employeepopulations, reward regulations, RemCo and reward governance including mergers andacquisitions, benefit plan design, change and communications
Curated roundtables or visit exhibition Thursday @ 4:10 PM
With over 18 years’ experience in HR and reward, Tim has been at the forefront of innovation in the industry. Prior to nudge, Tim was part of the team at Thomsons Online Benefits (now Darwin), the global benefits platform that brought employee benefits online. In his time at Thomsons, Time worked with HR and reward leaders from the world’s leading companies to share marketing-leading employee benefit strategies.
In the space of just three months in 2012, the UK saw not one, but two once-in-a-generation legislative changes hit the world of personal finance. The first Auto enrolment changed the pay and savings of over 10m people, and the second removed access to financial advice for 20m at exactly the same time they most needed it. Tim, alongside nudge co-founder Jeremy Beament, recognizes that people have an unprecedented level of responsibility for their money, but are lacking confidence and knowledge.
People are crying out of help and that’s where the idea of nudge was born – a market-leading, global financial wellbeing platform filling the void in financial education. nudge has grown rapidly, supporting almost half a million people to improve their financial wellbeing and create brighter financial futures for themselves and those they love.
Option 2: Global financial wellbeing: how the financial health of the world is evolving and how employers are supporting the change Thursday @ 12:25 PM
Will Porteous is the Chief Growth Officer of Maven Clinic, the largest virtual clinic for women's and family health. In this role, Will is responsible for expanding Maven's partnerships with employers, payers, consultants, and providers across commercial and Medicaid lines of business, both in the US and internationally. Prior to joining Maven, Will was at Bright Health where he served as the National President of Medicare delivering integrated health insurance to over 125,000 seniors in five states. At Bright he also served as the COO of Medicare, President of California, and SVP of Market Development where he was responsible for all new market growth. Prior to joining Bright, Will led operations for the Midwest Health Collaborative, a population health services organization serving six of the Midwest's largest health systems including the Cleveland Clinic and OhioHealth, which managed over over 1.2 million members and 17,000 providers. Will also previously worked at Evolent Health and the Boston Consulting Group focused on supporting providers on their path to value based care. Will holds a BS in Business from Emory University and an MBA from Harvard Business School
Option 3: Preparing for rising costs and new trends: How employers can lead the way in designing inclusive, global women’s and family health benefits Thursday @ 3:20 PM
HR Consultant and former Head of Reward at Anglian Water experienced in developing people strategies and leading teams specialising in employee Reward including benefits, recognition and wellbeing.
Demonstrates a strong track record of delivering people focussed solutions aligned to the purpose of the Organisation. Enjoys challenges and supporting the team to develop new and innovative offerings, addressing the needs and expectations of an inclusive workforce.
Sarah Rees is Head of Marketing at Peppy now, but in her previous life she held employee engagement, benefits, wellbeing and communications roles for a series of global companies. Sarah brings a wealth of lived experience that helps Peppy better understand and serve our clients. Her battle cry is "employers win then they create cultures in which people can and want to be their best" She loves pushing boundaries, asking difficult questions and is a bit nosey.
Breakfast/Pre-conference workshop - How forward-thinking reward and benefits professionals are using AI-powered personalisation to make their people strategy unbeatable Thursday @ 8:25 AM
Catherine Ritchie is Senior Wellbeing and People Experience Manager at global law firm Clifford Chance. A key member of the firm's HR team, her focus is on driving forward the strategic and programmatic elements across all locations, but with specific responsibility for the UK and Middle East. Since 2018, Catherine has been developing people-first strategies to promote wellbeing and positive experiences across market-leading businesses. In 2023 she was recognised for her work by Make a Difference (Best Multinational Workplace Wellbeing Programme). Her training in marketing combined with her rich experience means her work achieves impact across diverse populations.
Curated roundtables or visit exhibition Thursday @ 4:10 PM
Karen manages benefits across the EMEA region at Microsoft, with extensive experience in the UK and currently working across Middle East and Africa. Karen has a passion for wellbeing and ensuring employees are supported during those ‘moments that matter’. Whilst companies are invested in expanding benefits to support more inclusive health matters – such as fertility, gender dysphoria, and menopause, Karen is committed to ensuring the support extends to how these life events are managed in the workplace, through allyship and manager capability.
Recognising the importance of providing employees with opportunities for social connection, Karen co-founded the Families employee resource group at Microsoft UK, providing a community for employees to connect and share experiences, and to support each other through the challenges of family life.
Curated roundtables or visit exhibition Thursday @ 4:10 PM
Samantha Sergent is the Director of International Benefits at Microsoft, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping benefit programs & experience for employees and their families in over one hundred countries.
With a 13-year tenure at Microsoft, Samantha has traversed a multifaceted career path, spanning a diverse set of roles in both HR Shared Services and Total Rewards. Her career has been characterized by a commitment to transformation and operational excellence. Samantha's passion for innovation and her focus on driving efficiency have consistently propelled her to new heights within the organization.
Samantha’s career took a turn six years ago when she shifted her focus to employee benefits. Since that pivotal move, every day has been a new challenge, an opportunity for fresh insights, and an adventure that spans across regions, countries, and markets.
In 2020, Samantha embarked on another exciting chapter in her life when she relocated to the UK, a bold decision made during the tumultuous year. Together with her husband and their two children, Samantha continues to embrace change, learning, and growth.
Samantha is a believer in the power of networking and knowledge-sharing within the professional community. She is grateful for the continued learning and engagement that organizations like REBA provide to benefit professionals. Today, she eagerly anticipates the opportunity to connect with fellow professionals, share her insights, and learn from the diverse perspectives that make this community so vibrant and dynamic.
Option 5: Panel - AI’s transformative role in shaping future benefits strategies Thursday @ 2:45 PM
Julie’s career in the world of Share Plans has spanned 25 years in both provider account management and FTSE100 issuer roles. She was part of the original account management team at Abbey National/Santander and joined Computershare in 2004 with responsibility for both managing existing client relationships and developing new business development opportunities.
Julie moved to her first issuer role joining the share plan team at Kingfisher in 2014. In 2016, she joined The Sage Group plc, where she is now Share Plan Director leading a team of two share plan specialists and responsible for the management of all the company’s equity plans including share incentive plans for the Directors and Senior Management plus the company’s Global Employee Share plan in 14 countries and a local ESPP plan in the USA.
Julie is a member of the Issuer Council for the Global Equity Organisation (GEO) and was appointed as a GEO Fellow in December 2019. She is a regular speaker at conferences and chapter events, holds the ICSA Cert in Share plans and is current joint chair of the Proshare Global Focus Group.
Option 4: How financial wellbeing strategies are shifting to meet workforce demands Thursday @ 11:35 AM
Isha oversees Compensation, Benefits, L&D and People Analytics globally for SoundCloud. Prior to music/tech, her experience spans across reward, benefits and performance within varied industries such as higher education, private healthcare and professional services.
Isha has a keen interest in DEI driven by previous experience at a charity in the legal sector
which focused on the advancement of youth from ethnic minorities and socio-economically
disadvantaged backgrounds. Currently, she is an Executive Sponsor for the Clouds of
Colour diversity resource group at SoundCloud.
She is passionate about holistic reward particularly through the lens of diversity & inclusion and organisational culture.
Option 5: Panel - Future benefits 2030: Adapting to evolving employee needs and preparing for the next generation workforce Thursday @ 12:25 PM
Curated roundtables or visit exhibition Thursday @ 4:10 PM
A seasoned HR professional successfully navigating the dynamic landscape of employee compensation, benefits, and recognition. Aga's journey in this field has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of the intricate relationship between talent management and organisational success.
At Improbable, Aga take's pride in being a part of a team that thrives on pushing boundaries and reshaping the possibilities of technology. Working in an environment that fosters creativity and innovation has allowed Aga to apply her expertise in designing reward strategies that not only attract, retain, and motivate top talent but also align with our organisational goals.
I am looking forward to discussing how the latest innovations in digitalisation and AI are shaping our practices at Improbable. I firmly believe that these advancements will define the future in the reward space. Join me as we explore this topic, discussing the transformative impact it will have on our approach and the overall employee experience.
Curated roundtables or visit exhibition Thursday @ 4:10 PM
Will is co-founder and CEO of GoJoe, the market-leading digital health and rewards benefit for modern workforces.
GoJoe was built to motivate the masses to get and stay fit and healthy through social and gamification. It is now used to help globally dispersed workforces with bleeding-neck problems, including reducing rising health costs and PMI premiums, poor ROI and engagement, connecting dispersed workforces, engaging the hard to reach and improving culture - all from one central, powerful app.
Through its consumer-grade technology, GoJoe has helped large enterprises reduce health costs by up to 10% in 18 months, leveraging rich data to credibly demonstrate cause and effect between improved health and a reduction in cost.
Option 2: Case study - Engaging the disengaged to mitigate rising health costs: Unlocking employee health ownership with lessons from NatWest Thursday @ 2:10 PM
Option 1: Masterclass - Get behind the latest Benefits Trends research: Uncovering changing workforce needs, priorities and pressures to find out what you can do today to be future-ready for tomorrow Thursday @ 11:35 AM
Curated roundtables or visit exhibition Thursday @ 4:10 PM
Andrew has spent the bulk of his career in professional consulting businesses across Reward, HR and Employment Law where he has specialised in creating executable strategies and projects designed to deliver value across recruitment, retention, motivation, performance and productivity.
Prior to joining Personal Group, Andrew worked for global information and compliance services provider Wolters Kluwer where he ran the successful Croner Reward business unit. Andrew’s career has also included Consulting and Commercial Director for the Reward Group, a long-time leader in the specialist field of pay and benefits information and consulting.
Over the years Andrew written about many aspects of Reward in the trade and national press and has spoken at events across the UK and internationally.
Option 6: Workshop - Future-proofing beyond pay: Navigating new government employment policies and how they are impacting workforce strategy planning Thursday @ 2:10 PM
Kate Whelan is the Global Reward Director at dentsu International.
Dentsu is an integrated growth and transformation partner to the world’s leading organizations. Founded in 1901 in Tokyo, Japan, now has over 71,000 people working together in approximately 120 countries, it has a proven track record of nurturing and developing innovations, combining the talents of its global network of leadership brands to develop impactful and integrated growth solutions for clients. Dentsu delivers end-to-end experience transformation (EX) by integrating its services across Media, CXM and Creative, while its business transformation (BX) mindset pushes the boundaries of transformation and sustainable growth for brands, people and society.
Our vision is to be at the forefront of people-centred transformations that shape society.
Option 5: Panel - Future benefits 2030: Adapting to evolving employee needs and preparing for the next generation workforce Thursday @ 12:25 PM
Jen is an experienced Commercial Director with extensive sales and marketing, P&L management and organisational change experience in the Healthcare and Health Insurance sectors. Her 30 year corporate career spans Director roles at Bupa, AXA Health, Nuffield Health and Simplyhealth.
As Group Sales Director for Simplyhealth, Jen championed the organisation’s purpose of making healthcare easy to access for as many people as possible by growing Simplyhealth and Denplan’s 2.5m customer base across both corporate and consumer markets.
Prior to this, Jen was Commercial Director for Nuffield Health's Hospitals division. She led the commercial development of all 3 key hospitals payors: PMI, NHS and Self Pay (Consumer paid) driving multi million pound revenues into Nuffield’s hospitals, physiotherapy and mental wellbeing services.
Before that she worked for both AXA Health and Bupa, where she led UK wide teams to develop and grow private medical insurance business and a range of health and wellbeing solutions.
Jen recently founded All About Clarity and now works freelance as a Board Adviser, Business Mentor and Executive Coach. Jen is also a keen Healthcare Industry Commentator and Influencer.
Option 6: Workshop – Leveraging data and analytics to empower reward and benefit leaders to make informed decisions and future-proof your workforce Thursday @ 11:00 AM
Justine Woolf heads up Innecto’s client-facing services in her role as Director of Consulting.
She has a strong reputation for delivering commercially focused reward and recognition programmes for clients that improve employee motivation and engagement, positively impacting the bottom line. Justine draws on more than 25 years of experience in pay and reward, both as a consultant and in in-house reward roles. She has successfully managed and implemented challenging reward agendas for a huge variety of clients, and her natural skill at building and developing strong client relationships is evidenced by the number of clients who return to work with Justine and Innecto year after year.
In 2021 & 2022 Reward Strategy recognised Justine as one of The Reward 300, an index of the industry’s most important influencers and decision-makers. As a recognised thought leader and commentator on reward, she is frequently asked for her opinion and comment by the media.
Option 4: Masterclass - Preparing for pay transparency: leveraging change and setting new standards for fair pay Thursday @ 12:25 PM
