Networking opportunities
Grow your network at our dedicated lounge areas and post-event drinks
In July 2025, join us at #IHRDEI25 for a day of insightful discussions with like-minded peers and hear from our range of expert speakers on the all-important topic of DE&I in your recruitment process.
An insightful one-day event of thought leadership presentations and peer-to-peer roundtables, leaving you with actionable insights into building a DE&I strategy.
Join us at the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Conference 2025 to explore best practices and strategies for fostering an inclusive workplace.
Premium Members can unlock FREE tickets (worth £295) using their Membership ID (found in My Account) as the promo code at registration.
Speaker Topics
Social mobility
Strategies to eliminate hidden barriers and enhance opportunities for all
Active allyship
Using global insights and daily actions to support underrepresented groups
Inclusive hiring
Data-driven recruitment approaches for equitable decision-making at DFS & Sofology
Inclusive language
The power of words in attracting talent, increasing applications by 60%
DEI investment
Building a strong business case for sustained diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts
Reigniting inclusion
Overcoming fatigue and external pressures to maintain workplace diversity
Emotional intelligence
Advancing DEI and retention through self-awareness and interpersonal skills
Agenda
02 July 2025
Social mobility is one of the most powerful yet overlooked drivers of workplace equity and your next big opportunity to unlock untapped talent. This session will show you how to embed equity into every stage of your hiring strategy and break down the invisible barriers holding candidates back. Walk away with breakthrough tactics to drive real change and build a truly inclusive workforce.
What to expect:
- How to build equity into every stage of your talent strategy
- Why social mobility is the most overlooked driver of workplace progress
- Breakthrough tactics to dismantle invisible barriers and unlock potential
What do Doctor Who, a classroom in Iowa, the Big Brother house, and the United Nations all have in common? In this powerful and timely session, you’ll find out. Drawing on over two decades of DEI experience, this talk unpacks what it truly means to be an active ally—because allyship isn’t a label, it’s a verb. Through global insights, personal stories, and a practical framework, you’ll explore how allyship can be embedded across organisations and lived out by individuals, every single day.
What to expect:
- The 4 pillars of active allyship: awareness, curiosity, commitment, and humility
- Real-world stories and lessons from the UN and beyond
- Practical actions individuals and organisations can take to drive meaningful change
- How to embed allyship into your culture so it becomes everyone’s responsibility
- Tangible takeaways you can apply immediately to create more inclusive spaces
Hannah Crawford, Talent Acquisition Manager at DFS, joins Tribepad to lift the cushions on how DFS and Sofology, two of the UK’s leading sofa retailers, are embedding diversity, equity and inclusion deep into their hiring practices and workplace culture. From data-driven decision making to executive-backed inclusion councils, discover what it really takes to build a brand where everyone belongs.
What to expect:
- Getting started with DEI data: why small steps matter
- Making diversity a lived value, not just a statement
- The power of community: leveraging networks, groups and leadership sponsorship
- Practical actions to make your recruitment process more inclusive
What if the way you write your job ads is quietly undermining your entire hiring strategy? In this insight-packed session, Pil Byriel, Co-Founder and CEO of Develop Diverse, reveals why inclusive language is more than a moral obligation—it’s a measurable talent attraction advantage. Backed by real-world data from Denmark, Sweden, and the UK, this session shows how subtle word choices can have a major impact on who applies, who converts, and who stays.
What to expect:
- The real impact of exclusive language—and how it may be hurting your hiring outcomes
- Data-driven proof: how inclusive language can deliver 60%+ more qualified candidates
- Practical steps you can take today to adopt an inclusive language mindset and see immediate results
As the spotlight on equity, diversity and inclusion continues to shift, one thing is clear: progress must be protected. In this employer led panel, senior leaders from forward thinking organisations share why EDI is not just a moral imperative but a strategic advantage. Hear how they are embedding inclusion into long term business goals, measuring impact and driving lasting change regardless of shifting external pressures.
What to expect:
- Real world examples of sustained EDI strategies that deliver measurable impact
- How to align EDI with core business objectives and leadership accountability
- Overcoming internal pushback and external fatigue to protect progress
- Why organisations cannot afford to treat EDI as a trend and what is at stake if they do
Inclusion is at a crossroads. With growing external pressure and internal fatigue, many organisations are questioning the future of DEI. In this timely and reflective session, Rachel Billington, Director of People and Culture, Europe and India at AECOM, explores how honest self assessment, renewed purpose and strategic resilience can reignite momentum and reframe DEI as a long term business driver.
What to expect:
- Why the current DEI landscape is under pressure like never before
- How honest self reflection can reignite purpose and progress across the DEI community
- How holding our nerve will rebrand DEI for business impact and lasting change
Retention starts with how people feel, and emotional intelligence is the missing link between inclusive culture and lasting loyalty. In this session, Christina Lewis, award winning DEI leader, formerly Bolt and Deliveroo, explores how emotional intelligence is shaping the future of DEI and retention. Learn how to embed empathy, self awareness and connection into your leadership and DEI strategy to build teams that stay, grow and thrive.
What to expect:
- Why emotional intelligence is the hidden driver behind inclusive, high retention teams
- How to embed emotional intelligence into your DEI strategy and leadership culture
- Why retention efforts fail without a human first approach
Speakers
Networking opportunities
Expert guidance
Learn from industry-leaders from world-class organisations
Strategic roundtable discussions
Strategic roundtable discussions
Hear from your peers on their successes, challenges and changes within TA
Unrivalled speaker content
Be inspired by success stories from talent professionals from tech, healthcare and retail industries
Best practice sharing
Best practice sharing
Hear from your peers on their best practices in the inclusive recruitment and workplace diversity
Offers, goodies and competitions
Pick up some treats for your team and be in with the chance to win big prizes!
Register for the event
Previous attendees
“The event was packed with insightful presentations, roundtable discussions, and networking opportunities. It's always refreshing to step away from the day-to-day and hear about the latest themes and developments in the TA space.”
“It was amazing to connect with so many talented recruiters dedicated to making DEI a top priority in recruitment.”
“The event brought together amazing speakers and inspirational like-minded individuals who shared their valuable insights, energy, and passion for driving positive change and improving lives. It was truly inspiring to be surrounded by such a dedicated com”
Headline Partner
Gold Partners
Silver Partners
Venue
Park Plaza Riverbank, London
0333 400 6122
Overlooking the River Thames, this high-end hotel is within 1.4 miles of Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace, and a 15-minute stroll from the London Eye.
The nearest stations are London Waterloo and Vauxhall.
Christina is a speaker, career coach, and trainer with a focus on emotional intelligence, inclusivity, and gender-diverse leadership. She founded Herizon to support individuals and businesses in driving performance through inclusion and retention.
For her, inclusivity isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s essential for performance. She believes that inclusive behaviours and gender-balanced leadership are the DNA of high-performing, game-changing teams.
Rachel is a multi-award-winning People & Culture Director, recognised as ENEI’s 2023 D&I Influencer of the Year and a 2024 d&i Inspirational Leader. Currently at a global infrastructure consultancy, she oversees HR operations across Europe and India, including Strategy & Growth, ED&I, wellbeing, employee engagement, and ESG.
With a strong track record in complex, high-profile organisations across sectors, she is a respected ED&I expert, international speaker, and Chartered CIPD member. She also holds MBTI, 360 coaching, and ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching credentials.
A values driven people and change consultant boasting 15+ years’ experience in design, implementation and embedding change programmes from small to large scale businesses with strong stakeholder engagement relationships, spanning across a number of geographies and industries. A change consultant and champion for equity who challenges the status quo to drive fair outcomes. Strategically utilises data and research to influence change in processes and behaviours and seeks tangible and pragmatic solutions. An innovative thought leader that promotes diverse thinking and adapts methods of educating others through various teaching styles including; virtual learning/videos, workshop/classroom led training, blended learning, Hybrid model and for the executives/senior leaders more focussed style learning which provides psychological safety in order to increase cultural competency.
She is a specialist in Social Value, Talent Development, Early Careers Recruitment, Recruitment Marketing, and Employer Branding. With deep expertise in diversity, campaign management, tech implementation, and assessment design, she is passionate about creating programmes that provide opportunities and skills—whether by attracting top talent or delivering social value in communities.Her dedication to student and employer success led to a four-year tenure as a Board Member for the Institute of Student Employers. At Cognizant, she plays a pivotal role in embedding social value across public sector contracts, driving delivery and impact.
Previously, she developed Cognizant’s Early Talent Strategy for the UK & Ireland. Before that, she advised clients on employer brand at AMS, led global graduate recruitment at Barclays, and transformed marketing and recruitment at Police Now—earning multiple awards. She has also freelanced in graduate recruitment strategy and held senior roles at KPMG, including Head of Graduate Recruitment and Head of Direct Sourcing.
Kianna is the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Manager for UK & Ireland at IPG Mediabrands. With a background in Talent Acquisition, she was the company’s first Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner and first UK DE&I lead.
As an Inclusive Excellence Champion, she drives change to support under-represented talent. She previously led the OPEN Heritage Network and now oversees IPG Mediabrands’ six award-winning ERGs. She created the MyFuture DE&I programme for Black Talent and is the Social Media Manager and co-host of The Black Recruiters Network podcast, BRN Talks.
Iain has over 20 years of experience in the equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDI&B) space and has been a pivotal figure at Reed Talent Solutions since he joined in 2012. He specialises in designing and delivering EDI&B products and services, including bespoke consultancy, inclusive recruitment training, DE&I workshops, and discovery audits. Iain offers guidance and support across our service offerings.
Iain’s extensive background includes roles in supplier engagement and project management within Reed Talent Solutions, providing him with a comprehensive understanding of client needs and solution delivery. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, he brings both lived and learned experiences, enriching his approach to addressing the challenges faced by marginalised groups.
A key contributor to our own inclusion and belonging initiatives, Iain offers invaluable guidance, insight, and mentorship, ensuring diverse voices are heard and uplifted. He has successfully adapted and implemented Reed’s best practices to benefit our clients, including delivering inclusive recruitment training to large-scale, complex organisations.
Martin is a global leader specialising in Talent, Organisation Design and Inclusion. Martin’s passion for inclusivity led him to found TalentMapper, where he is supporting clients to create diverse, inclusive and optimally designed workforces.
Prior to leading TalentMapper, Martin led Talent functions, globally at The Body Shop, Wolseley PLC and Halfords, where he designed and delivered global transformation projects and talent management strategies which brought about significant business benefits.
Pil Byriel is the Co-Founder and CEO of Develop Diverse, a leading platform that helps companies identify and reduce bias in recruitment and employer branding content in order to attract a larger qualified talentpool, independent of demographics. With a background in business and linguistics, Pil has spent the past several years working with global enterprises to build more inclusive, evidence-based hiring practices.
With customers such as IKEA, John Lewis, Carlsberg, Associated British Foods and more, Develop Diverse helped AB Agri increase female candidates with 35%, increase candidates from underrepresented ethnicities with 17% in just one year and overall AB Agri also experienced a cultural shift as TA specialists and hiring managers became more conscious of how their language influenced candidates. (See more here: https://developdiverse.com/ab-agri/)
As Pil Says “We want to empower organizations to be intentional and inclusive in their employer branding and recruitment communications. Too many organizations are missing out on highly qualified talent because they use language unintentionally and do as they always have done, reinforcing bias and stereotypes. Because of that, they will only get a fraction of the qualified talent pool to apply."