Early Careers Conference, London 2026

Hayley currently leads Global Early Careers Recruiting for Expedia Group – leading a team of recruiters, regional managers and recruiting coordinators to hire around 1000 interns, apprentices and graduates into Expedia each year, across NORAM, EMEA and APAC.

She thrives in an environment which is fast paced and complex, and working globally is one of her favourite parts of her role – across timezones, across cultures – providing a global framework of consistency with allowances for regional nuance and structure within.

Highly experienced Talent Acquisition Leader who is passionate about D&I, skills growth and candidate/colleague experience with a proven track record of transforming recruitment to deliver business strategy and benefits.

Dan Miller established Young Professionals with a deep commitment to fostering social mobility and inclusivity. Recognising the challenges faced by many students in accessing career opportunities when he, himself was just in Year 12, Dan set out to create a platform that levels the playing field. With a passion for education and professional development, from his bedroom in Derby 10 years ago, Dan has now built an unrivalled student network that connects students from all over the UK and Ireland with work experience, mentoring, apprenticeship, and job opportunities with some of the world’s biggest organisations.

Charlie is the Labour Market Lead at Jisc, responsible for research and support on graduate employment. Widely regarded as a leading graduate labour market analyst, he consults with UK organisations and advises groups like the Social Mobility Commission and the Office for National Statistics. A Fellow of the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling and Manchester Metropolitan University, he also lectures at UK institutions. His research focuses on local labour markets, occupation taxonomies, and postgraduate employment.

Robert Newry, Co-Founder of Arctic Shores, is a passionate advocate for social mobility and skills-based hiring. He has spoken on psychometrics, HR tech, and AI, appearing on BBC and being quoted in outlets like The Times and The Guardian. As host of the TA Disruptors Podcast, he writes for leading HR media and campaigns for CV-less hiring to promote social mobility and inclusion.

Jackie has over 15 years’ experience in future talent and early careers marketing, possessing a deep understanding of both the future talent market, and the challenges faced by employers when it comes to apprentice and graduate recruitment.

Since joining SMRS in 2019, Jackie has worked with a diverse range of national and global employers across a wide portfolio of projects providing insight and consultancy, using her skills and expertise in future talent attraction marketing to support organisations with their strategic approach to emerging talent.

Hafsa believes in harnessing possibilities and creating opportunities to help people and organisations grow together. With over eight years of consulting experience across culture, strategy, people, and capability development, she has led numerous consulting projects and facilitated engagements with both individuals and leaders. Throughout her career, she has focused on inspiring and empowering others to drive meaningful change.

Nicky is is the Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer of Cappfinity, leading global projects and driving innovation in talent technology. With offices in London, Birmingham, New York, and Sydney, she focuses on customer satisfaction and strategic business growth. A frequent speaker on the future of work and recruitment, she splits her time between the UK and US. Outside of work, she is a proud mother of two sons.

Natasha Preocanin is the Managing Director for In-house Recruitment (IHR), the largest and most engaged community for In-house Recruiters. Our 20,000+ community benefit from over 70 live and virtual events each year ranging from our 1000-strong exhibitions and high profile awards to exclusive half-day breakfasts and targeted dinners for Recruitment Leaders. We also produce industry leading digital whitepapers, webinars and leadership videos alongside high value community forums and an all-inclusive supplier directory.

With a background in events, Natasha's joined the company in 2012 as an Events Executive and quickly progressed up the ranks to her current position as MD. She now leads the company in becoming the go-to resource for all In-house and Talent Acquisition teams who are looking to become better recruiters. Natasha can often be seen on stage, hosting our events or behind a microphone, interviewing a host of industry experts.