Best practice sharing
Hear from your peers on their best practices in the early careers world
Join us at #IHREC26 Manchester for a full-day conference designed for talent acquisition professionals focused on building resilient, future-ready early careers strategies.
You’ll connect with senior TA leaders, take part in high-level discussions, and walk away with practical insights to strengthen engagement, boost retention, and measure long-term impact. Exclusively for talent acquisition professionals looking to attract, nurture, and retain the brightest emerging talent, you’ll hear from industry experts through engaging keynotes, dynamic panel discussions, and strategic roundtables exploring the trends shaping early careers recruitment in 2026 and beyond.
Premium Members can unlock FREE tickets (worth £295) using their Membership ID (found in My Account) as the promo code at registration.
Speaker Topics
Understanding Gen Z
Effectively attracting and engaging Gen Z candidates
AI enabled candidates
Balancing automation with compliance and diversity
Location-based insights
Using location-based data to enhance recruitment strategies
Employer branding
Enhancing employer reputation through social media, review sites, and storytelling
Social media
Leveraging social media platforms to attract and engage early-career candidates
Speakers
Have a look at our previous speakers who have inspired us with their insights and expertise.
Why attend
Best practice sharing
Unrivalled speaker content
Be inspired by success stories from talent professionals from tech, healthcare and retail industries
Strategic roundtable discussions
Strategic roundtable discussions
Hear from your peers on their successes, challenges and changes within early careers space
Expert guidance
Learn from industry-leaders from world-class organisations
Networking opportunities
Networking opportunities
Grow your network at our dedicated lounge areas and post-event drinks
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
“It was great to connect with so many different people, listen to expert advice and get an idea as to what other organisations are doing to encourage emerging talent to be apart of their journey.”
“The roundtable discussions were particularly insightful, and I came away with some valuable takeaways that I'm excited to implement in my work.”
“It was great to share my experiences and hear new ideas from different businesses to really drive change within the Early Careers space”
Platinum partner
Gold partners
Silver partners
Venue
Mercure Manchester Piccadilly
The hotel is half a mile from Manchester Piccadilly railway station (12 minutes walking distance or 5 minutes taxi ride) and the MEN Arena. Manchester Airport, 9 miles away.
Rebecca is a leader in Global Early Careers and Talent Acquisition, known for her work in STEM hiring, social mobility, diversity, and digital innovation. Recognised as one of the "Top 5 Most Innovative Women in Recruitment," she has led initiatives for brands like EY and Transport for London. Currently a strategic advisor for Tazio and a Board member with the Association of Apprenticeships, she has earned over 33 awards, including a RAD award and CIPD award for best diversity strategy.
Jennifer is the Global Head of Early Careers Talent Acquisition at Kainos, where she leads recruitment for apprentices, graduates, and placement opportunities across the UK, EMEA, and the Americas. With 17 years of experience in talent management, she specializes in all aspects of the early careers lifecycle. She is passionate about building the next generation of talent and creating opportunities for their success.
Camilla McBride is Head of Early Careers at Sky. Responsible for driving the strategy and leading her team to attract, recruit, develop and support hundreds of people starting in their careers each year.
Previously Camilla worked in the charity sector, including roles at Terrence Higgins Trust and Catch22 before connecting businesses and untapped talent through the social action initiative GoThinkBig. She has a passionate commitment to creating programmes and experiences that transform lives
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.
Marisa is a fearless and tenacious recruitment leader with 19 years of experience in consulting and leadership. She built a market-leading senior tax recruitment practice across EMEA before moving into Executive Search, specializing in Energy & Utilities. At PwC, she led inclusive recruitment for Tax, Legal, and Pensions and championed flexible careers
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Now at KPMG, Marisa drives initiatives to attract and retain top, diverse talent, enhancing employee experience and fostering an inclusive culture.
A Law graduate from Queen Mary, University of London, she unwinds with Zumba, boxercise, yoga, and scuba diving.
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.
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.
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.
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.