Strategic roundtable discussions
Share your successes, challenges and changes within TA with your fellow strategic leaders
Join us at #BHAMLeaders25 to hear from industry leaders, engage in high-level strategic conversations, and walk away with actionable insights to drive your team’s success.
Exclusively for senior TA leaders with decision-making responsibilities, you’ll take part in interactive sessions and roundtable discussions to share knowledge, workshop solutions to the biggest challenges in recruitment, network with your peers, and contribute to the discussions shaping the vision for TA 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.
Agenda
13 November 2025
Arrive early to collect your badge, enjoy a breakfast, and connect with other delegates before the conference begins.
A warm welcome by IHR's Managing Director to set the scene for the day, introduce key themes, and outline what to expect.
Outdated hiring is costing more than you think. Clunky admin, poor assessments and regretted hires drain time, money and talent while damaging brand and performance. This session reveals the true financial impact of broken recruitment and shows how modernised processes can turn hiring into a driver of real business value.
What to expect:
- The hidden costs of outdated hiring including lost talent, wasted time and regretted hires
- Why most assessments fail to predict workplace success and what actually works
- How to streamline processes, upgrade assessments and deliver measurable business impact
More than two thirds of jobseekers now use AI to draft CVs, complete assessments and prepare for interviews. For volume hiring teams, this shift changes everything from screening processes to fairness and candidate experience. In this session, Jamie Betts, Founder of Neurosight, unpacks the realities of AI enabled applicants, the risks they present, and the opportunities they create for building smarter, faster and fairer recruitment.
What to expect:
- How AI is changing candidate behaviour at scale
- The risks of relying on traditional assessments in an AI driven landscape
- Practical steps to adapt hiring strategies that balance speed, quality and fairness
Take part in group discussions, guided by a set of thought-provoking questions and instructions designed to spark collaboration and idea-sharing.
The CV has defined hiring for decades, but it is no longer fit for the future. Too often it filters out potential, fuels bias and reduces people to a list of bullet points. A skills first approach flips the script, placing ability, potential and character at the heart of recruitment. In this session, we will explore how to design a CV free hiring journey that celebrates people over paper, opens doors to diverse talent and delivers stronger outcomes for organisations ready to embrace change.
What to expect:
- Why a skills first approach creates fairer and more effective hiring
- How to remove CVs and put people directly in front of recruiters
- Building a human centric process from job description to interview
- How CV free hiring helps break bias and drive genuine diversity
Transformation is constant and the pace of change has never been faster. Traditional hiring models that focus on filling roles are no longer enough. The future belongs to organisations that build skills strategically, creating workforces that are agile, resilient and ready for whatever comes next. In this session, Petra Tagg, Workforce Solutions Director at Manpower, will share insights from ManpowerGroup’s latest research and explore how businesses can shift their mindset from roles to readiness to unlock long term value.
What to expect:
- The evolving skills landscape and why most organisations struggle to find the talent they need
- How to build, buy and borrow the right capabilities from global and local talent pools
- The power of predictive insights to drive smarter workforce decisions
- Real world examples of businesses transforming talent strategies to stay competitive
Join a new discussion table and explore a different theme, with structured questions and guidance provided to help you exchange insights and uncover practical solutions.
Take a break, enjoy a delicious lunch, and build connections with delegates and partners.
Talent acquisition is evolving faster than ever, but what’s truly driving the change? This session explores how leading organisations are blending innovation and empathy to attract and engage talent in a rapidly shifting landscape. From the rise of new technologies to the enduring power of human connection, our expert panel will unpack the trends and strategies shaping the workforce of the future.
What to expect:
- The biggest shifts transforming talent acquisition beyond AI
- Where technology creates competitive advantage, and where the human touch remains irreplaceable
- How leading TA teams are rethinking strategy for sustainable, long-term impact
Recruiters are facing bigger candidate pools, more AI generated applications and ongoing economic pressure. With resources stretched, efficiency has never mattered more, yet many processes and tools are not delivering on their promise. This session will share proven tactics and practical templates that recruiters are using today to save time, improve workflows and maintain hiring quality.
What to expect:
- Why most ATS automation is falling short and how to fix it
- Practical tactics recruiters are applying right now
- Templates and tools that deliver immediate results
Join a new discussion table and explore a different theme, with structured questions and guidance provided to help you exchange insights and uncover practical solutions.
In a world that often celebrates traditional strength, showing vulnerability can feel like a risk. Yet research proves that leaders who embrace honesty, openness and humanity build deeper trust, inspire loyalty and create teams that are more resilient and effective. In this session, Elisha Kirkham, Award Winning Recruitment Leader at Softcat, will share her personal journey to authentic leadership and reveal how vulnerability, far from being a weakness, is a hidden strength that can transform your impact as a talent leader.
What to expect:
- Why vulnerability is a strategic advantage for leaders, not a liability
- Practical ways to bring authenticity and openness into everyday leadership
- How vulnerability builds stronger connections, boosts trust and drives team performance
The psychology of high performance is not confined to sport. The same principles that drive elite athletes also shape the strongest in house recruitment teams. Success comes from understanding motivation, aligning individual strengths with team goals and managing relationships at every level of the organisation. In this session, Paul Sumner, Head of Resourcing at National Express, will share how performance psychology can be applied to TA teams, stakeholders and even CEOs to create a culture where high performance becomes the norm.
What to expect:
- How to build and motivate a high performing in house recruitment team
- Psychological strategies for managing stakeholders up to CEO level
- Lessons from sport on mindset, culture and sustaining long term performance
A wrap-up of the day’s key takeaways and final thoughts to leave you inspired and ready to act.
Continue the conversation over drinks, building lasting connections.
Speaker Topics
Inclusive leadership
Lead with digital fluency, empathy, and inclusivity in hybrid teams
Brand power
Build authentic employer brands that attract and retain top talent
Smart automation
Streamline processes to save time and boost recruiter impact
Skills first
Prioritise potential and capability over outdated CV credentials
AI hiring
Leverage AI for faster, fairer, and more predictive recruitment
Speakers
Have a look at our upcoming speakers
Why attend
Strategic roundtable discussions
Best practice sharing
Hear from your peers on their best practices
Unrivalled speaker content
Unrivalled speaker content
Be inspired by success stories from talent professionals from tech, healthcare and retail industries
Expert guidance
Learn from industry-leaders from world-class organisations
Offers, goodies & competitions
Offers, goodies & competitions
Pick up some treats for your team and be in with the chance to win big prizes!
Networking opportunities
Grow your network at our dedicated lounge areas and post-event drinks
Register for the event
“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 an excellent conference, with lots of new connections made and follow ups booked. I particularly enjoyed the variety of topics discussed, and the excellent organisation of the whole event.”
“The event was really informative and a great insight into what other companies are doing.”
Headline partner
Gold partners
Silver partners
Venue
The NEC, Birmingham
Perfectly situated in the heart of the country, The NEC offers state-of-the-art facilities and excellent transport links, making it easy for guests to attend from across the UK and beyond. It’s directly connected to Birmingham International train station, just a short walk from the venue. If you’re travelling by car, The NEC is just off the M42 at Junction 6 with extensive on-site parking. It’s also well-served by local bus and coach routes, ensuring a smooth and stress-free journey however you choose to travel.
The event will take place in Concourse Suites 1 & 2, conveniently located within the venue.
Find more information on getting there here.
I am a natural optimist and try not to worry about things that may go wrong; I just work hard to make sure they don’t.
My biggest strength is building and developing relationships – people fascinate me and I take a lot of interest in watching and learning from everyone that I come into contact with. Internal stakeholders, candidates, peers and suppliers/partners, I enjoy getting to know people and working in partnership to achieve the best possible results.
I am a creative, forward thinking, commercially minded and high energy and I love every aspect of recruitment! I regularly offer considered challenge when I need to but also have the ability to cut through corporate red tape when needed. I am always looking to future proof processes, tools and attraction techniques with a strong focus on innovative, digital solutions.
I have strong market knowledge developed via my extensive network allowing me to provide valuable in-depth market and competitor analysis, ensuring added commercial value to the business.
Cross functional recruitment and talent experience working in fast paced FTSE organisations.
An experienced Talent Acquisition Leader with excellent managerial, recruitment experience, both operational and strategic, having experience of working in an agency, RPO and in-house function. Having worked within the industry for over 10 years, have the experience of landing several projects covering reskilling, upskilling, career returner launch and new process/policy launches.
Outside of work, a mother to two beautiful children and a huge passion for the Asian culture, particularly bhangra dancing.
Tom Stroud is the founder and CEO of Tazio. Prior to founding Tazio, Tom was the CEO of Webcast Global, an audio and video webcasting company in London.
In 2005, he founded Miura Conference, a telephone, web, and video conferencing business, eventually selling it to MeetingZone in 2008.
Tom is responsible for the strategic direction, vision, growth, and performance of Tazio. He is passionate about growing Tazio by focusing on our core values and developing long term relationships with our customers and partner.
Louise brings a wealth of HR and senior leadership experience, garnered through collaborating with C-Suite and senior leaders when designing and executing effective business strategies in complex global organisations. Her career started in recruitment, where she led resourcing teams delivering global campaigns and senior hiring initiatives. Having worked in partnership with a number of respected clients, she then transitioned inhouse. Louise focused on structuring and leading large, multi-jurisdictional resourcing functions with global change or optimisation agendas as ExCo-level HR Director. In recent years, Louise has applied her extensive HR expertise to support SMEs and technology start-ups, helping CEOs and their leadership teams to articulate and execute their long-term strategies
Petra Tagg is a dynamic leader in workforce solutions, with a proven track record in brand representation, data-driven insights, and performance optimisation. As Workforce Solutions Director at Manpower, she brings deep expertise in talent strategy, worker productivity, innovation, and new market development, delivering impactful solutions that drive sustainable growth for clients across diverse sectors.
Petra is passionate about aligning workforce strategies with business goals, leveraging data and insights to enhance operational efficiency and talent engagement. A strong advocate for people and culture, she also sponsors an internal Affinity Network, championing inclusion and belonging within the workplace.
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.