Recruitment Leaders Conference, Birmingham 2025

Recruitment Leaders Conference, Birmingham 2025

A high-impact event for recruitment leaders shaping tomorrow’s workforce.

13 November 2025
09:00 - 18:00
The NEC, Birmingham
Register
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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.

event-description

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Outdated hiring is costing more than you think.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  • The hidden costs of outdated hiring including lost talent, wasted time and regretted hires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.

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

Your final chance to engage in focused conversations, supported by tailored questions and instructions to ensure a productive and inspiring discussion.

Grab a coffee, reflect on the sessions so far, and network with industry colleagues.

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

Why attend

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Strategic roundtable discussions
Strategic roundtable discussions

Share your successes, challenges and changes within TA with your fellow strategic leaders

Best practice sharing

Hear from your peers on their best practices

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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

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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

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“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.”

Lindsay M.

Head of Talent Acquisition at Savanta

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“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.”

Steve Norton

Head of Recruitment at Aston Martin

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“The event was really informative and a great insight into what other companies are doing.”

Roan Macleod

Talent Acquisition Manager at BP

Headline partner

Gold partners

Silver partners

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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.