Leaders Conference, Manchester 2025

An internal recruitment leader and Chartered Member of CIPD who is passionate about candidate and hiring manager experience.

Having worked in agency recruitment for around 8 years I made the move internally in 2019 and have thrived in streamlining recruitment processes, developing recruitment strategies, and developing teams of recruitment professionals.

Following 11 years heading up the Training Department for one of the UK's leading discount retailers, Laura now drives the Resourcing function, overseeing a team of recruiters serving 600 stores across the UK. Her unique perspective and L&D experience has brought a mentality of constant improvement, knowledge share and empowerment that has allowed Home Bargains to make the most of the tech at their fingertips.

Jen is a passionate Talent Acquisition Expert with a decade of transforming recruitment, a data-driven sourcing expert, ATS optimiser, and ED&I champion. She is dedicated to empowering working mums, enhancing candidate experiences, and shaping businesses using workforce planning.

Originally hailing from the beautiful British Virgin Islands, I made a transformative move to the UK in 2014, embarking on the journey that led me to HR Systems and Rewards Analyst. I also serve as a volunteer as the DE & I committee lead for the CIPD Manchester Branch where I'm deeply committed to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion within the HR community and our workplaces.

My journey into the world of data was sparked early in my career when tasked with analysing absence data, a pivotal project that supported the implementation of a Menopause policy but also created space for open conversations within workplace, encouraging inclusivity. I firmly believe that data holds the key to driving positive change refining best practices and creating environments where everyone feels a sense of belonging and empowerment. Let's continue to make the world of work better, one data point at a time.

With 25+ years in Manufacturing, Peter specialises in Production Management, Continuous Improvement, and Cost Optimisation as well as recruitment of early . Holding a CMI Level 7 Executive Diploma in Business Management, and as Continuous Improvement & 4IR Manager, he’s passionate about championing digital transformation in his industry and recruiting skilled early careers talent. By merging traditional manufacturing methods with advanced digital tools and utilising real-time data alongside AI-driven insights, he foresees a UK manufacturing future dominated by digitalisation, AI, and machine learning.

Daley has spent his career working with founders and leadership teams, devising and executing people and talent strategies that turbocharge growth and organisational performance. Along the way, he has led talent teams through several successful exits including a $700M acquisition, $7.4B IPO, and $10.4B merger. 

Now, Daley is on a mission to transform the way startups are led. High dysfunction in startups is largely accepted as a trade-off for high experimentation, innovation, and pace of growth. But, Daley believes, the rate at which ‘dysfunction’ burns through cash, strategies, and people should no longer be acceptable, and that the startup community of super smart, solutions-driven peolpe can and must do better - for the sake of its customers, employees, and investors alike. Daley’s work with founders, therefore, prioritises effective, efficient, and sustainable leadership.

Robert Newry, MA (Oxon), MBA, is the CEO and Co-Founder of Arctic Shores and a passionate advocate for social mobility and hiring for potential. He has spoken on the topic of psychometrics, HR technology and AI, appearing on national television BBC (twice) and has been quoted in several national newspapers in the UK including The Times, CityAM, and The Guardian. He is host of the TA Disruptors Podcast and has written articles as well as blogs on the topic of gamification, skills-based hiring and task-based assessments for many of the leading HR media outlets such as HR Grapevine, HR Today, HR News, HR Magazine, the HRDirector and Talint International. He is campaigning for companies to adopt CV-less hiring and focus on skills-first approaches to identify potential. His research through the company and discussions with multiple employers underpins his belief that the CV is a barrier to social mobility and inclusion. 

Neil helps organisations get the most out of technology, having held product, marketing and sales roles in leading tech businesses like Sky, BT and Plusnet. At Tribepad he's passionate about transforming the recruitment landscape, to make TA fairer and more effective for companies and candidates.

Tribepad is used by more than 25 million people across the globe in 16 languages. Clients include The BBC, Tesco, Subway, NHS Professionals, Grant Thornton and The Church of England.

Tom Hacquoil founded Pinpoint in 2018 after the realisation that clunky, outdated recruitment tech was creating a terrible experience for both candidates and recruiters. He set out to build a better ATS, with the help of his two friends Bill Rogers and Tom Luce. And Pinpoint was born.

Since then, Tom is proud of the impact Pinpoint has made by supporting companies that design clothes, package food, produce TV shows, and research cancer.

Before Pinpoint, Tom held director roles at software and cybersecurity businesses, and founded a coding bootcamp for Digital Jersey aimed at closing the island’s tech skills gap. Tom has always been passionate about building world-class teams—Pinpoint was designed to help businesses all over the world do exactly that.

Sam is the CEO and co-founder of Real Links, the employee referral, advocacy and internal mobility platform. They set themselves apart from competitors with their matching technology which is used to match employees and their social networks (e.g. LinkedIn) to jobs. They also support development by matching employees to internal projects and mentors.

Mo Isap, CEO of IN4 Group, based in MediaCity, is a seasoned entrepreneur and leader with a 30-year track record of success. He has held roles with the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership, including Co-Chair, and in addition to his current CEO role, Mo is also a founding director of Star Academies, a leading Multi-Academy Trust, and serves as a trustee for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the Career & Enterprise Company.  

His award-winning technology group specialises in driving prosperity for businesses and communities through innovative programs and services, operating diverse brands such as Skills City, Gametech, and HOST, an innovation hub supporting startups to enterprises. As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management and the Royal Society of Arts, Mo has scaled multiple startups, including MPG, one of the UK's largest independent digital print companies. With an extensive career, Mo Isap continues to shape the landscape of technology and education.  

As Chief of Staff at 6point6 | Part of Accenture, Janet leads the company’s strategic growth initiatives, which includes the expansion of 6point6’s regional hubs, responsibility for Marketing and Communications, as well as spearheading the business’ social value programme.

 Throughout her career, Janet has focused on making the complex accessible by facilitating dialogue between technology experts and end users. A diversity and inclusion champion, Janet is continually exploring what it means to build a great place to work underpinned by an environment where everyone is valued for their unique contributions.