IHR Live Manchester 2026

With his personable charisma, unflinching professionalism and steely determination, Mark Foster, once Britain’s fastest swimmer and now one of the best-loved sports commentary faces on TV, is a consummate and impeccable awards host and an awe-inspiring motivational speaker.

Mark’s award winning partnership with Clare Balding from the aquatics centre during the Olympics in 2012, made him a household name. Mark also co-hosted the BBC coverage of the World Swimming Championships from Barcelona with Gabby Logan.

In addition to his sporting portfolio, Mark is also known for his numerous TV appearances, such as ITV’s ‘Beat the Stars’ and as one of the ‘Superstars’ athletes. He regularly appears on BBC news and radio in his role of Ambassador of Pools 4 Schools, a programme to increase participation in swimming amongst primary school children. He also had appeared on Celebrity Juice on ITV2 for Sport Relief, and made an impact on a Paralympic special of the Channel 4 show The Million Pound Drop with Countdown Presenter Rachel Riley. They won £50,000 for charity

Emma Evans is Chief People Officer at Sense. Experienced in guiding organisations through growth and transformation, Emma has built high-performing in-house recruitment teams across the third sector. She champions coaching-led leadership and strong people management to create vibrant, inclusive cultures where people feel confident and able to thrive. [48 words]

As Head of Talent Acquisition, Carol leads recruitment strategy across a dynamic portfolio of brands - including , Optical Retail & Sun, UK&I EssilorLuxottica (UK&I retail brands include Vision Express, David Clulow and Sunglass Hut).

Her focus is on building an inclusive, efficient, and people-centric hiring approach that aligns with our values and long-term goals. She's passionate about designing recruitment processes that not only attract top talent but also reflect who we are as a business.

 At the core of her philosophy is a belief that recruitment should always be human-rooted in listening, integrity, and continuous improvement.

Laura is the Head of People at Street Group. She's been working in the People space for the past 12 years. Her background is in the wonderful world of Talent Acquisition, where she spent many years hiring amazing technical people for companies like Sainsbury’s, LADbible and HelloFresh.

Martin is an experienced and strategic resourcing professional who believes that the candidate experience should be at the heart of everything they do. He has experience of working for FTSE 250 businesses and managing and leading change programmes to improve performance and increase value.

Parul Singh is the founder of Parallel Minds, a progressive UK-based consultancy specialising in neuroinclusion in the workplace. A late-diagnosed Autistic ADHDer, woman of colour, and first-generation immigrant, she brings lived experience and evidence-based practice together to help organisations create systemic, sustainable change.

Parul's previous experience spans agency recruitment, talent acquisition and recruitment marketing. She also serves as an Ambassador for ADHD UK and as a Union Representative for the United Tech and Allied Workers Union.

Parul is a sought-after keynote speaker, featured in Channel 4’s documentary “Do You Have ADHD?” and on stages including LeadDev London, Leeds Digital Festival, and Manchester Tech Festival. She is known for her unconventional approaches, colourful style, and infectious energy.

Cordelia Osewa-Ediae is a seasoned Leadership Development and Workplace Inclusion Consultant with over 15 years of experience in driving culture change and talent development across various sectors. 

She has developed bespoke leadership programs for the National Grid and London Metropolitan Police, led a DEI strategic review at NSPCC, and provided consulting services for organisations including Tesco, Clarks, and the Ministry of Justice. At BT Group, she played a key role in establishing comprehensive representation and inclusion goals, designing and leading the first ever group-wide reverse mentoring programme that engaged over 300 leaders, and producing the company's first ethnicity and disability pay gap reports. In recognition of her impact, she was awarded the 2024 BT Group ‘Race Equity’ award.

A Clore Social Fellow, Keynote speaker, Board member, and trained Coach, she has received several awards including the 2023 Baton 'Thought Leader of the Year' award, the Commonwealth Business Women Africa's 2024 'Community Champion' award; and 2024 Novi ‘Inspiring Mentor’ award.

With a management degree and a background in social sciences, AI theories, and marketing, Modiara has spent over a decade specialising in talent acquisition, recruitment marketing, and employer branding. Currently leading employer branding for EMESA at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), she drives strategies to attract top consulting talent across Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Africa. Previously, she developed global recruitment marketing and employer brand strategies for Amazon in the EMEA region.

Puja Kumar is a seasoned Talent and Resourcing professional with a strong track record in strategic talent acquisition and HR transformation. Currently serving as the Senior Assessment Manager at Sky Group, Puja leads global assessment and selection practices, ensuring they are robust, fair, and inclusive. With extensive experience at leading firms like Vodafone UK, LV=, and Santander UK, she has driven significant change initiatives, implemented innovative recruitment technologies, and championed diversity and inclusion. Her collaborative approach, strong business acumen, and ethical practices have earned her respect and recognition in the industry. Puja holds an MBA from the University of Delhi and an MSc in Human Resource Management from Monash University, Melbourne.

Resourcing leader, with a proven track record of completing challenging projects and forming partnerships with global stakeholders to fulfill objectives.

Chris Bryce is Chief Executive of Freelancers & Contractors Services Association. Chris joined FCSA in January 2022 with an accomplished record of delivering excellence, growth, cultural change, and influence across a range of complex businesses and non-profits. His overall aim is to ensure all parties in the supply chain – especially workers served by FCSA members – can expect the highest levels of compliance, transparency, and reliability and to raise standards of compliance across the industry. Chris has worked in the world of contracting and consultancy at several financial institutions, delivering multiple global-scale change programmes as a consultant Programme Director.

Michael has spent the past five years at the University of Manchester in roles including Apprenticeships Manager, Business Transformation, and most recently, Talent Acquisition Partner, recruiting for academic, research, and professional services roles.

He has led various inclusive recruitment initiatives, most notably the University’s 200 for 200 Bicentenary program, which created over 200 paid opportunities for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds in Greater Manchester. Michael looks forward to sharing more about this at IHR Live Manchester 2025!

Adam is a results-driven Head of Talent Acquisition with 20 years of experience in building high-performing teams and connecting organisations with the right talent to drive business success. His expertise spans multiple industries, including Automotive, Retail, Construction, Engineering, IT, and Manufacturing.



Adam takes a data-driven, technology-enabled approach to recruitment, leveraging AI, ATS, and social sourcing to streamline hiring and enhance the candidate experience. A strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, he is committed to fostering innovative, high-performing teams and delivering exceptional talent strategies that align with business goals.

Stefanie is passionate about people and making a difference to the world we live in. A non-traditional HR professional, she is committed to freeing organisations from the shackles of rigid processes and outdated cultures. She focuses on positively disrupting traditional practices, placing engagement and employees at the heart of everything, and creating an environment where everyone has equality of opportunity.

An multi award-winning business psychologist, Jamie has designed or overseen the design of embedded end-to-end selection processes in over a third of the UK’s top 100 employers across varied sectors, winning numerous industry awards for improving validity, candidate experience, and EDI outcomes.

Experienced Business Development Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the staffing and recruiting industry. Skilled in Graduate Recruitment, Interviewing, Business Development, Recruiting, and Training. Contact me to discuss implementing HR Technology to enhance your current processes!

After spending 14 years working for a FTSE 250 recruitment business, my passion to work in partnership with businesses and organisations, who want to provide the best possible candidate experience to their applicants, has brought me to an innovative HR Tech business, who prioritise people and product over profit!

Tribepad have been in the Talent Acquisition tech world for the last 12 years, we are providing talent acquisition technology for clients based in 127 different countries and we process 1 million job applications per month. We are an independent organisation that strives to produce the best possible experience for all involved in the whole recruitment cycle.

Deeply passionate about digital transformation, data, and implementing enterprise software to help customers drive step-changes in efficiency, speed, and pace of innovation.

As Sales Director at Reach ATS, Deb Cox brings over 15 years of experience helping HR professionals simplify hiring through smart, intuitive technology. With a background spanning recruitment software and digital advertising, she works with organisations across multiple industries to build more efficient, effective hiring processes

Harry Lee is a Director at PerchPeek, working closely with Talent and People teams as they navigate the realities of global hiring.

He spends his time speaking with TA leaders about how candidates are supported beyond the offer - particularly when roles involve international moves.

Harry is passionate about improving candidate experience in global hiring and enjoys exploring where process, data, and technology can make this support more consistent and scalable.

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.