The Make A Difference Leaders’ Summit at MAD World

Thursday 9 October 2025

Rethinking work, reimagining engagement, reinforcing health & wellbeing 

Agenda is subject to change.

Click on the tabs to view each track

Track 1 - Prevention & Intervention
Track 2 - Leadership, Culture & Engagement
Track 3 - The New Shape of Reward & Benefits
Masterclass - The Legal Forum at MAD World

Track 1 - Prevention & Intervention

Strategies to help employers reduce risk, support employee health, and keep people working through prevention, early intervention, and effective case management.

08:00 - 09:00

Chief People Officers’ Breakfast Briefing – by invitation only

09:15 - 09:35

Welcome, introduction and warm-up poll

09:35 - 10:15

From Silo to Strategy: Embedding Workplace Culture, Employee Health and Wellbeing into the Fabric of Business Strategy to Deliver Real Results

True progress on employee health and wellbeing demands more than isolated initiatives—it requires structural alignment across the organisation. In this powerful keynote panel, senior leaders from HR, Finance, IT and Clinical leadership share how cross-functional collaboration is transforming wellbeing from a siloed concern into a strategic business driver—impacting culture, engagement, performance, and business continuity, and keeping it firmly on the Board’s agenda.

Speakers include:

Karla Smith, CFO, Ogilvy

Dr Richard Peters, Chief Medical Officer

Dr Lia Ali, Digital Health Innovation Strategist, NHS England

 

10:15-10:35

Keynote: AI and the Multigenerational Workforce: Bridging or Widening the Divide?

As AI reshapes the world of work, it’s also redefining intergenerational dynamics. This keynote explores how people challenges are evolving in the age of AI — from younger employees turning to AI over managers, to the risk of eroding knowledge-sharing in hybrid settings. Discover what leaders must consider to harness AI as a unifying force rather than a dividing line.

10:40 - 11:10

Coffee break

Coffee break, networking & visit the exhibition

11:10 - 11:15

Chair’s intro

11:15 - 11:55

Panel: Unpacking Psychosocial Risk: What’s Driving It – and How Employers Must Adapt

Psychosocial risk is fast becoming one of the most significant challenges facing employers today. With rising levels of stress, burnout, and work-related mental ill health, there is growing pressure—from regulators, standards like ISO 45003, and employees themselves—for organisations to act.

Speakers include:

Hayley Farrell, Global Health, Safety & Wellbeing Director, Arcadis 

James Dybell, International Occupational Health & Safety Manager, Siemens AG 

12:00 - 12:20

Sponsor spotlight: What Works Now: Updating Your Health & Wellbeing Offer for a New Era

12:25 - 12:45

Embedding Neuroinclusion at Scale

Scaling neuroinclusion requires more than good intentions. This session will explore practical strategies to build truly inclusive workplaces that support and empower neurodivergent employees including.

  • How inclusive design, assistive tech, and employee-led communities are driving neuroinclusion at scale.
  • Effective approaches to supporting neurodivergent talent and how to measure what matters.
  • Proven tactics to boost engagement, performance, and innovation through neuroinclusive practices.
12:50 - 13:30

Panel: Reaching Everyone: Inclusive Communication and Wellbeing Strategies for Deskless, Shift-Based and Offline Teams

Inclusion in workplace wellbeing means ensuring all employees—regardless of role, location, or access to technology—feel informed, supported, and engaged. This strategic panel explores how organisations are designing communication and wellbeing approaches that truly reach deskless, field-based, and manual workers, including older employees, night staff, and blue-collar teams.  Actionable strategies to close the engagement gap and embed wellbeing into every corner of your organisation.

13:30 - 14:30

Lunch

Lunch, networking & visit the exhibition

14:30 - 15:30

Deep-dive roundtables

Eight of the following topics which will be confirmed shortly:

  1. Jaded and Underserved? Rethinking retention for over-50 employees
  2. Turning Policy into Practice: Supporting Carers and Parents at Work
  3. EAPs in a VUCA world – are they current and appropriate?
  4. Miscarriage to menopause: Are workplaces failing women?
  5. Sexual harassment at work
  6. Looking after your wellbeing champions
  7. Men’s health matters: Are employers missing the warning signs?
  8. Taming Tech: Practical Steps to Digital Wellbeing
  9. Engaging an offline workforce
  10. Cancer and careers: Support that makes a difference
  11. Keeping Ahead of Changing UK Employment Law and EU legislation
  12. Digital health cash plans: the future of workplace wellbeing?
15:35 - 16:15

Closing Keynote

Track 2 - Leadership, Culture & Engagement

Insights into creating workplace cultures that empower employees to thrive, retain talent and engage a multigenerational workforce with sustainable strategies.

08:00 - 09:00

Chief People Officers’ Breakfast Briefing – by invitation only

09:15 - 09:35

Welcome, introduction and warm-up poll

09:35 - 10:15

From Silo to Strategy: Embedding Workplace Culture, Employee Health and Wellbeing into the Fabric of Business Strategy to Deliver Real Results

True progress on employee health and wellbeing demands more than isolated initiatives—it requires structural alignment across the organisation. In this powerful keynote panel, senior leaders from HR, Finance, IT and Clinical leadership share how cross-functional collaboration is transforming wellbeing from a siloed concern into a strategic business driver—impacting culture, engagement, performance, and business continuity, and keeping it firmly on the Board’s agenda.

Speakers include:

Karla Smith, CFO, Ogilvy

Dr Richard Peters, Chief Medical Officer

Dr Lia Ali, Digital Health Innovation Strategist, NHS England

 

10:15-10:35

Keynote: AI and the Multigenerational Workforce: Bridging or Widening the Divide?

As AI reshapes the world of work, it’s also redefining intergenerational dynamics. This keynote explores how people challenges are evolving in the age of AI — from younger employees turning to AI over managers, to the risk of eroding knowledge-sharing in hybrid settings. Discover what leaders must consider to harness AI as a unifying force rather than a dividing line.

10:40 - 11:10

Coffee break

Coffee break, networking & visit the exhibition

11:10 - 11:15

Chair’s intro

11:15 - 11:55

Panel: Strategic Leadership Through Change

In today’s fast-moving world of work, where disruption is the only constant, how leaders manage that change can make or break employee wellbeing, engagement and productivity. This session explores how progressive organisations are supporting colleagues through change.

Speakers include:

Stella Gavinho, Group Head of Wellbeing, Entain

12:00 - 12:20

Sponsor spotlight: Reversing the Hybrid Disengage: Strategies for Reconnection and Return

12:25 - 12:45

Designing Good Work: The Role of Engagement and Skills Strategy

Good work doesn’t just support wellbeing — it can actively prevent health issues from arising. This session explores how aligning job design with skills development can enhance employee health, wellbeing, engagement and organisational adaptability. Learn how employers are using skills gap analysis as a starting point and how wellbeing initiatives are shifting workforce mindsets around upskilling and cross-functional growth.

12:50 - 13:30

Panel: DE&I in the New World Order

Explore how organisations are evolving their diversity, equity and inclusion strategies to meet the demands of a changing world—where hybrid work, shifting employee expectations, and global uncertainty require fresh thinking, bold leadership, and a clear link to wellbeing and business performance.

13:30 - 14:30

Lunch

Lunch, networking & visit the exhibition

14:30 - 15:30

Benchmarking Case Studies

Navigating AI Disruption: Protecting employee health and culture in a tech-driven future

This case study demonstrates how AI can be used to enhance inclusivity, support colleagues with long-term health conditions such as diabetes, and enable smoother returns to work after extended leave for health or caring responsibilities.

Making Wellbeing Stick: Embedding a Culture of Care Through Middle Management

Building a culture of care takes more than good intentions—it requires sustained engagement from the layer that makes culture real: middle management. Learn how to overcome wellbeing fatigue, create accountability without overload, and ensure wellbeing becomes part of how teams work.

15:35 - 16:15

Closing Keynote

Track 3 - The New Shape of Reward & Benefits

Best practice, insights and inspiration for all those looking to achieve maximum engagement with initiatives, optimise investment and future-proof your approach.

08:00 - 09:00

Chief People Officers’ Breakfast Briefing – by invitation only

09:15 - 09:35

Welcome, introduction and warm-up poll

09:35 - 10:15

From Silo to Strategy: Embedding Workplace Culture, Employee Health and Wellbeing into the Fabric of Business Strategy to Deliver Real Results

True progress on employee health and wellbeing demands more than isolated initiatives—it requires structural alignment across the organisation. In this powerful keynote panel, senior leaders from HR, Finance, IT and Clinical leadership share how cross-functional collaboration is transforming wellbeing from a siloed concern into a strategic business driver—impacting culture, engagement, performance, and business continuity, and keeping it firmly on the Board’s agenda.

Speakers include:

Karla Smith, CFO, Ogilvy

Dr Richard Peters, Chief Medical Officer

Dr Lia Ali, Digital Health Innovation Strategist, NHS England

 

10:15-10:35

Keynote: AI and the Multigenerational Workforce: Bridging or Widening the Divide?

As AI reshapes the world of work, it’s also redefining intergenerational dynamics. This keynote explores how people challenges are evolving in the age of AI — from younger employees turning to AI over managers, to the risk of eroding knowledge-sharing in hybrid settings. Discover what leaders must consider to harness AI as a unifying force rather than a dividing line.

10:40 - 11:10

Coffee break

Coffee break, networking & visit the exhibition

11:10 - 11:15

Chair’s intro

11:15 - 11:55

Panel: The Future Health Risks Facing a Multigenerational Workforce

Insight into the key drivers behind rising claims costs, the evolving health needs of different age groups, and the emerging public health risks employers must prepare for — from mental health challenges to the implications of new weight-loss drugs.

Speakers include:

Dr Richard Peters, Chief Medical Officer

12:00 - 12:20

Sponsor spotlight: Equity, Resilience and Financial Wellbeing: What Employers Can Do When Pay Can’t Stretch Further

12:25 - 12:45

Prevention Pays: From Cost Containment to Risk Reduction

Explore how this forward-thinking organisation is investing in preventative benefits strategies that go beyond short-term savings to reduce long-term health risks and support a healthier, more resilient workforce.

12:50 - 13:30

Panel: Personalised, Predictive, Powerful: The Next Generation of Benefits Design

Discover how innovative employers are moving away from one-size-fits-all models to deliver tailored benefits that better meet diverse employee needs—enhancing engagement, improving outcomes, and aligning with personal health journeys.

13:30 - 14:30

Lunch

Lunch, networking & visit the exhibition

14:30 - 15:30

Benchmarking Case Studies

Cracking the Code — Aligning Benefits with Employee Needs and Business Goals

Learn how this forward-thinking organisation is harnessing data and analytics to optimise benefits across pensions, health, protection, and wellbeing — delivering greater value for employees while supporting wider business objectives.

 

Reimagining Benefits Engagement: A Global Approach to Elevating Experience and Impact

Discover how one global employer is transforming the employee experience by aligning benefits communication with local needs, improving accessibility through agile platforms, and using segmentation to boost engagement. 

15:35 - 16:15

Closing Keynote

Masterclass - The Legal Forum at MAD World

Data, Insight and Impact – Reframing Health & Wellbeing as a Strategic Priority for the Legal Sector

Structured around the three essential stages of a data-led strategy—gathering data, interpreting measurements, and turning insights into impact—the Symposium features a series of focused panel discussions. Including plenty of opportunity for real-time knowledge exchange and networking with senior peers from across the Legal Sector.

A masterclass for up to 40 guests.

08:00 - 09:00

Chief People Officers’ Breakfast Briefing – by invitation only

09:15 - 09:35

Welcome, introduction and warm-up poll

09:35 - 10:15

From Silo to Strategy: Embedding Workplace Culture, Employee Health and Wellbeing into the Fabric of Business Strategy to Deliver Real Results

True progress on employee health and wellbeing demands more than isolated initiatives—it requires structural alignment across the organisation. In this powerful keynote panel, senior leaders from HR, Finance, IT and Clinical leadership share how cross-functional collaboration is transforming wellbeing from a siloed concern into a strategic business driver—impacting culture, engagement, performance, and business continuity, and keeping it firmly on the Board’s agenda.

Speakers include:

Karla Smith, CFO, Ogilvy

Dr Richard Peters, Chief Medical Officer

Dr Lia Ali, Digital Health Innovation Strategist, NHS England

 

10:15-10:35

Keynote: AI and the Multigenerational Workforce: Bridging or Widening the Divide?

As AI reshapes the world of work, it’s also redefining intergenerational dynamics. This keynote explores how people challenges are evolving in the age of AI — from younger employees turning to AI over managers, to the risk of eroding knowledge-sharing in hybrid settings. Discover what leaders must consider to harness AI as a unifying force rather than a dividing line.

10:40 - 11:10

Coffee break

Coffee break, networking & visit the exhibition

11:15 - 11:55

Panel 1: Data – The State of the Legal Profession

Kicking off the event, Elizabeth Rimmer (CEO, LawCare) joins a panel of leading law firm representatives to:

  • Unpack key findings from LawCare’s newly launched Life in the Law 2025 survey
  • Explore the evolving mental health landscape of the profession and highlight how expectations are evolving for clients, colleagues and regulators

Panelist include:

Lucinda Soon, Co-chair, Professional Wellbeing Commission, International Bar Association 

Gavin Doyle, Legal Services Board

Chair

Elizabeth Rimmer
Elizabeth Rimmer
Elizabeth Rimmer
CEO
LawCare

Elizabeth Rimmer

CEO, LawCare

LawCare is the mental health charity for the legal sector across the UK, offering free, confidential emotional support, peer support, and information to people working and training in law.  LawCare also advocates for better working practices in law to support mental health, and actively leads cultural transformation through education, training, and research.

Elizabeth has been managing and developing charities in the mental health sector for over 20 years.  She joined LawCare in 2014. Elizabeth started her working life as a solicitor specialising in clinical negligence, practicing at Leigh Day. Elizabeth is Co Chair of the Helplines Partnership (national body for support and advice helplines) and a member of the International Bar Association’s Professional Wellbeing Commission and chairs the Commission’s regulatory and ethics workstream group.

12:00 - 12:40

Panel 2: Insight – Different Approaches to Measurement

How do you become data-driven? Deciding which metrics to use is essential. In this session, a panel of legal sector leaders explore different approaches to collecting the insights needed to build actionable, evidence-based health & wellbeing strategies that align with business objectives including: 

  • Making best use of engagement surveys – ensuring you are asking the right questions
  • Workload metrics – how these can be used to inform mental health and wellbeing strategies
  • Performance beyond billing – metrics that focus more on outcomes than inputs, including assessment of managers. 

Panelists include:

Rachel Pears, Associate Director, Responsible Business & Employment Council, RPC

Chair

Richard Martin
Richard Martin
Richard Martin
CEO
The Mindful Business Charter

Richard Martin

CEO, The Mindful Business Charter

Richard is the CEO of the Mindful Business Charter, a cross business initiative to reduce the stress we experience at work and which is a key cause of workplace mental illness. He is also a principal consultant at workplace consultancy Byrne Dean and chairs the steering committee of the Lord Mayor of London’s This is Me campaign which uses story telling to break down the stigma associated with mental illness. He is a qualified coach and mental health first aider. His first career was in law, a successful progress as an employment lawyer to the highest levels of leadership before mental breakdown in 2011 left him in hospital for a month and unable to work for two years. His experience of breakdown and recovery is the subject of his memoir, This Too Will Pass – Anxiety in a professional world, published in 2018. He is a father of three grown up children and splits his time between London and rural France.

12:45 - 13:25

Panel 3: Impact – The Business Case for Health & Wellbeing

This final session examines the real-world benefits of a data-driven approach - both to employee health and wellbeing and to the bottom line. A panel of law firm leaders and industry experts will share their experience of:

  • Using insight to influence senior leaders and secure ongoing investment
  • Real-world examples of how firms are using data to reduce risk, control costs, improve retention, and increase productivity
  • Embedding a culture of care that fosters both consistent psychological safety and high performance

Panelists include:

Chloe Muir, Director of Talent & DEI, Pinsent Masons

13:30 - 14:30

Lunch

Lunch, networking & visit the exhibition

15:35 - 16:15

Closing Keynote