2026 Programme
26th People Development Summit11-13 March 2026, Dolce CampoReal, Lisbon
2026 Topics & Themes
Leadership Legacy: From emerging talent to the C-suite
The Skills Economy
L&D’s role in employee and engagement
L&D Interventions to combat work-related stress
Future of AI
Hybrid/Remote Working
Bridging the Generational Divide
The People Development Summit programme consists of - keynotes, TED-style talks + Q&A and interactive Action Learning Workshops
If you have any speaker recommendations, please email eventteam@summit-events.com
For more information and live updates on our speaker programme, follow our Summit Events LinkedIn page.
2026 Speakers Below!
Biography
Dr Alison Edgar MBE is a trailblazer in the world of business, recognised with an MBE in the Queen’s 2020 Birthday Honours for her outstanding contributions to entrepreneurship and awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Education in 2024. With over 25 years of corporate experience, Alison has mentored some of the world’s top entrepreneurs, guiding them from start-ups to multi-million-pound success. A twice best-selling author, Alison’s own journey as a dyslexic has fuelled her passion to break down barriers, proving that no obstacle is too great on the path to achieving your dreams.
Presentation Outline
Dr Alison Edgar MBE shares how to unlock the hidden potential within your people by helping them think like business owners. Through humour, psychology, and real-world stories, Alison shows how The Intrapreneur Mindset drives accountability, innovation, and performance — transforming teams from clock watchers to action takers.
Kelsey Kates
Global Head of Live Learning ExperiencesSPEAKER
Playfulness - The missing ingredient in high-performing teams
Biography
Kelsey believes deeply in changing the world through more impactful and delightful experiences that transform how we show up as adults. As the Global Head of Learning Experiences at Google, Kelsey Kates oversees the activation and delivery of more than 15 programs within the Global Business Org for more than 20,000 Googlers, and their 150+ facilitators. Kelsey and her team have won multiple awards for the design and delivery of Google's marquee programs - Facilitation Academy, Deliver Like a Boss and Google Way of Coaching, just to name a few.
On the academic side, Kelsey has her B.S from the University of Denver, a Master's from Northwestern and an Executive Certification in Neuroscience for Business from MIT.
Today, Kelsey lives in a seaside town in Ireland with her husband and two little boys - it's as lovely and wild as it sounds.Presentation Outline
Kelsey Kates shares how to embed a playful mindset into work and learning programs to drive engagement, safety, collaboration and creativity. Kelsey will share insights on:
• The five dimensions of playfulness – and what it means to be playful at work
• Why playfulness is critical for engagement – the neuroscience findings on the benefits of playfulness
• Practical ideas on how to infuse playfulness into your work and learning programs – illustrated with examples
• How to make playfulness authentic – from a little goes a long way to knowing your audience
Nick Fewings
Teamworkologist, Author, Speaker, InfluencerClarity 4D
SPEAKER
KPIs Follow Where Great Teamwork Leads
Biography
Nick Fewings is an internationally acclaimed thought leader and pioneer in the field of high-performance teamwork. With more than three decades of experience transforming the effectiveness of teams across the globe, Nick has become widely recognised as a leading authority on how to measure, understand and improve the dynamics that drive team success, and is recognised as an influential global figure on how to achieve effective and efficient teamwork.
As the creator of the Fewings Model of High-Performance Teamwork, the Team DyNAmics Report, and co-founder of Our Team Synergy, he has helped hundreds of teams and thousands of team members translate teamwork from an abstract concept into a measurable and manageable discipline.
His groundbreaking Team Wellbeing Index integrates psychological safety, effectiveness, efficiency, and resilience—bridging the long-standing gap between wellbeing and performance.
Nick is also the author of the Amazon-top-rated book Team Lead Succeed, described by readers as “the definitive guide to achieving high-performance teamwork”, and “the modern bible of teamwork”. It has been recognised as a book of national interest in the U.K. with a copy being held in each of the 6 national libraries, and is a go to resource for both leaders and team members.
A captivating and energising keynote speaker, he has delivered over 500 presentations worldwide, including at major international conferences such as PMI UK Synergy, where he continues to inspire leaders and organisations to shift their focus from metrics to people.
A leading Clarity4D Business Partner in the UK and worldwide, Nick combines practical insight with infectious enthusiasm and passion to help teams achieve even greater success.
On the speaker circuit, he is affectionately known as “Mr Infotainment” or “The Edutainer,” celebrated for his ability to blend evidence-based learning with engaging storytelling that educates, entertains, informs and inspires.Presentation Outline
Nick will look back over 30 years of teamwork, sharing how it has evolved and how future changes will become more people centric.
He will share; Why Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that measure outputs, deadlines, and budgets, overlook a critical success factor.
How being effective or efficient is not enough.
Real-life examples of how teams can achieve high-performance teamwork and greater success through clarity, connection, contribution, and resilience.
Whether a leader or team member, the learning and suggestions Nick shares will help to reinforce why, when it comes to success, “People Matter Most.”
Akshay Chopra
Global Head of Learning & Leadership DevelopmentPageGroup
SPEAKER
Joint Presentation: AI applications in Learning & Career Development
Biography
Akshay is a Global Talent Leader with over a decade of experience across diverse sectors including e-commerce, digital media, staffing and technology consulting; a career spanning 3 countries – India, Belgium and the UK.
In his current role with PageGroup, he is responsible for leading talent development & career management and L&D initiatives in a matrixed structure whilst maintaining a strong client-first approach for large Enterprise customers. His role spans multiple geographies including employees sat in UK, Europe, APAC, Middle East/Africa (MEA), North America and Latin America. A graduate from the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE), Akshay is skilled across a broad range of people-focused domains such as Learning & Development, Performance & Career Management, HR Business Partnering, Employee Engagement, Change Management, Talent Transformation, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
He has earned his place in the coveted UK Forty Under 40 2025 List that was just recently published and has also made it to Xobin’s List of ‘Top 50 HR Leaders to Follow in 2025’.Presentation Outline
Coming soon
Vidhi Thakker
Global Director for Talent & Organizational EffectivenessVML
SPEAKER
Joint Presentation: AI applications in Learning & Career Development
Biography
Vidhi Thakker is a global talent and organizational development leader driven by a passion for creating environments that inspire individuals to realize their full potential. With experience spanning the US, UK, APAC, New Zealand, and India, she brings a truly global perspective to creating impactful talent strategies that resonate across cultures.
Grounded in her Social-Organizational Psychology background from Columbia University, combined with experiences as a Group Relations Consultant, and honed through roles at Deloitte, KNOLSKAPE, and AIESEC, Vidhi combines psychological insight with sharp business acumen.
In her current role as Global Director for Talent & Organizational Effectiveness at VML, she leads global initiatives in career development, employee experience, coaching, recognition, and building a connected culture that transcends borders.Presentation Outline
Coming soon
Nahida Ahmed
Director of People and InclusionTrussell
SPEAKER
Skills Over Roles: Reimagining L&D for a Fluid Workforce
Biography
Nahida is the Director of People and Inclusion at Trussell, the UK’s largest food bank charity. She leads the full spectrum of HR strategy and operations, including Learning & Development, Workforce Planning, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I), Participation, and the overall People Experience. Her work is pivotal in shaping a values-led, inclusive culture that supports Trussell’s mission to end the need for food banks in the UK.
Before joining Trussell, Nahida spent 14 years in the Civil Service, beginning as a driving examiner and progressing through operational leadership roles to become a Talent and Capability Business Partner. She also chaired the Agency’s Race Network, championing racial equity and systemic change. Later, she moved into a senior ED&I consultancy role in another government department, where she led national strategies on race, religion or belief, and inclusive learning.
A seasoned HR leader and certified Prosci Change Management Practitioner, Nahida brings deep expertise in organisational development, ED&I, L&D and talent strategy. She is known for delivering sustainable cultural change in complex environments, balancing strategic rigour with operational pragmatism.
Nahida’s leadership is grounded in her lived experience as a mature Muslim woman, a divorcee, and a mother of two adult children, one of whom is living with leukaemia. Her personal journey has shaped her commitment to authentic leadership. She speaks regularly on overcoming adversity, self-worth, and resilience, and has received multiple awards for her inspirational contributions.
Outside of work, Nahida serves as a Board Trustee for Nottinghamshire Mind and a School Governor. A passionate advocate for lifelong learning, she completed a master’s degree in leadership and management at the age of 49, within just nine months and while working full-time, despite having no prior academic qualifications. She is a graduate of the Civil Service Future Leaders Scheme and holds CIPD Chartered Membership.
In her spare time, Nahida enjoys cooking, baking, reading, travelling, and has recently taken up furniture renovation. Her story is one of courage, transformation, and unwavering dedication to equity and inclusion, making her a powerful voice in today’s HR landscape.Presentation Outline
Beyond Job Descriptions: Building a Fluid, Skills-Based Workforce
In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, are traditional job descriptions still fit for purpose? This session explores how L&D leaders can drive the shift from rigid role-based structures to dynamic, skills-based models that unlock agility, inclusion, and innovation.
In this session we will examine how moving from roles to capabilities enables organisations to break down silos, redeploy talent fluidly, and respond to change with resilience. You’ll discover how co-designing learning pathways with employees, especially those with non-linear career journeys, create a more inclusive and empowered workforce.
The session will also highlight the strategic transformation required in L&D: from supporting linear career progression to cultivating adaptable, capability-rich learning ecosystems. Expect practical insights, real-world examples, and a call to action for L&D leaders to become architects of a future-ready workforce.
Register your interest in the People Development Summit 2026
11-13 March 2026
Dolce CampoReal, Lisbon
Submit your name and email address and a member of the Summit team will send you further details including:
- the confirmed list of attendees
- instructions on how to apply for a delegate place
- sponsorship options