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 [email protected]
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.
Hendrix Timu
Head of Learning & DevelopmentJP Morgan & Chase
SPEAKER
Rapid Experimentation: Measuring What Really Works in Learning
Biography
Hendrix leads the learning and development strategy for Experience Design at JP Morgan Chase, drawing on over fifteen years of expertise in organizational development. With a passion for collaborating with complex teams, Hendrix creates innovative learning solutions that tackle organizational challenges and build both individual and collective capabilities, always with an eye toward the future. A committed advocate for growth, Hendrix believes, “Development is part of your role, not an addition to it."
Presentation Outline
In today’s fast-paced environment, traditional methods for evaluating learning impact are often slow and lack effectiveness. This workshop will show how rapid experimentation enables learning and development teams to quickly test, measure, and enhance their programs. You’ll learn innovative ways to design small-scale experiments, collect actionable feedback, and leverage real data for continuous improvement. Leave with practical strategies and techniques to pinpoint what truly works in your learning initiatives—and the confidence to adapt and scale successful solutions.
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.”
Laura Maguire
Head of Learning and DevelopmentLanes Group
SPEAKER
Talent Unlocked: How L&D Powers the Future Workforce
Biography
Laura is a strategic L&D leader with a proven track record of building learning functions that drive business performance and talent growth. Passionate about turning potential into capability, she champions innovative approaches that align development with organisational strategy. As Chair of the Women at Lanes network, Laura advocates for inclusion and career progression. Her session, “Talent Unlocked: How L&D Powers the Future Workforce”, will explore how learning can become the engine of talent strategy.
Presentation Outline
In a world where skills have a shorter shelf life than ever before, talent is the ultimate competitive advantage. But here’s the challenge: traditional approaches to learning are no longer enough. Organisations need L&D to step up not as a support function, but as a strategic driver of talent growth, retention, and readiness for the future.
This interactive 60-minute session will challenge conventional thinking and explore how Learning & Development can become the engine of talent strategy. Through live polls, collaborative exercises, and real-world insights, you’ll discover:
• Why talent without development is wasted potential
• How to align L&D with business-critical talent priorities
• Practical ways to accelerate skills, amplify culture, and future-proof your workforce
You won’t just listen to design solutions. Working in groups, you’ll tackle a fictional talent crisis and pitch bold ideas to reimagine L&D’s role. By the end, you’ll leave with a clear framework and actionable steps to make L&D central to your organisation’s talent agenda.
Key Takeaways
• A fresh perspective on L&D as a talent multiplier
• A simple, strategic model for driving talent through learning
• Actionable ideas to implement immediately in your organization
Nic Girvan
Senior Director, Leadership & InclusionGP Strategies
SPEAKER
Leading Through VUCA: Why PeopleFirst Leadership Matters Most in Tough Times
Biography
Nic Girvan brings nearly 25 years of global experience helping organizations build inclusive cultures and future-ready leaders. She specializes in creating memorable, scalable, tech-enhanced learning interventions that deliver measurable business impact and lasting behavioral change.
Nic’s approach is bold and unconventional. Drawing on deep expertise in adult learning theory and psychology, she has pioneered award-winning solutions such as GP Strategies’ flagship inclusion escape room experiences and their in-the-work behavioral nudge strategy. Initiatives that go beyond compliance, to elevate mindsets, embed inclusive behaviors, and accelerate performance at scale.
A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Nic shares insights on inclusive leadership, AI-driven learning, and workforce transformation at global conferences and in leading industry publications. Her mission is clear: to help organizations unlock potential, foster belonging, and achieve sustainable success through impactful learning.Presentation Outline
When the world becomes volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, most leaders instinctively tighten their grip. Yet research shows that under pressure, leaders significantly reduce the very behaviours that hold teams together: empathy, consistency, communication, and trust.
This session makes a simple but powerful case: When the pressure rises, the pivot to people matters more than ever. Leaders will learn how to stay relationally anchored when the environment pulls them towards urgency, maintain emotional steadiness when expectations escalate, and lead in a way that feels human and consistent—even when they do not have all the answers.
Key Takeaways:
• Understanding the Leadership Drift Under Pressure: Leaders will understand how VUCA conditions trigger stress responses that narrow attention, reduce relational bandwidth, and create behavioural inconsistencies.
• The New Leadership Imperative: Agile Guide, Not All-Knowing Expert: Leaders will learn to reframe their role from “solution provider” to sensemaker, leading effectively without all the answers by facilitating shared meaning, participation, and agency instead of relying on control.
Laura Ashley-Timms
Author of The Answer is a Question & COONotion
SPEAKER
How to Generate a 74 x ROI by Rapidly Transforming Your Accidental Managers into High-Performing Leaders
Biography
Laura Ashley-Timms is the COO of Notion and a global thought leader on management and coaching.
A best-selling author of the award-winning book, The Answer is a Question, and published in BBC, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Newsweek and The Times, she’s the architect of the STAR® model—a framework used by FTSE and Fortune 500 companies. Her expertise lies in replacing accidental managers with high-performing leaders, transforming cultures at scale to drive commercial results, productivity, and engagement.
An alumnus of Oxford University with three decades of international business experience, Laura is recognised as one of the UK’s top executive coaches and one of '40 Outstanding Global Women’.Presentation Outline
The global cost of disengaged employees is measured in trillions, yet traditional management training is still failing to deliver consistently measurable impact. If any of your managers are 'accidental,' your organisation is not capitalising on its human potential.
Join us for an interactive session to uncover the revolutionary, science-backed approach that’s fundamentally changing managers’ behaviour, allowing them to quickly regain valuable time, empower teams to solve their own problems, and deliver a return on investment that transforms your L&D function into a profit driver.
Bonus: All attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the award-winning book, The Answer is a Question, plus a free audiobook version to download.
Three Key Takeaways:
1. The Crisis is Not a Skills Gap, It's a Behavioural One: Discover the single, pervasive management habit that’s actively killing employee engagement and leading to widespread manager burnout, and what you can do about it
2. The New Standard: Moving Beyond Unprovable Training: Learn why two decades of investment in coaching have failed to move the needle on productivity and uncover the academically proven alternative that’s been validated in a UK-Government-commissioned randomised controlled trial, the largest of its type in the world
3. From Cost Centre to Strategic Value: Get the high-level roadmap for replicating the success of other globally renowned organisations who are already implementing this new approach to management, and that will give you the strategic distinction needed to move your L&D budget away from 'nice-to-have' training and toward a core business performance driver.
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
Join us for a highly interactive workshop, led by two seasoned industry practitioners, to examine the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on learning and career development. Drawing on real-world industry case studies, Akshay and Vidhi will demonstrate how AI is reshaping talent development through personalised learning, intelligent career coaching, skill assessments, and data-driven workforce decisions. The session moves beyond “AI for the sake of AI,” challenging participants to critically evaluate where AI creates real value—and where it does not. Through facilitated discussion, and thought-provoking questions, participants will explore ethical considerations, algorithm biases, and over-reliance on technology, while identifying practical, high-impact ways to responsibly integrate AI into talent and human strategy.
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
Join us for a highly interactive workshop, led by two seasoned industry practitioners, to examine the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on learning and career development. Drawing on real-world industry case studies, Akshay and Vidhi will demonstrate how AI is reshaping talent development through personalised learning, intelligent career coaching, skill assessments, and data-driven workforce decisions. The session moves beyond “AI for the sake of AI,” challenging participants to critically evaluate where AI creates real value—and where it does not. Through facilitated discussion, and thought-provoking questions, participants will explore ethical considerations, algorithm biases, and over-reliance on technology, while identifying practical, high-impact ways to responsibly integrate AI into talent and human strategy.
Dr. Juan Swartz
Director / FounderAI Unlox
SPEAKER
Re-Imaging how AI & Science intersect to transform People Development into Performance
Biography
Dr. Juan Swartz is a leading authority in Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation, and the Workforce of the Future, with more than 25 years of experience helping global organisations reinvent how their people work, learn, and perform. He specialises in designing future-fit operating models that optimise the balance between human capability and AI automation, enabling HR and People leaders to drive transformation through scientifically grounded, people-centric strategies.
Juan is the architect of multiple proprietary AI-enabled talent intelligence solutions used internationally to predict performance, redesign roles, accelerate capability development, and guide large-scale organisational transformation. His work spans financial services, telecommunications, aviation, retail, mining, and education, where he has led enterprise-wide programmes delivering between $10M and $500M in annual business value while uplifting workforce capability, culture, and strategic alignment.
He has advised executive teams at organisations including Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, EY, Vodafone, Virgin Atlantic, EE, Gulf Air, Sky, and numerous high-growth companies.
A Chartered Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant, Juan also holds an MBA and a PhD in Strategy. His passion lies in equipping HR and People leaders to reimagine their operating models, harness the power of AI, and build workforces that are truly future-ready.Presentation Outline
1. Introduction: How AI can transform People Development
2. The Rise of AI-enabled Individualised Learning
3. Talent Intelligence: The Machine Behind Performance (10 min)
4. Leveraging AI to Quantify ROI: Linking Learning to measurable People & Business Performance
5. How AI ties Learning, Coaching & Knowledge Management together
6. Conclusion & Q&A: How to Start the Journey
Register your interest in the 27th People Development Summit
10-12 March 2027
Brussels Marriott Hotel Grand Place, Belgium
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