Speakers
Work Inspiration
Lucy Adams
Director, Business Operations, BBC
Lucy joined the BBC as Director, BBC People on 1 June 2009, and is responsible for the full range of HR functions including training and development, resourcing, employee relations, reward, organisation design and change management. She is also responsible for the BBC's outsourced HR services. Lucy's role recently expanded to Director, Business Operations, including BBC Workplace, Safety and Business Continuity. Lucy was previously Director of HR at the international legal firm Eversheds LLP. Prior to this she spent nine years at Serco Group plc, starting as Change Director in the Rail Division before becoming the Group HR Director in 2004.
Amanda Brady
HR Director, Whitbread Hotel and Restaurants, Whitbread Group PLC
Amanda Brady is a strategically skillful and operationally focused CIPD senior HR professional, with extensive experience in multi-site, customer-centric organisations. Amanda has a successful track record of exceeding demanding targets and for providing creative solutions to organisational challenges. Amanda is a highly self –motivated and energetic leader who has successfully re-aligned Resourcing, Learning and Development and a regional HR Management structure under one Branded HR function supporting 29,500 operational employees, who serve 10 million customers monthly in 2000 businesses across the UK and Ireland. Amanda has launched a strong internal, future facing talent pipeline and matrix for all management roles supported by a robust embedded Apprenticeship programme, to enable team members to up-skill, with a nationally recognised qualification and, with the right attitude and potential to progress, these individuals are supported through role aligned management development programmes creating and growing our future leaders from within the organisation. With tremendous insight, enthusiasm and drive, Amanda has raised the calibre of talent, introduced a leadership framework while integrating the company vision and values throughout the organisation. There is clear direction, a clear career path and an emerging culture which recognises, inspires and truly enables learning and progression.
Ann Brown
UK HR Director, Capgemini UK plc
Ann Brown is UK Human Resources Director for Capgemini and has been with the company since 2001. Ann has responsibility for the provision of all HR services to the UK business and for the Shared Services activity delivered both from UK and India for Global business lines. Her areas of responsibility include: pay and performance, learning and development, employee relations and co policy, international mobility, recruitment, senior resourcing and HR systems. During her time the company has undergone substantial employee transformation programmes merging with 3 legacy organisations and additionally absorbing significant numbers of employees into an integrated workforce through winning major Outsource contracts. Prior to Capgemini, Ann held International HR Director roles with COLT Telecom and Cable & Wireless. Ann is a Fellow of the CIPD and has been an HR professional for 25 years with a variety of IT and Telecoms organisations. She has a master’s qualification in executive coaching.
Tim Campbell
Founder, Bright Ideas Trust
Tim Campbell is an entrepreneurial young man from the East End who first became known to the British public after being crowned the winner of the hit BBC TV series The Apprentice and going on to become the first Project Director of the Health & Beauty division within Lord Alan Sugar's company, Amstrad PLC. Prior to working for him, Tim had a successful career with London Underground before applying for the programme. Tim has gone on to found Bright Ideas Trust, a charitable social enterprise which encourages young budding entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds to start business ventures, by giving them greater access to start-up finance, real business mentors, professional services advisors and educational programmes. Bright Ideas Trust has already generated successful start-ups, much excitement and interest from Corporate Organisations, Philanthropists and HNWI and innovative young entrepreneurs alike, not to mention receiving praise from senior MPs across all political parties including our Prime Minister David Cameron. Aside from this and commercial activities Tim is co-author of one of Amazon’s top 10 business books for 2010 ‘What’s Your Bright Idea’ and uses his time to support young people getting apprenticeships and training in his key role as the Mayor of London's Ambassador for training and enterprise.
Squadron Leader Glyn Dean
S02 Concepts, Royal Airforce (RAF) College Cranwey
Squadron Leader Glyn Dean works at Royal Air Force College, Cranwell in Lincolnshire where she is responsible for the research and development of Recruitment Strategy. She is the diversity SME with particular reference to gender. She has developed the RAF’s gender recruitment strategy, the primary objective of which is to improve female recruitment into the technical specialisations, including flying. She has been in her current role for 9 years and the Royal Air Force for considerably longer.
Richard Earp
Education & Skills Manager, National Grid
Richard Earp is Education and Skills Manager at National Grid. National Grid owns and operates the main gas and electricity transmission systems that form the backbone of the UK’s energy infrastructure. Richard is a Chartered Engineer with 23 years experience in the electricity industry, including control centre operations, emergency planning, managing maintenance teams, maintenance planning and, most recently, business and workforce planning. He has led major changes in the company’s new-entrant training programmes including setting up new schemes at Foundation Degree level. He is now responsible for all of National Grid’s schools engagement programmes, including establishing a new work experience concept, support for the Engineering Diploma, developing a site visit programme for schools and STEM ambassador support.
Claire Ford
M&S
Claire began her career with M&S whilst studying Business and Psychology at Aston University. After completing the Commercial Business Placement Programme, she was invited back to M&S as a graduate. Before returning, Claire spent 6 months working for a charity in Hyderabad, India, focussing on livelihoods and education. She re-joined M&S in March 09, completing the graduate scheme in stores. Claire moved into M&S’s Plan A (CSR) team and spent a year managing charitable partnerships and took on the Marks & Start employability programme. Over the last year her role has developed to include M&S’s work on employee engagement.
Bradley Lightbody
Director of Training, Collegenet
Bradley Lightbody is the author of Outstanding Teaching and Learning 14-19 and more recently The i-Learning Revolution: a new pedagogy. He has enjoyed a 30 year career in Further Education across Sixthform, Adult Education, Learning Resources and Teacher Training and was a member of the Ofsted Area inspection team. Bradley’s new book contains a sharp focus on the importance of employability skills and how best to use new technology to build the skills and creativity of young people. Bradley has also designed an electronic Scheme of Work the ‘Learning Portal which prompts all staff to embed skills and creativity topic by topic including consideration of self employment.
Chidi Okolo
Head of Education, WorldSkills London 2011
Chidi Okolo is currently the Head of Education at WorldSkills London 2011, with responsibility for the planning, design and implementation of an education programme which supports and underpins WorldSkills London 2011; the biggest skills competition in the world. Chidi has over 20 years experience of both further and higher education and has previously worked as the Head of Mathematics and Computing at a variety of FE institutions including Brooke House Sixth Form, South Thames and Westminster Kingsway Colleges. He has also previously conducted and managed lecture programmes for several higher education institutions including Greenwich, London Metropolitan and Kingston Universities. More recently he has been involved in setting up and running an education consultancy advising colleges on curriculum development, quality improvement and management issues.
Sir Michael Rake
Chairman, BT Group plc
Sir Michael Rake is Chairman of BT Group plc. He is Chairman of easyJet plc, as well as a director of Barclays PLC, McGraw Hill Inc and the Financial Reporting Council. He is also chairman of the private equity oversight group the Guidelines Monitoring Committee. He was the first Chairman of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills from 2007 to 2010. He was a member of the National Security Forum for 2009/2010. From May 2002 to September 2007 Sir Michael Rake was Chairman of KPMG International. Prior to his appointment as Chairman of KPMG International he was Chairman of KPMG in Europe and Senior Partner of KPMG in the UK. He joined KPMG in 1974 and worked in Continental Europe before transferring to the Middle East to run the practice for three years in 1986. He transferred to London in 1989, became a member of the UK Board in 1991, and was elected UK Senior Partner in 1998. Mike is also a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group, Vice President and Chairman of Governors of Wellington College, a Vice President of the RNIB, a member of the Board of the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue, a Trustee of the Prince of Wales’ Charitable Foundation, a member of the Advisory Council for Business for New Europe, Senior Adviser for Chatham House and on the Global Advisory Board of the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation. Mike is also a William Pitt Fellow at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Mike was Chairman of Business in the Community from 2004-2007 and a member of the board of the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum from 1998 to 2007.
Jo Taylor
Head of Learning & 4Talent, Channel 4
Jo is responsible for Channel 4 talent and internal diversity strategy, which looks at the best ways to attract, develop and retain talent for not only Channel 4 but the wider creative economy. She joined Channel 4 in 2007 having worked previously in a variety of roles at the BBC and in the Independent production sector. She is passionate about breaking down barriers to entry, nurturing and developing talent and ensuring that businesses maximise their people strategy both culturally and economically.Prior to these roles Jo’s experience has mainly been in the genre of Factual Television and she has worked as a Managing Editor of the Documentaries and Contemporary Factual dept at the BBC which involved the management and career development of the 500 staff employed ranging from Exec Producers to researchers. She started her career as a Production Manager and Production Executive of the Consumers and Investigations unit which produced programmes such as Watchdog, Rogue Traders, Rough Justice.