Focus on organisational outcomes and don’t wait: Day one in Manchester
Keynotes, case studies and free content on day one of the CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition returned to two ideas: organisational outcomes and bold action.
Keynotes, case studies and free content on day one of the CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition returned to two ideas: organisational outcomes and bold action.
The CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition opened at Manchester Central on Wednesday 4 November. Across keynotes, conference sessions and free content on the exhibition floor, people professionals heard one clear message: focus on the outcomes your organisation needs, and don’t wait to be asked.
Two ideas ran through the day. Start with the organisation’s need, whether you’re planning learning, hiring or AI implementation. And don’t wait: not to be invited to the table, not to prepare for new employment law, and not for the perfect candidate to appear.
Opening the conference, CIPD chief executive Neil Carberry set three priorities. Build workplaces that perform. Build the skills in our profession to make that happen. And own the future solutions with confidence. He said it’s time to stop talking about a seat at the table and earn one, by showing what changed because you were there. He asked boards to invest in their people teams, and government to put people and skills at the heart of its growth plans.
“The world is not going to reward us for the value we delivered yesterday. It will judge us by what we help organisations achieve tomorrow.”
He also set a test for us at the CIPD. What did you do differently at work on Monday morning because of something we gave you? He wants us to be “relentlessly useful” to our members.
Performance psychologist Jamil Qureshi gave the first keynote and drew several laughs along the way. His message was that better performance starts with action, and with what already works. “I believe the route to greater success is to simply do something,” he said, and that often means “turning the volume up” on what’s already good. He argued that change sticks when people commit to it, not when they simply comply, and that managers should give people problems to solve, not just tasks to do. He used stories and analogies throughout, and finished with a question for leaders: “Are we changing as fast as the world around us?”
“Define yourself by the value you’re creating for other people, then work backwards.”
Away from the keynotes, delegates could choose between free content on the exhibition floor and breakout sessions in the conference streams. The exhibition floor ran free insight stages on employee engagement, leadership and learning, and the future workforce. You could also visit the Careers Hub, join live workshops in the Navigate AI Lab, watch mock tribunals and get employment law support. Conference pass holders could pick from four streams: skills and L&D, change management, the Employment Rights Act 2025, and digital transformation. At the CIPD stand, Neil invited delegates to tell us how the Profession Map should evolve. In Member Central, new this year, he answered questions directly from members, and guided member-exclusive network sessions ran alongside.
On the free Leadership and Learning stage, Andrew Jacobs of Llarn Learning Services said the key is “what are we trying to achieve?” He suggested asking people what they’ve done differently because they used your resource. That’s the Monday morning test, applied to learning. In a conference breakout on leadership development, Nicola Johnson Hodgson of Bentley Motors put it simply: “Work with the business, don’t just deliver something you think they’re going to like.” Understand the organisation you work in, and think about the impact it’s trying to make, not just the tasks you deliver.
AI followed the same rule. In a conference breakout on AI, Jo Carlin of Victrex, Sam Lea-Wilson of Bupa and Andrew Dodman of Leeds City Council shared case studies from their own work. Jo’s advice was to “answer a question that needs answering, don’t start with the tech”. Sam’s was to ask for a reason: “If you can’t think of a reason to use it, don’t adopt it.” All three said to be honest with people about both the opportunities and the challenges.
The second idea was about boldness. Don’t wait to be asked.
On the Leadership and Learning stage, Laura Overton of Learning Changemakers said high-performing learning teams are hungry to find out what the organisation’s problem is. They put the organisation first, and they offer to solve the problem “with you”. They co-create value with others because they share a common goal. And they don’t wait to be invited into the room, even if they have to start with “I know I’m above my paygrade here but…”
On the Employee Engagement stage, Graeme Drewery of Make UK urged employers to prepare for greater trade union access rights before the first request arrives. “Don’t wait for the first request to land,” he said, and don’t leave managers to improvise. Our employment law resources can help you get managers ready.
Talent follows the same logic: develop people, don’t wait for the perfect candidate. On the Future Workforce stage, Cinzia Priola of The Open University shared findings from its Business Barometer 2026 on young people not in education, employment or training. More than a million 16 to 24-year-olds are in that position, and 80% of employers say they’re prepared to train young people entering the workforce. But just 34% have initiatives for workers under 25. The answer, said fellow speaker Fiona Mason, is to build talent, not wait for it.
Late in the afternoon, Neil hosted a debate with three senior people leaders on the difference our profession makes. Their answer to how people professionals earn influence came back to the day’s two key themes.
First, start with the organisation’s need. Influence comes from solving the organisation’s hardest problems, not from asking for a place at the table.
“If you do that people solutions piece for the most difficult challenges your organisations have, that’s your seat at the table.”
Jacqui said that means bringing insight and solutions, not just data, and linking people issues to the organisation’s wider strategy. Kate Guthrie, a Senior Independent Director, said it all comes back to really understanding your organisation.
Second, don’t wait for permission. Jacqui wants her teams to be neither risk averse nor “the police in the organisation”. She said the profession is “extremely powerful” and needs to “grasp it with that confidence”. Kerri O’Neill, Chief People Officer at Ipsos UK and Ireland, said leading well takes space. She asked what we could let go of, to “lighten the backpack a little bit” and leave room for thoughtfulness and leadership. She also called for more future-back thinking, which means picturing possible futures and working backwards from them.
The closing keynote took that idea on organisational outcomes into AI in the workplace. Priya Lakhani OBE, Founder and CEO of CENTURY Tech, led a fast-paced session bringing delegates up to speed on what AI actually is. “Unless we understand how this technology works, we can’t apply it well,” she said. Her advice was to be specific about what you want AI to do and what data it’s trained on, and to use your own expertise to know when to question an answer. “AI is not magic. AI is maths.”
“You need to point every implementation to an actual business outcome that matters.”
Day two is on Thursday 5 November, and the exhibition and insight stages are free with an exhibition ticket. At 09:30, Greg Jackson CBE, Founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, joins our President Chloe Smith to talk about leadership, culture and ways of working. At 11:55, Michael Warren of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and Terry Duffy of Acas cover what teams should prioritise on employment rights. At 15:05, Professor Herminia Ibarra of London Business School looks at the leadership skills organisations need. See the full programme.
Come and find us at the CIPD stand and tell us how the Profession Map should evolve. And whatever you take from the two days, try Neil’s test. What will you do differently on Monday morning?
