13th Annual One-Day, Industry-Led Conference & Networking Exhibition, One Great George Street, central London, 25th June 2026
Leverage The Latest AI Opportunities ■ Cultivate People-Focused Company Cultures ■ Showcase Impact & ROI ■ Unlock New Omnichannel Strategies ■ Reach & Engage Remote Workers ■ Strengthen Relationships With Senior Leadership ■ Maintain & Strengthen DEI Initiatives ■ Boost Employee Engagement ■ Extract Maximum Value From Limited Budgets ■ Future-Proof IC Strategies For 2027 & Beyond
You will shortly receive an email with a further £50 off, if you don’t receive your discount please email
info@commsconference.com
08.15 Registration, Informal Networking
OPENING REMARKS
09.00 GIC Welcome & Morning Co-Chairs’ Opening Remarks
Hannah Burke, Head of CEO & Leadership Communications, Legal & General
Chukwuweta Uraih, Internal Communications & Engagement Lead, BBC News
AI IN COMMS: CRITICAL NEW INNOVATIONS
PERSPECTIVE ONE
09.10 Leverage AI As An Efficient & Effective IC Tool Without Compromising On Compliance, Transparency Or Authenticity
- Embracing the future; deep dive into the powerful possibilities of AI for your company, while understanding its limitations and drawbacks
- What can AI do more efficiently than a human? Utilise AI’s key skillset to reduce workloads and expenditure, while identifying key processes that need to retain the human touch
- Embed clear guidelines and AI compliance policies company-wide, to avoid security issues, ethical concerns and the spread of misinformation
- We can all now spot badly written AI output! Evaluate AI’s effectiveness in creating internal comms content that retains authenticity, and avoid the common pitfalls that highlight messaging as being identifiably AI-generated
Camilla Barlocco, Director of Brand & Communications, Domestic & General
ADVOCATING FOR DEI – PERSPECTIVE ONE
09.30 Reinforce DEI As A Fundamental Cornerstone Of Company Culture With Accessible Comms That Truly Speak To All
- Cement the critical importance of diversity, equality and inclusion as a central company priority amid geopolitical uncertainty
- Asking the right questions: gather and address direct employee feedback to amplify all voices and ensure all colleagues are seen and heard
- How can effective internal communications help to make sure that DEI initiatives go beyond box-ticking exercises and promote genuine and authentic inclusion?
- Tailor and streamline accessible and adaptable IC strategies across a range of audience segments so that all needs are catered for
Ifem Onuora, Head of Race, Equality & Inclusion, FA Premier League
CULTURE, CHANGE & WELLBEING
PANEL Q&A
09.50 Prioritise Colleague Wellbeing As The Front-&-Centre Driver Behind A Unified, Supportive & Inclusive Company Culture
- Cultivate a company culture which promotes wellbeing, connection and honesty, and is inclusive to the full and diverse range of employee demographics
- Bring employees with you on your company’s change journey, mitigating against change fatigue with clearly communicated strategies and intentions that make colleagues feel seen and heard
- Foster transparent lines of two-way communication and empower colleagues to speak openly about physical and mental health concerns
- Promote the business-critical significance of internal comms in setting the tone and laying the groundwork for a positive, supportive and people-friendly company culture
Joanne Vazquez-Kirby, Global Head of DEI, Skyscanner
Richard Odufisan, Employee Engagement & Inclusion Manager, Balfour Beatty
Claudia Braganza, Improvement & Engagement Advisor, Department of Health & Social Care
Daniel Chan, Senior Wellbeing & Employee Experience Manager, QBE Insurance
FROM FEEDBACK TO INTELLIGENCE: HOW NATIONWIDE IS LISTENING AT THE SPEED OF CHANGE
10.20
Employee feedback is still treated as an HR project in most organisations. It lives in annual surveys, sits behind dashboards, and by the time insight reaches the people who need it, the moment has passed.
In this session, Steve Frost, CEO of WorkBuzz, challenges that model and makes the case for employee feedback as organisational intelligence. Steve will be joined on stage by Leanne Dalby, Colleague Engagement Manager at Nationwide Building Society, to talk through how one of UK’s best high street banking providers for customer satisfaction is listening differently.
Nationwide has embedded WorkBuzz Dialogue across its 600+ branch network, giving retail leaders the ability to record a short video, collect feedback from thousands of frontline colleagues — via video, voice or text — and close the loop in under 24 hours. The results include 10× faster insight cycles, 21% better participation than Forms, and video contributions that deliver 3× more qualitative depth.
Join us for a live conversation about what happens when you stop measuring engagement and start acting on colleague intelligence, and what that means for internal comms, leadership visibility, and the culture of a large frontline organisation.
Steven Frost, CEO & Founder, WorkBuzz
Leanne Dalby, Colleague Engagement Manager, Nationwide Building Society
10.35 Morning Refreshment Break & Informal Networking
11.05 Bonus Session; Reserved For Yodeck
Andrew Pringle, Senior VP of Revenue, Yodeck
DOES COLLEAGUE EXPERIENCE REALLY DRIVE BUSINESS PERFORMANCE?
11.20
Gareth Hind, Director of Colleague Experience & Internal Communications, First Bus
REACHING REMOTE & HYBRID WORKERS
PANEL Q&A
11.40 Bridge The Gap Between Remote, Hybrid & In-Office Employees With A Comms Roadmap That Fosters Inclusivity, Connection & Unity
- Deep dive into the latest tools and strategies for reaching and connecting dispersed workforces
- One size doesn’t fit all! How can you adapt messaging and outreach strategies to cater to different needs and deliver consistent comms that ensure no one feels left behind?
- Harness the power of internal communications to break down silos and drive collaboration, communication and visibility between different teams company-wide
- Employ effective measurement techniques to combat disengagement, and to understand and address remote workers’ specific needs
Sanjay Mistry, European Head of Communications & Engagement, ODEON Cinemas Group
Chantel Slater, Head of Internal Communications & Engagement, MAG (Airports Group)
Sonia Neaves, Country Coworker Communication Manager, IKEA
Laura Holland, Internal Communications Manager, Croydon Council
WINNING CONTENT & OMNICHANNEL SUCCESS
12.10 BEING THERE – Getting The Right Mix Of Content & Channels To Connect With Your Audience
- Sharing stories that connect emotionally, using compelling formats to land essential strategic messaging
- Being where your audience is to cut through the noise, and knowing which channels are right for you
- Listening and learning through feedback and measurement
- Understanding what technology and tools can help you reach your audience and make a positive impact
David Taylor, Senior People Communications Partner, Tesco Insurance & Money Services
12.30 Bonus Session; Reserved For Exclusive Conference Partner
12.45 Lunch & Informal Networking For Speakers, Delegates & Partners
13.20 Informal Breakout Discussions
A) Engaging Every Colleague in the Digital Transformation Journey
Amanda Mogan-Wilson, US & UK Director Communications & Enablement For Infrastructure & Operations, National Grid
B) CEO Transition Communications
Louise Elizabeth Walton, Head of Strategic Planning, Content & Channels, HSBC
C) Embedding A Winning Mindset
Lavinia Batchelor, Colleague Communications Officer, Midland Heart
D) Digitisation of Internal Communications
Megna Lakhman, Internal Communications Manager, Openreach
E) Work In A Time Of Woe: The Role & Responsibilities Of Internal Communications In Volatile, Uncertain Times
Mark Anderson, Head of Corporate Affairs, Port of London Authority
OPENING REMARKS
13.50 Afternoon Chair’s Opening Remarks
Louise Elizabeth Walton, Head of Strategic Planning, Content & Channels, HSBC
HOW AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION GAVE THEIR INTERNAL COMMS A VOICE THROUGH BRAND & CULTURE
14.00
What does it take to turn an intranet into something people want to open every day? Naomi Whitmore from CWGC has the answer. With her team, they built a Hub that celebrates gardeners in Egypt, stonemasons in India, and real stories from colleagues around the world.
The impact is clear: frontline workers now ask how to get their stories published, senior leaders chase the comms team if content goes up too slowly, and a weekly highlights email became so essential that people noticed when it was missing.
With a recent Global Meet Up drawing 1,350 participants across 93 locations in 26 languages, this session is a masterclass in how human storytelling transforms internal comms from a broadcast tool into a living community.
Naomi Whitmore, Internal Communications Manager, Commonwealth War Graves Commission
EMPOWERING SENIOR LEADERSHIP
14.15 Fortify Senior Leadership’s Investment In IC & Facilitate Leaders As Key Champions Of Effective & Powerful Communication
- Equip senior leadership with the tools and ability to champion company culture, wellbeing and employee engagement through effective comms strategies
- Collaborate with management to define the goals and expectations behind internal comms, and to ensure key updates are cascaded in a timely and impactful manner
- Reinforce and strengthen a trustful relationship that demonstrates the value and ROI of internal comms as a key business function worthy of further investment
- Empower middle management as a key communication link between senior leadership and junior employees with the power of influence in both directions
Kate Reynolds, Director of Communications, Network Rail
ADVOCATING FOR DEI – PERSPECTIVE TWO
14.35 Reinforce DEI As A Fundamental Cornerstone Of Company Culture With Accessible Comms That Truly Speak To All
- Cement the critical importance of diversity, equality and inclusion as a central company priority amid geopolitical uncertainty
- Asking the right questions: gather and address direct employee feedback to amplify all voices and ensure all colleagues are seen and heard
- How can effective internal communications help to make sure that DEI initiatives go beyond box-ticking exercises and promote genuine and authentic inclusion?
- Tailor and streamline accessible and adaptable IC strategies across a range of audience segments so that all needs are catered for
Victoria Edwards, Head of Corporate Communications, Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation
EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE & ENGAGEMENT
PANEL Q&A
14.55 Boost Engagement & Craft An Atmosphere Of Inspiring Positive Experience With Impactful & Innovative Internal Comms
- Amplify the voice of the employee, with audience-led comms that align individual goals and priorities with your company’s brand ideals and social purpose
- Put yourself in the readers’ shoes; is your IC content truly eye-catching, engaging and inspirational? Treat every message as an opportunity to reinforce wellbeing and loyalty
- Learn from others’ experience! Gain invaluable insights from industry leaders into the key dos and don’ts of employee engagement
- Understanding your people; ensure that you are not only harvesting critical and timely colleague feedback, but also demonstrating a clear and effective response to any concerns raised
Amanda Mogan-Wilson, US & UK Director Communications & Enablement For Infrastructure & Operations, National Grid
Candy Hall, Internal Communications & Engagement Senior Manager, TUI
Peri Thomas, Head of People Partnering, Skipton Building Society
Nadine Anderson, People, Culture & Engagement Lead, Westminster City Council
Connor Strapp, VP of Sales, ScreenCloud
15.35 Afternoon Refreshment Break & Informal Networking
THE FUTURE OF INTERNAL COMMS: KEY BENCHMARKING
PANEL Q&A
16.10 Future-Proof Your Internal Communications By Understanding The Landscape & Preparing Your Teams With Resilient, Agile & Robust New Strategies
- Deep dive into the latest critical insights and research developments to evaluate how AI technology, remote working, employee expectations and more are all likely to develop over the coming years
- In a world of constant change, keep as far ahead of the curve as possible by instilling a change-ready mindset, and preparing your teams with key upskilling initiatives
- Where does IC sit within an organisation? Navigate future certainty by reinforcing internal comms as a business-critical, resilient and adaptable function
- Look to the horizon; what is the rest of the decade likely to have in store for internal communications?
David Cooke, Change & Engagement Lead Internal Communications, Home Office
Thomas Hall-Tse, VP Internal Communications, Rolls-Royce
Jane Peverley, Group Head of Communications, Hays Travel
Cai Kjaer, CEO & Co-Founder, SWOOP Analytics
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
16.50 Digital Transformation In Internal Communications: Securing Strategic Support & Investment, & Implementing Change
- Find out how the University of Oxford is working to overhaul its digital internal communications tools
- Learn how to make the case for increased investment in digital, and secure buy-in from your organisation
- Gain key insights into the process of rolling out new digital products, and the difference they can make to internal communications
Dan Selinger, Communications & Engagement Director – Professional Services, University of Oxford
17.10 Afternoon Chair’s Closing Remarks & Close Of Conference
Louise Elizabeth Walton, Head of Strategic Planning, Content & Channels, HSBC