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HR Director Boardroom

Delivering value to senior HR professionals

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Join the debate

Since 2001, we have been recruiting HR professionals in the UK, working together with the HR community to encourage collaboration and engagement. We offer online HR Directors Boardroom events that provide a great opportunity for this in collaboration with Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP.

These events typically include a Chairperson, Guest Speaker, and 10-15 HR Directors. Our sessions follow Chatham House rules, therefore all information shared is kept confidential.

Sessions are scheduled for 8.30am to 10am and are held on Teams. We ask that the cameras are on (just as if you were in the boardroom).

This is a fantastic opportunity for HR directors to share ideas and support each other through continued networking.

If you are interested in attending a session this year, please email amanda.underhill@ashleykatehr.com

Upcoming Events

Date: Wednesday 13th August 2025
Time: 8:30am – 10:00am
Topic: The Art of Sense-making: Enabling Valuable Conversations Between Individuals and Across Organisations

HRDB Stephen E Morris Naeema Choudry

 

Key Takeaways:

  • The breadth of contexts and their criticality across interactions in our lives and organisations
  • How leadership, cultures, change, structures, decisions and more are affected by context
  • How popular terms like ‘VUCA’ and ‘complexity’ and standard responses to them like ‘agility’ and ‘adaptability’ muddy the picture and leave value on the table
  • A foundational knowledge of sense-making, its concepts, practical applications and benefits
  • Practical experience using sense-making frames on a topical challenge

Naeema Choudry

Naeema Choudry helps employers defend and navigate their way through complex and high-profile employment litigation. She also advises clients on discrimination, diversity and pay issues within their workforce. Naeema is a Partner in the Employment, Labour and Pensions Group. She advises on all aspects of employment law, acting primarily on behalf of large-scale employers who are household names. Naeema has particular experience in dealing with clients in the consumer, nuclear and aerospace industries.

She heads up Evershed Sutherland’s Employment Litigation and Discrimination, Diversity, and Pay practices. Naeema is a highly experienced Employment Tribunal litigator who has been appearing regularly in Tribunals throughout the UK. She advises clients on cases in the Employment Appeal Tribunal and in the Court of Appeal.

Naeema advises on executive terminations, whistleblowing, large-scale redundancies, TUPE, contractual disputes and discrimination issues. She regularly works in a cross-border environment.

Stephen E Morris

Stephen is an author, speaker and accomplished and award-winning leader with over twenty years of experience in complex, uncertain and high-scale technical organisations. Across diverse sectors, including information technology, healthcare, banking, insurance, manufacturing, and government, Stephen has a track record of driving real success, backed by hands-on achievements and industry recognition.

Leadership highlights

  • C-Suite leader during a period of extraordinary growth, achieving 400% YoY
  • Leadership coach for a 300-million-dollar international software rollout
  • Mentor and consultant for an international leadership team managing over 750 professionals through an organisational transformation
  • Strategist for the successful launch of 50+ commercial cloud-based products and services, shaping the future of business technology

Awards

  • Most Influential Business Leader, 2016 Agile Awards
  • Most Improved Agile Team, 2016 Agile Awards
  • Best Leadership and Agile Coaching Provider, 2020 UK Enterprise Awards
Reserve a Place

Date: Wednesday 1st October 2025
Time: 8:30am – 10:00am
Topic: To Be Confirmed

October HR Director Boardroom - Juliet Morris

Juliet Morris

Juliet is an award-winning leader and coach with a unique breadth of scale-up p/e, to global experience spanning IT, tech, professional services, health and retail, including Reed Elsevier, Akzo Nobel, and Endava – both outside of HR and within HR. With over two decades of experience in people leadership, Juliet has been instrumental in shaping high-performing teams and fostering inclusive cultures.

Currently Chief People and Culture Officer at the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI).

Juliet has a proven track record of change, scaling up, and creating and executing award-winning people solutions, career journeys, and employer brands, to deliver measurable growth and positive business results. An accredited executive coach, Juliet’s approach is deeply rooted in intentional leadership, emphasising mental fitness, clean language, happiness, and personal connection.

Juliet is the creator and host of the podcast “What Kind of Future?” and “Conversations with Quiet Leaders”, where she engages in thought-provoking conversations about leadership, transformation and the future being created. Juliet also writes a free weekly Intentional Future newsletter.

Outside work, Juliet is a lifelong student of purposeful, integrated living; currently exploring five element acupuncture, and loves going on Mini Morris Adventures.

REGISTRATION COMING SOON

Date: Tuesday 25th November 2025
Time: 8:30am – 10:00am
Topic: To Be Confirmed

Di Hopper

Di has had extensive experience in both small and large organisations, in family and PLC-run businesses. She has transformation experience across a variety of sectors, such as pharma, nuclear, tech, and retail.

She has been part of organisations that want and need to change to get to the next level of growth or to be in readiness for an IPO or sale, with her approach bringing curiosity, empathy and commitment to action.

Her recent positions include leading a multi-billion FMCG global category organisation transformation, rebranding and cultural change in addition to recently leading a back-to-profit people-centric change programme across a UK-based business.

REGISTRATION COMING SOON

Past Events

Date: Thursday 20th March 2025
Time: 8:30am – 10:00am
Topic: Busting Gender Myths and Taking Action to Elevate Women into Senior Leadership Roles

HRDB 20.3.25

 

Key takeaways:

  1. A deep dive into one of the common myths and misconceptions about women in leadership,
  2. Concrete steps for HR leaders to identify and eliminate conscious and unconscious biases in hiring, promotions, and career development.
  3. How to design and implement leadership development initiatives that specifically nurture and support women’s advancement within organisations.
  4. Equip HR leaders with strategies to engage men as allies in the effort to elevate women into senior leadership roles
  5. How to create measurable goals and hold senior leadership accountable for progress toward gender diversity in leadership.
  6. Address how gender intersects with other factors like race, ethnicity, age, and disability, which can create unique barriers to leadership.

Simon Rice-Birchall

Simon is a Partner in Evershed Sutherland’s Employment group. Simon has considerable experience in employment tribunal litigation and has a reputation in the marketplace for his discrimination law knowledge. Simon has been responsible for a number of high-profile discrimination cases over the last 20 years and continues to build this area of his practice. In addition, Simon’s contentious workload includes unfair dismissal, whistleblowing and executive terminations.

Simon qualified in 1992 and has been an employment litigator all his career. In addition to his contentious practice, Simon also gives advice in relation to non-contentious matters such as the implications of the TUPE regulations in many different change situations, issues relating to proposals to change terms and conditions of employment and large scale redundancy exercises.

Iain Lewis

Iain Lewis is an inspiring and accomplished Chief People Officer with over 25 years of experience delivering commercial value and driving transformational change across some of the UK’s most prominent organisations. A Fellow of the CIPD, Iain has established himself as a thought leader in the HR field, with a proven track record of creating inclusive cultures, leading HR transformations, and embedding Diversity & Inclusion strategies that deliver measurable results.

Throughout his career, Iain has held senior HR leadership roles at industry-leading organisations, including Connells Group, Priory Group, Howdens Joinery, and Travis Perkins. Most recently, as Chief People Officer at Connells Group, Iain was instrumental in redesigning the Group Executive, integrating central functions following a major acquisition, and spearheading a Group-wide Diversity & Inclusion strategy. Under his leadership, the organisation implemented proactive talent mapping, succession planning processes, and bespoke leadership models, ensuring its future readiness and commercial success.

Iain’s expertise spans creating value-driven HR strategies, fostering leadership development, and building high-performing People teams. Notably, at Priory Group, he restructured the Learning & Development function, creating a bespoke leadership model and driving compliance and safety during the COVID-19 crisis. His approach to HR transformation has consistently enhanced performance and retention while safeguarding organisational culture during periods of rapid change.

An advocate for progressive leadership, Iain emphasises the importance of engaging male allies, challenging unconscious biases, and designing adaptive work environments to support women and underrepresented groups in their career journeys. He combines strategic insight with operational excellence to inspire HR leaders to drive meaningful change.

Iain shares actionable strategies and real-world insights to empower HR leaders to create sustainable, inclusive workplaces. His commitment to advancing talent development and fostering equity in leadership roles makes him a powerful voice in the HR community.

Access Summary Notes

Date: Thursday 15th May 2025
Time: 8:30am – 10:00am
Topic: Inclusive Recruitment and Employee Engagement

HRDB 15.5.25

Key Takeaways:

  • Establish Inclusive Practices
    Understand how to create recruitment processes that prioritise equity and reduce unconscious bias.
  • Broaden Talent Pools
    Learn methods to attract diverse candidates by improving job advertising, employer branding, and outreach strategies.
  • Standardise Recruitment
    Implement structured interview techniques and diverse hiring panels to ensure fairness and consistency.
  • Strengthen Onboarding and Retention
    Develop onboarding processes and career development opportunities that enhance employee engagement and retention.
  • Evaluate and Improve
    Use feedback and metrics to assess the effectiveness of inclusion initiatives and identify areas for improvement.

Joanne Lockwood

Discover the transformative power of empathy, understanding, and inclusivity with Joanne Lockwood. By connecting with her, you’ll create a thriving, empowering environment where everyone can excel. Expect to be inspired and guided towards fostering a truly inclusive culture within your organisation.

As you embark on this journey, Joanne’s passion and expertise will unlock your organisation’s full potential, making a profound impact on both individuals and the collective success.

Sally Isaacs

Sally is a Partner in Evershed Sutherland’s Employment Group. She has considerable experience of employment tribunal litigation and specialises in discrimination law, with particular emphasis on equal pay. Sally has been responsible for a number of high profile equal pay cases over the last 15 years including defending mass equal pay litigation. Sally’s contentious work also includes unfair dismissal, industrial relations issues and breach of contract claims.

Sally qualified in 2000, and has specialised in employment law her whole career. In addition to her contentious practice, Sally also gives advice in relation to non-contentious matters such as proposals to change terms and conditions of employment, strategic management of industrial relations issues, implementing new pay and grading structures, gender pay gap reporting and equal pay audits.

Sally has particular knowledge of the public sector (particularly local government and education) and has been recognised by the Legal 500.

Access Summary Notes

Date: Tuesday 24th June 2025
Time: 8:30am – 10:00am
Topic: HR Jedi Moves: Ditching Drama & Mastering SLT Conflict Like a Boss

HRDB Simon Rice Birchall Nicola Forbes-Taylor

Objectives:

  • Understand the dynamics of workplace conflict and drama triangles.
  • Identify strategies for diffusing tension and fostering resolution.
  • Equip HRDs with tools to coach employees out of destructive patterns.

Simon Rice-Birchall

Simon is a Partner in Evershed Sutherland’s Employment group. Simon has considerable experience in employment tribunal litigation and has a reputation in the marketplace for his discrimination law knowledge. Simon has been responsible for a number of high-profile discrimination cases over the last 20 years and continues to build this area of his practice. In addition, Simon’s contentious workload includes unfair dismissal, whistleblowing and executive terminations.

Simon qualified in 1992 and has been an employment litigator all his career. In addition to his contentious practice, Simon also gives advice in relation to non-contentious matters such as the implications of the TUPE regulations in many different change situations, issues relating to proposals to change terms and conditions of employment and large scale redundancy exercises.

Nicola Forbes-Taylor

Nicola is a people aficionado; a student of human interactions and dynamics, FCIPD executive leader, founder of The A List: Development for Senior HR Leaders and ILM Qualified Executive Coach.

She brings perspective from her work with leaders in London tech start-ups, and scale-ups and her experience as an executive leader in said start-ups. She also brings insight through her background of working in corporates including O2, Stella McCartney Italia, Utilities and Engineering throughout her 20 year career.

Her work is focused on leadership effectiveness and creating cultures to enable high performance through an engaged team. She has led change and growth in successful startups including Nutmeg, Clausematch and Onfido, as well as coaching leaders across tech, consulting, energy and other sectors.

She specialises in working with leaders driven by growth and a desire to be consciously impactful. She has personally created and facilitated bespoke leadership programmes throughout her career, impacting more than 300 delegates across sectors and industries.

Her coaching and facilitation approach will enable you to reflect, discuss and engage with challenges and topics in a straightforward way.

Here is her LinkedIn profile for ease of reference.

Access Summary Notes

HR Director Boardroom Speakers

Our HR Director Boardroom events have always been popular we have been fortunate enough to work with some great speakers, a big thank you goes to all our speakers for their time.

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HR Director Boardroom Notes

We appreciate it is not always possible for all our HR leaders to attend our popular Boardroom events and therefore after each debate notes are collated and shared with the HR Community to help inspire thought leadership and conversation with likeminded people.

 

HRD Notes

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