Transform your employee wellbeing and workplace culture at The Watercooler

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Day 1 | Conference Programme

FREE to attend conference sessions for professionals who focus on workplace and wellbeing, HR, mental health, and employee culture, from all sizes of organisation.

If you would like to print the programmes, please hit the buttons here to open the PDF.

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10.00 - 10.40

Keynote: Tackling Mental Health Challenges Head On

      • Why living authentically and being able to bring your whole self to work is critical for mental health
      • A personal journey to wellness: highlighting obstacles faced and how they were overcome
      • Diversity as a key strength that organisations and teams can harness to improve wellbeing and performance
Marc Malcolmson

Chair

Mark Malcolmson CBE
Principal and Chief Executive, City Lit

Keegan Hirst

keynote Speaker

Keegan Hirst
Former Professional Rugby Player

10.50 - 11.20

Flourishing & “in-Flow”? Making work great by design

      • Explore the relationship between good mind health and good experiences at work 

      • The 5 factors that support both good mind health and productivity  

      • Sharing new UK data and insights from AXA’s Global Mind Health Study 2023

Carole Spiers

Chair

Carole Spiers
Chair ISMA UK and CEO Carole Spiers Group
ISMA UK

Chris Tompkins

Speaker

Dr. Chris Tomkins
Head of Wellbeing

AXA Health

11.35 - 12.20

Panel: Supporting Women's Health in the Workplace

      • Developing a tailored approach to women’s health including menopause, fertility and other health conditions which disproportionately impact female employees
      • Building a culture of openness to enable honest conversations the implementation of practical solutions
      • Recognising how factors such as stress, anxiety and the impact of caring responsibilities may also impact women’s health and wellbeing
Amy McKeown

Chair

Amy McKeown
Mental Health, Health & Wellbeing and Women’s Health Consultant

 

Natalie Beresford

Speaker

Natalie Beresford
Retired Detective Inspector and Chair, Menopause Action Group, Thames Valley Police

 

Dhavani Bishop 2

Speaker

Dhavani Bishop
Group Head of Colleague Health and Wellbeing, Tesco
tesco 1

 

13.50 - 14.20

Case Study: A practical way to create a holistic wellbeing culture that helps people to be at their best

      • Delivering holistic wellbeing through dedicated centres which are uniquely designed to support all colleagues across all areas of the business 
      • Offering a broad range of programmes and entry points to support the key elements of wellbeing; mind, body and life and to enhance existing digital and clinic-based support 
      • Taking an evidence based, clinically led approach to demonstrate the improvement to the business with data and metrics
Hayley Farrell

Chair

Hayley Farrell
Global Wellbeing and Resilience Director, Arcadis
Arcadis

Steve Iley

Speaker

Steve Iley

Chief Medical Officer and Global Head of Occupational Health and Safety, Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar-Land-Rover-Watercooler

14.35 - 15.05

Why Today's Multi-Generational Workforce Needs an Inclusive, Preventative Approach to Wellbeing

  • Understanding how a preventative approach to wellbeing can positively impact your workforce and create a competitive advantage.
  • Exploring the health and wellbeing needs of a multi-generational, hybrid workforce, who more than ever need personalised benefits rather than a one-size fits all approach.
  • Demonstrating how regular health screening and data-led personalised testing plans can provide a positive return through increased productivity and staff retention.

Hayley Farrell

Chair

Hayley Farrell
Global Wellbeing and Resilience Director, Arcadis
Arcadis

Alex Templeton

Speaker

Alex Templeton
CEO
Qured-watercooler

15.15 - 16.00

Panel: How to Increase Engagement with Your Wellbeing Initiatives

      • Identifying the factors that can increase engagement with wellbeing initiatives and encourage employees to take ownership of their wellbeing with the support of the organisation
      • Designing wellbeing interventions that meet the needs of individuals and avoid a one-size-fits-all approach 
      • Ensuring organisational culture supports the wellbeing strategy and that line managers are promoting and delivering the wellbeing practices that are in place
Clare Dare

Chair

Clare Dare
Head of Health, Risk & Technology, PIB Employee Benefits
pib

 

Ruth Pott

Speaker

Ruth Pott
Head of Workplace Wellbeing, BAM Nuttall
bam nutall

 

Nasrin Oskui

Speaker

Nasrin Oskui
Global Wellbeing Lead, Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank

 

Speaker

Louise Boston
Strategic Health and Wellbeing Manager, E.ON
E.on

10.00 - 10.40

Keynote Panel: Building Inclusive Organisational Cultures of Care

      • How leaders and wellbeing champions can nurture workplace cultures of resilience and trust where employees can thrive
      • Understanding the critical drivers of organisational culture to ensure that all employees can contribute and feel valued, whatever their role in the organisation
      • Harnessing wellbeing and organisational culture to attract, develop and retain pipelines of diverse talent to ensure future business success
Ngozi Weller

Chair

Ngozi Weller
Director, Aurora
Aurora 2

Emma Birchall

keynote Speaker

Emma Birchall
Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Ericsson
Ericsson

 

Arti Kashyap Ansley

keynote Speaker

Arti Kashyap-Aynsley
Global Head of Wellbeing & Inclusion, Ocado
Ocado

 

Devi Virdi

keynote Speaker

Devi Virdi
Group Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Centrica

Centrica 1

10.50 - 11.20

Why Line Managers are the Wrong People to Manage Employee Health and Wellbeing

      • The barriers arising from the employee/manager relationship that impact on the effectiveness of wellbeing support being offered
      • How the expectation on managers to be frontline clinician, counsellor or therapist – while managing admin too – impacts on their own wellbeing
      • The advantages of alternative approaches, including how they actually strengthen employee/manager relationships
Ngozi Weller

Chair

Ngozi Weller
Director, Aurora
Aurora 2

Alun Baker

Alun Baker
CEO, Goodshape

GoodShape

 

11.35 - 12.20

Panel: Creating a Neurodiversity Smart Workplace

      • How can organisations create awareness, build their understanding and ensure that their recruitment and management practices attract and support neurodivergent candidates and employees?

      • Creating a positive working environment which enables neurodivergent employees to work at their best.

      • Understanding the factors that most often prevent neurodivergent employees from finding work and thriving in their roles

Ngozi Weller

Chair

Ngozi Weller
Director, Aurora
Aurora 2

Sean Gilroy BBC

Speaker

Sean Gilroy
Head of Cognitive Design and Neurodiversity Program Lead, BBC CAPE
BBC Logo 1

 

 

Tori Roberts

Speaker

Tori Roberts
UK&I Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence Leader, EY
EY 2

 

 

Leena Haque

Speaker

Leena Haque
Senior UX Designer and Neurodiversity Program Lead, BBC
BBC Logo 1

 

13.50 - 14.20

Case Study: Wellbeing as a fundamental driver of individual and organisational performance

      • Shifting the perception of wellbeing as a 'nice to have' to an essential element of performance success and a critical part of everyone's role.

      • Designing a strategy which recognises and supports wellbeing as a fundamental driver of individual and organisational performance 

      • Building measurement and tangible accountability into the wellbeing strategy to understand the impact of the new approach  

Ngozi Weller

Chair

Ngozi Weller
Director, Aurora
Aurora 2

Toni Graves

Speaker

Toni Graves
Global Head of Reward and Wellbeing, Allen & Overy
Allen Overy

14.35 - 15.05

Author Spotlight: Burnout Prevention: starting with you and creating a ripple effect of culture change

      • Who helps the helper? How noticing the signs of burnout yourself can begin a ripple effect of change
      • What is a culture that prevents burnout and how to get started
      • Internal activism and evolving our workplaces for the future
Ngozi Weller

Chair

Ngozi Weller
Director, Aurora
Aurora 2

Petra V

Speaker

Petra Velzeboer
CEO and Founder, PVL and Author of Begin With You: Invest In Your Mental Wellbeing and Satisfaction at Work

15.15 - 16.00

Panel: Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety

      • Building a high-trust working environment that supports collaboration and social wellbeing and fuels high-performance, innovation and collaboration.

      • The key elements which support a psychologically safe workplace and the critical role of line managers and leaders

      • Establishing and encouraging the practices and behaviours that create a psychology safe culture

Hayley Farrell

Chair

Hayley Farrell
Global Wellbeing and Resilience Manager, Arcadis
Arcadis

Mark Lomas

Speaker

Mark Lomas
Head of Culture, Lloyd’s of London
Lloyds-london-watercooler

Lucy Vallis

Speaker

Lucy Vallis
Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing, Save the Children
Save the Children 2

Daniel Chan

Speaker

Daniel Chan
Global Workplace and Wellbeing Lead, dentsu International
dentsu watercooler

10.00 - 10.40

Keynote: Thriving in the New World of Work

Understanding the benefits and challenges of hybrid working from an employee and organisational perspective and the role of wellbeing in this new world of work

Exploring the impact of the work environment and how organisations can create workplaces which are conducive to employee health and wellbeing

Developing an inclusive, flexible approach which enables employees to thrive wherever they work

Amy McKeown

Chair

Amy McKeown
Mental Health, Health & Wellbeing and Women’s Health Consultant

Monika Misra 2

keynote Speaker

Dr Monika Misra
Global Head of Employee Health and Wellbeing, GSK
gsk 2

 

10.50 - 11.30

Digital Balance: Disconnecting in a connected world

What is the biggest cause of stress in the workplace and why?

 As boundaries between work and home have simply disappeared, does it mean the end of work life balance and what can be done about it?

 With progressive legislation being introduced such as the right to disconnect in France, Belgium and Portugal, and a growing appetite for 4 day working weeks, what do these changes mean for organisations?

 Technology is the issue but also the solution, how can individuals, teams and organisations define digital boundaries to better support wellbeing?

Amy McKeown

Chair

Amy McKeown
Mental Health, Health & Wellbeing and Women’s Health Consultant

 

Ryan Hopkins

Speaker

Ryan Hopkins
Future of Wellbeing Lead, Deloitte
Deloitte

 

11.35 - 12.20

Panel: The Critical Role of Financial Wellbeing in Supporting Employees’ Mental Health and All Round Wellbeing

      • Understanding the impact of the cost of living crisis and in-work poverty on employees’ physical and mental health, and how to identify and help those most at risk 

      • Using financial wellbeing interventions to support  employees in the current financial climate and beyond 

      • Developing a sustainable approach to financial wellbeing to reduce the long-term risks and support employees as their needs change.

Josephina Smith

Chair

Josephina Smith
People Director and Thought Leader

 

Janet Leighton

Speaker

Janet Leighton
Director of Happiness, Timpson Group Limited
Timpson

 

 

Rebecca Eaton 2

Speaker

Rebecca Eaton
Head of Occupational Health & Wellbeing, Cadent Gas
Cadent Gas

Kris Ambler

Speaker

Kris Ambler
Workforce Lead, BACP
bacp

 

13.35 - 14.20

Panel: The Role of Employers in Enhancing and Levelling up the Health of the Nation

      • Understanding the growing role of business in preventative health to reduce demand on the NHS, address the growing problem of workforce inactivity and bring down levels of long-term sickness absence
      • Exploring what good business-led health interventions look like, the benefits to both workforce health and business growth and the next phase of the Business Framework for Health
      • Identifying future solutions in workplace health, how employers can contribute to reduce health and wellbeing inequalities and how this supports ESG goals
Dame Carol Black

Chair

Professor Dame Carol Black
Chair, Centre for Ageing Better

Lord James Bethell

Speaker

Lord James Bethell
Former Health Minister

John Godfrey

Speaker

John Godfrey
Levelling Up Director, Legal & General, Chair, Business for Health

Pamela Gellaty

Speaker

Pamela Gellatly
CEO, Healthcare RM
Healthcare rm

Tina Woods

Speaker

Tina Woods
CEO, Business for Health

Speaker

Sandra Dyball
Director, Health, Wellbeing and Benefits, Centrica

Centrica 1

14.35 - 15.05

Putting the wellbeing of employees into the ‘S’ of your ESG Strategy

      • Exploring how employee mental health and wellbeing is becoming a core part of responsible business as employers, stakeholders and regulators place greater focus on how it links to business profitability and sustainability
      • Understanding how employee health and wellbeing fits into an organisation's Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) strategy
      • Considering wellbeing as an overarching output from a range of important inputs, not as a subset of health and safety inputs, where many businesses currently place it
Amy McKeown

Chair

Amy McKeown
Mental Health, Health & Wellbeing and Women’s Health Consultant

Henrietta Jowitt

Speaker

Henrietta Jowitt
Advisor to MindForward Alliance, Non-Executive Director Portfolio and Board Level Commercial Leader

15.15 - 16.00

Panel: Navigating the Provider Landscape to Find the Right Wellbeing Solutions

      • Identifying the suppliers that can effectively support the delivery of your wellbeing strategy, and how to ensure an aligned approach
      • Evaluating the solutions that are right for your organisation’s current and future needs to maximise the impact of your investment and minimise risk
      • Understanding the key questions to ask in order to effectively evaluate potential providers and identify the benefits and potential challenges of each solution
Amy McKeown

Chair

Amy McKeown
Mental Health, Health & Wellbeing and Women’s Health Consultant

Fiona McAslan

Speaker

Fiona McAslan
Head of Health and Wellbeing, Royal Mail Group
royal mail

Nick Pahl

Speaker

Nick Pahl
CEO, SOM
SOM

Rebecca Ormond

Speaker

Rebecca Ormond
EMEA Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
SMBC

16:15 - 17:00

Make a Difference Awards

Make a Difference New will reveal the winners of this year's awards at The Watercooler on the Social and Wellbeing stage on day one. The Make A Difference Awards, held in association with the London Evening Standard and The Watercooler Event, are an opportunity for us to stop, think and thank the colleagues and employers who have really made a difference over the past year to workplace culture, mental health and wellbeing. Those who are leading the way and inspiring others to follow their example.

Voting is still open for some categories, head on over to cast yours and pick up a ticket for the presentation.

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