Claire has worked at Halfords for four years, and during this time, she developed their Autocentres intranet platform (Connect), with a focus on improving colleague access, and increasing engagement through the introduction of a branded version of the mobile app. Claire has a passion for creating effective, engaging communication, which is aligned with the company's brand and principles throughout all their channels. Claire is known for her creativity; she particularly enjoys collating colleague video bloopers, which are shared in the end-of-the-year bloopers reel - it's always a real highlight!

Kirsty joined H&H eight years ago, where she found the perfect home for her creativity, imagination and strategic knowhow. As client director, Kirsty enjoys building meaningful relationships with partners, developing super-savvy approaches to their internal communications challenges while inspiring and coaching her team to deliver materials and programmes that help employees worldwide discover new possibilities.

Kirsty joined H&H from Best Western Group where she spent 10 years in various communication roles – also gaining an MBA (distinction) with a dissertation project that had storytelling at its heart.

Andy Jones is a group internal communications manager for PIB Group, a dynamic and diversified insurance intermediary group providing specialist insurance solutions across the UK and Europe. He has nine years' experience working in marketing and communication roles delivering creative content to a diverse range of stakeholders. His proudest achievement is appearing in one episode of BBC’s The Apprentice participating in a focus group for the contestants.

Anne has honed her communications expertise across FTSE 100 and private-equity businesses, excelling in employee engagement, media relations and consumer PR. As VP of corporate communications at Travelport, she is responsible for global internal and external messaging for the travel technology leader. Previously, she spent a decade at British Airways, transitioning from media relations to colleague communications, after starting her career at Centrica and France Telecom. Recognised for innovative approaches in storytelling and leadership communication programs, she also speaks French, Spanish and holds a Guinness World Record in disco dancing.

Victoria is a leading engagement and communications professional. She is a passionate advocate for the impact employee and customer engagement can have on driving business growth and performance and is responsible for developing compelling engagement strategies for some of the world's biggest brands.  

Victoria specialises in helping businesses engage their people during periods of significant change, turning them into growth drivers and brand advocates. She has worked with Direct Line Group, Santander, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, JP Morgan, HSBC, Bacardi Limited, Bupa, Jupiter Asset Management, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Bloomberg. 

David is an award-winning, brand marketing executive with two decades of leadership experience at fast-growth and established, public companies. He’s a strategic marketing geek and a student of the digital space who connects brands with audiences. His recent rebrand work for B2B brand Travelport was featured in Design Week and has moved the company to the #1 most considered brand in its category. His campaign work has won over 20 awards from the likes of Marketing Week, The Drum, The Shortys, and a nomination for a Cannes Lions Award.

Responsible for overseeing the global internal communications function at CFA Institute, Lorna is passionate about developing creative ways to inspire action and advocacy, deepen understanding and facilitate brilliant collaboration.

Lorna started her career in the Ministry of Defence and then headed to the BBC where she held a variety of roles in radio and television. She then enjoyed a 15-year career in asset management and private wealth management, working for UBS, Aviva Investors and Lloyds, before joining CFA.

With an MBA, Post Graduate C.I.M diploma and BSc in Computer Science under her belt, Lorna is now studying German at the Goethe Institute.

Pia de Malherbe brings over 20 years of global expertise in commercial roles across independent agencies and Omnicom’s network, having developed key accounts for major brands like Harrods, British Airways, Mondelez, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Pernod Ricard, and the WHO. As Chief Brand Officer for creative agency 10 Days, Pia leads the agency’s trend and content strategy, with a strong focus on understanding and connecting with Gen-Alpha. Formerly a Gen-Z trend expert who collaborated with Coca-Cola, Pia now channels her insights into exploring the emerging themes shaping Gen-Alpha. Through her regular writings and trend reports, she provides brands with critical insights to build authentic and lasting connections with this new generation.

Katy is customer success manager at Oak Engage and has nearly seven years experience in Account Management. In her current role, Katy works with brands such as Five Guys, Halfords Autocentres and ITV, providing support, guidance and insights that help them achieve their internal communication objectives.

Cardiff-based Leo Ryder is an internal communications manager at Accenture, a leader in technology services and management consulting. He specialises in enhancing communication processes and performance improvement to elevate engagement and growth across the company's extensive networks of 750,000 employees. Leo employs data-driven strategies and explores the transformative role of artificial intelligence in advancing the field of internal communication. He has previously held communication roles at Centrica, Gwent Police and Admiral, and still finds value in skills gained in a previous career as a data analyst.

Jane has worked as a group operations communications coordinator for Halfords since February 2024, overseeing the development, management and optimisation of the company's intranet platforms. Focused on improving functionality, user experience and accessibility, Jane works to ensure the platform meets the needs of the 10,000+ Halfords Group colleagues. 

Jane is dedicated to ensuring the intranet is a tool that not only supports colleagues in their day-to-day roles but is also engaging. When Jane isn’t doing that, she can occasionally be found chasing down "mystery owners" of outdated content.

Debbie is a senior account director at Audere Communications, where she leads the production of a number of branded and internal podcast series with clients in a variety of sectors. With a background in internal communications, learning and content creation inside global finance sector companies, Debbie has worked alongside senior leaders to develop communications strategies for large-scale change and digital transformation.  

Pioneering the use of audio in internal communications and with a keen interest in podcasting, Debbie was a founding member of the CIPR Global Podcast Editorial Board and is currently serving as Chair. 

Shoshana Whybrow is a seasoned corporate and public affairs professional with over 15 years of experience spanning the UK and international landscapes. Currently serving as vice president of corporate affairs at Sage PLC, a leading provider of business technology solutions, Shoshana leads the company’s internal communications, planning, and strategy initiatives.

Her career includes significant roles at Barclays and Tesco, where she headed strategic communications and led the Press Office. 

As a trustee with the British Dyslexia Association, Shoshana leverages her professional background and personal experiences to amplify the association’s initiatives.

Shoshana’s approach to internal communications is a unique blend of human creativity and data-driven strategies, driving engagement and effective communication within organisations.

Annabelle has a strong background in strategic communications and HR. She has spent over a decade working for the wealth and asset management arms of AXA in internal and external communications, employee engagement and HR Business Partnering. She is happiest navigating the ‘big picture’ of strategic HR change through the nuts and bolts of how people and organisations work. 

Most recently Annabelle has led on Jupiter Asset Management’s culture transformation, in a role that combines inclusion, learning, projects, and engagement to transform the employee experience.