09:00 - Conference registration and networking
09:30 - Welcome
Farzana Baduel
CIPR President 2026 / CEO & Co-founder, Curzon PR
09:35 – Building Resilient Organisations: The Mindset Shift That Drives Lasting Change
Dr. Alison Edgar MBE
Motivational Business Speaker
In this high-energy opening keynote, Dr Alison Edgar MBE will explore how senior communications and PR leaders can build organisational resilience by changing the way their people think and act every day. Using her practical, easy-to-remember framework, Alison will show delegates how to reignite curiosity, reset their mindset around change, and embed an intrapreneurial, "it's our business" approach across their teams. Drawing on her own story of resilience and decades of working with global brands, she'll connect mindset, behaviour and commercial outcomes — leaving attendees with simple tools they can apply immediately and over the next 6–12 months to strengthen both their leadership and their organisation's resilience.
10:35 - Beyond the Noise: Making Sense of Economic Security
Dr. Rebecca Harding
CEO, Centre for Economic Security
Rebecca’s session will cut through the noise to show why economic security is now one of the defining challenges for organisations today. In a world shaped by geopolitical conflict, supply chain shocks, cyber threats, climate disruption, rising costs and rapid technological change, businesses can no longer afford to view risks in silos. Rebecca will unpack how these forces collide to shape reputation, pricing, strategy and resilience — and why PR and communications professionals have a vital role in helping leaders see the bigger picture, ask the right questions, and prepare for the unexpected. Expect a thought-provoking session that turns complex global pressures into practical insight for anyone advising or leading in uncertain times.
11:20 - Break
11:40 - Navigating Conflict, Division & Disagreement: Building Organisational Resilience
Steve Baker
Chief Provocation Officer, The Provocation People
Prof Paul Dolan
Chief Provocation Officer, The Provocation People
In a world of accelerating change, competing viewpoints, and increasing complexity, communications professionals are regularly called upon to navigate conflict, manage disagreement, and align people behind a common direction.
This session combines Professor Paul Dolan's behavioural science expertise with Steve Baker's frontline political experience to help comms practitioners understand why disagreements escalate — and what to do about it. The session will explore why diverse viewpoints and outliers are not just inevitable but essential, and how to harness those differences constructively rather than allowing them to fracture teams, organisations, or client relationships.
12:20 - AI, Disinformation and Reputation: Protecting Your Organisation in an AI-First World
Amil Khan
Co-founder and CEO, Valent
As AI becomes a primary source of information, organisations face new challenges in protecting their reputation from misinformation, disinformation and inaccurate AI-generated content. In this session, Amil Khan will explore how communicators can stay ahead of these evolving risks. Discover the strategies and practical tactics needed to ensure trusted information is surfaced by AI, strengthen organisational resilience, and respond effectively to emerging threats. Attendees will leave with actionable insights on what to monitor, what to prioritise, and how to protect their organisation, business or clients in an AI-first information landscape.
13:00 – Lunch
14:00 - Breakout sessions – set 1
We're finalising details for our three breakout sessions—more information on each option will be available soon.
14:40 - Breakout sessions - set 2
We're finalising details for our three breakout sessions—more information on each option will be available soon.
15:20 - Break
15:40 – Crisis, Resilience & Recovery: Corporate Communications lessons from the Front Line
Louise Thompson Davies
Global Head of External Communications at Jaguar Land Rover
What does it take to lead communications when everything is moving at pace, the pressure is relentless, and the stakes couldn’t be higher? In this unmissable session, Louise will share powerful insights from navigating communications during periods of major organisational challenge and reputational complexity. She’ll lift the lid on how her team responded in real time, adapted strategy under pressure, coordinated messaging across multiple stakeholder groups, and kept the business aligned through uncertainty. From rapid decision-making to protect the business to the importance of strategic storytelling during recovery, Louise will explore what true resilience looks like in practice across the full protect and promote sphere of corporate communications— with communications lessons every senior professional can take away. Expect candid reflections, practical takeaways, and a fascinating inside view of crisis communications at the highest level.
16:20 - Why Teams Stay Busy But Stop Progressing
Dwain Reid
Business Growth Specialist
As AI accelerates change, media channels continue to evolve, and expectations on communications teams continue to increase, many organisations find themselves busier than ever. This interactive keynote introduces the PACE Framework, a practical model designed to help individuals and organisations maintain momentum, increase influence and drive sustainable growth in rapidly changing environments. The session will challenge delegates to think differently about where they spend their time, how they demonstrate value, and how they can contribute more confidently to strategic conversations within their organisations.
17:00 - Summary and conference close
Farzana Baduel
CIPR President 2026 / CEO & Co-founder, Curzon PR