Date
8 September 2026
Venue
Kings Place, London
Duration
08:45 – 15:30
CPD
6 Accredited Hours
THE CONFERENCE
FOR PEOPLE LEADERS
The Make Work Better Conference brings together senior HR and People leaders for a day of expert thinking, peer conversation, and practical insight.
The 2026 theme — Trust. Transparency. Transformation. — puts organisational trust at the centre of the conversation. How is it built? How is it lost? And what does it take to rebuild it? Expect new national research, five exceptional speakers, and a curated audience of senior people professionals who are here to think, not just to network.
What to expect
- New national research on UK organisational trust — published exclusively for attendees
- 5 expert speakers from HR, psychology, leadership and the military
- A curated, senior-level audience — meaningful peer conversation, not networking theatre
- CPD certified: 6 accredited hours recognised by the CIPD
- Practical frameworks and tools you can apply immediately
- Limited capacity — last year's conference sold out
Why attend
WHY ATTEND?
By attending the Make Work Better Conference, you will gain practical insight and actionable frameworks to help you:
Understand the state of trust in UK organisations
Gain early insight from new national research examining how trust is changing across UK workplaces.
Navigate trust during periods of change
Explore how leaders can rebuild credibility and maintain employee confidence during restructuring, transformation and uncertainty.
Strengthen psychological safety and employee voice
Learn how organisations create cultures where people feel safe to speak up, contribute and challenge.
Lead responsibly in the age of AI and data
Understand how transparency and ethical decision-making shape trust in increasingly digital workplaces.
Connect with senior HR and People leaders
Share experiences with a curated audience facing similar leadership and cultural challenges.
Who should attend
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
The Make Work Better Conference is designed for senior professionals responsible for shaping workplace culture and leadership.
Typical attendees include:
This is a senior-level audience, enabling meaningful conversations and peer learning.
THE LINE-UP
Jason Fox
Former UK Special Forces Operator
Broadcaster & Bestselling Author · SAS: Who Dares Wins
Jason brings a perspective on trust that few can match — shaped by years operating in environments where trust between team members is a matter of life and death. His session explores the foundations of organisational trust: fairness, equity and employee voice.
Jake Humphrey
Broadcaster & Conference Host
BT Sport · High Performance Podcast
Jake Humphrey is one of the UK's leading broadcasters and the host of the High Performance Podcast. He will chair the Make Work Better Conference 2026.
Veronica Hope Hailey
Emeritus Professor, School of Management
Chartered Fellow of CIPD
One of the UK's foremost authorities on trust in organisations, Veronica has spent decades researching how leadership behaviours build — and destroy — employee confidence.
Petra Velzeboer
CEO, PVL
TEDx Speaker & Author
Psychotherapist, TEDx speaker and author of Begin with You, Petra helps organisations create psychologically safe cultures where people genuinely thrive.
Charlie Cannon
People Performance Specialist
Resilience & Leadership Coach
A psychologically trained coach specialising in resilience and performance, Charlie brings practical frameworks for building psychological safety at every level.
Katherine Chapman
CEO, Investors in People
Opening & Closing Remarks
Katherine leads the IIP standard globally, working with thousands of organisations to build cultures where good people management drives real performance.
AGENDA
Registration & Networking
Welcome
Opening Keynote
Katherine Chapman
Fairness, Equity & Employee Voice: The Foundations of Trust
Jason Fox
The Trust Reset: Rebuilding Confidence in Leadership and HR
Veronica Hope Hailey
Psychological Safety, Wellbeing & the New Social Contract at Work
Charlie Cannon
Lunch
The Future of Trust: Adaptive Leadership, Culture Repair & HR's Evolving Role
Petra Velzeboer
Roundtable Discussion & Practical Application
Closing Remarks
Katherine Chapman
KINGS PLACE,
LONDON
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG
Five minutes from King's Cross St. Pancras station, Kings Place is one of London's premier event venues — purpose-built for the kinds of conversations that actually matter.
View on Google Maps →Getting there
- Tube / RailKing's Cross St. Pancras — 5 min walk
- BusRoutes 10, 17, 30, 45, 46, 59, 63, 73, 91, 205, 214, 259, 390
- CycleSantander Cycles docking station on York Way
90 York Way, London N1 9AG
Make Work Better 2026
THIS EVENT
HAS NOW PASSED
We're busy getting the video recordings together. Come back soon to watch them.