In a year defined by restructurings, AI disruption, hybrid fatigue and rising employee expectations, trust has become one of the most critical, and fragile, assets within organisations.
When trust erodes, performance, engagement and collaboration often follow.
The Make Work Better Conference 2026 brings together senior HR and People leaders to explore how trust is built, lost and rebuilt in modern organisations.
Across one day, globally recognised experts will examine the behaviours, systems and leadership approaches that shape organisational trust, and provide practical frameworks for navigating change with credibility, transparency and fairness.
This is a paid event with a curated audience of senior leaders, designed for honest conversation and practical insight.
Date: 8 September 2026
Location: Kings Place, London
Kings Place is one of London’s leading conference venues, located just minutes from Kings Cross station.
Capacity is limited to maintain a high-quality experience and facilitate meaningful discussion.
Tickets will be available from Wednesday 1st April.
Last year’s Make Work Better Conference sold out, and demand is expected to be high again this year.
Ahead of the conference, Investors in People will publish new national research examining trust in UK organisations.
The research will explore how organisations are navigating leadership credibility, employee voice, digital transformation and the evolving expectations of the workforce.
Attendees will gain early insight into the findings and hear from experts discussing what they mean for organisations in practice.
If trust is the defining leadership challenge of the moment, the Make Work Better Conference is where the conversation continues.
Join a community of leaders committed to building organisations where people and performance grow together.
By attending the Make Work Better Conference, you will gain practical insight and actionable frameworks to help you:
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.
Relationship Expert, Entrepreneur and television personality known for Married at First Sight UK.
Paul C Brunson is a globally recognised relationship expert, entrepreneur, and television host with a passion for transforming lives through mentorship and relationship science. Paul is best known as a co-host of Celebs Go Dating and Married at First Sight UK. He also serves as the Head of Global Research at Tinder and,has launched his highly anticipated podcast, We Need to Talk, in collaboration with Steven Bartlett’s Flight Studios.
Beyond media, Paul is committed to fostering inclusive communities. As the co-owner of Sutton United, he is spearheading the Amber Army 100 initiative to build a diverse and engaged fan base. He has appeared on Good Morning America, Lorraine, across the BBC, and Sunday Brunch, and in The New York Times, The Guardian, and USA Today. Considered the world’s most influential matchmaker by the Matchmaking Institute, Paul is a soughtafter speaker who captivates audiences with insights on relationships, leadership, and personal development.
Paul is the author of Find Love, a powerful toolkit designed to help individuals navigate modern dating with confidence. The book introduces the groundbreaking Long-Term Relationship Satisfaction Scale (LRSS), which Paul co-developed with a leading psychologist, offering readers a science-backed approach to building lasting connections. The follow-up, Keep Love, dispels common myths that exist in love and relationships that keep us from loving at our full potential.
Paul’s mission is clear: to empower individuals to lead with purpose, nurture meaningful relationships, and create lasting impact. He is also the founder and chair of Give Love, Build Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming schools in rural Caribbean communities.
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Former UK Special Forces Operator and star of Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Jason Fox is a former Special Forces officer who is now a broadcaster and bestselling author. After 20 years servings as a Royal Marine Commando and Special Forces Sergeant, he’s now a regular on TV in series including SAS: Who Dares Wins. He also takes an unflinching look at the resilience, teamwork and leadership skills required by Special Forces, as well as the lessons in dealing with pressure and the aftermath of stressful situations.
After 10 years with the Royal Marines Jason passed the notoriously tough Special Forces selection process and joined the SBS (the maritime sister service of the SAS). As an SBS sergeant he planned and led covert operations around the world including surveillance, hostage rescue, counter terrorism and counter narcotics missions. He also trained as a Special Forces expert in demolition, jungle survival, dog handling, and combat swimming.
Upon leaving the forces Jason moved into the corporate world, first working as a project manager and then in security and close protection, before taking his military experience into the film and TV industry. He advised productions in hostile environments including shoots in the jungle, Arctic and desert. He was even part of a team of divers that discovered the lost treasure of Captain Kidd off the Madagascan coast.
Jason was recruited as one of the instructors on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins, in which civilians are put through the physical and mental rigours of Special Forces training and selection. He also fronted Meet the Drug Lords: Inside the Real Narcos, where he revisited some of his frontline experience in the battle against illicit drugs and came face to face with some of the types of gangster he used to be charged with targeting.
In his speeches as in his book Battle Scars: A Story of War and All That Follows , Jason looks at the unique teamwork and resilience that Special Forces training and operations build in those involved. He considers the planning, leadership skills, courage and the determination required to take on the toughest challenges imaginable.
With uncommon honesty he also reflects on the human cost, and in particular the psychological toll he himself experienced in a world where the belief nothing can harm you is quickly confronted by the reality of conflict.
Jason is the co-founder of Rock 2 Recovery, a charity for veterans and their families, and an ambassador for Veterans 4 Wildlife. He has also taken on charity challenges including rowing the Atlantic (for which he broke the world record), trekking to the North Pole, and rowing the Yukon river.
© Copyright: JLA All rights reserved
Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and Emeritus Professor at the School of Management.
Veronica Hope Hailey is a management and HR specialist. She has advised government on employee engagement and has been named as one of the UK’s most influential HR thinkers. Her main research focus is on the link between business strategy, HR and change management.
In over two decades of studying and working in strategy, Veronica has specialised in how large organisations react to renewal, change and 'people transformation’. By examining some of the largest and most innovative businesses, she considers how companies can best prepare for the future, how they can manage the changes necessary, and devise a practical strategy. She’s looked at employee engagement in general and trust and trustworthiness in particular. She’s compared employee engagement in China, India, The Netherlands and the UK, and written a number of reports on trustworthy leadership and re-establishing trust within an organisation.
Her widely acclaimed work on strategic change in organisations has also seen her co-author one of the bestselling books on the topic, Exploring Strategic Change.
The former Dean of the School of Management and Chair in Management Studies at the University of Bath, Veronica has also held appointments at the Cass and Cranfield Business Schools, and at the University of Cambridge.
© Copyright: JLA All rights reserved
A psychologically trained coach, acclaimed people performance specialist and resilience expert.
Charlie Cannon is a performance coach specialising in developing resilient leaders, as well as building team resilience, psychological safety and growth mindset. With a background working with consultancies including Lane 4, Mindgym and Matthew Syed Consulting, as well as experience working as a health and fitness coach, Charlie provides an interconnected view on performance, stress and burnout.
In his speeches and training, Charlie draws upon his professional experiences, as well as personal stories - including his own struggles during his time as an athlete, and the horrific accident he and his sister were in that left them both serious injuries, connecting them to the value of resilience. He combines these insights with scientific and psychological research that gives audiences tools and techniques to help them improve their performance.
In speeches, Charlie addresses leaders and teams about the importance of developing a mindset rooted in resilience so that they can face whatever challenges come their way - whether these be organisational changes, team conflict or whatever unexpected obstacles arise. Through this, he helps audiences prepare for and adapt to change, helping them unleash further opportunities and successes.
© Copyright: JLA All rights reserved
TEDx speaker, CEO of consultancy PVL, and author of Begin with You and Digital Wellbeing: Recharge Your Focus and Reboot Your Life.
Petra Velzeboer is a dynamic, entertaining and practical speaker who is sure to bring life, laughter and insight to your audience. A global TEDx speaker, psychotherapist, author, and CEO of mental health consultancy PVL, she brings expertise on topics that impact employees, managers and C-suite leadership with the aim of evolving our workplaces and cultures for the new world of work.
As well as keynotes and inspiring team talks, she also works with organisations to go deeper through workshops, masterclasses and hosting dynamic panel events as well as offering advice on effective and inclusive wellbeing strategies that enhance diversity of thought, gender issues and leadership styles.
Featured in Newsweek, the Huffington Post, BBC Radio, Stylist and many more she’s known for her no-bullsh*t approach to challenging behaviours and motivating leaders, employees, HR professionals and wellbeing champions to truly be the change they wish to see at work.
Arrive and get settled! Grab your lanyard and a hot drink before the day kicks off.
Katherine Chapman, CEO, Investors in People
Jason Fox
Fairness, Equity & Employee Voice: The Foundations of Trust
Trust is built through fairness, consistency, and the confidence that every voice matters. Drawing on lessons from elite military teams - where trust and clarity of decision-making are mission-critical - Jason explores how organisations can create cultures where people feel heard, valued, and treated equitably. This session will examine how transparent leadership, shared standards, and inclusive practices strengthen trust, and the role HR plays in embedding fairness, accountability, and psychological safety across the organisation.
Veronica Hope Hailey
The Trust Reset: Rebuilding Confidence in Leadership and HR
Employee trust in organisations has been shaken by years of disruption, shifting priorities, and uncertainty. So, how can leaders and HR rebuild credibility in a world where people are more sceptical than ever?
In this session, Veronica Hope Hailey explores the evolving nature of organisational trust and why many of the signals that once built confidence no longer resonate with today’s workforce. Drawing on research and real-world insight, she will share a practical framework for diagnosing trust within your organisation, rebuilding credibility when it has been damaged, and communicating with authenticity and integrity during times of uncertainty and change.
Charlie Cannon
Psychological Safety, Wellbeing & the New Social Contract at Work
Psychological safety and wellbeing are no longer “nice to have” initiatives - they are essential foundations for trust, engagement, and performance at work. As employee expectations evolve, organisations must rethink the social contract between employer and employee.
In this session, Charlie Cannon explores what today’s workforce expects from leaders and organisations, and how HR can create cultures where people feel safe to speak up, challenge ideas, take risks, and perform at their best. Combining research, practical frameworks, and real-world examples, the session will provide actionable insights to help organisations strengthen trust, support holistic wellbeing, and build emotionally resilient teams.
Petra Velzeboer
The Future of Trust: Adaptive Leadership, Culture Repair & HR’s Evolving Role
This session explores the future landscape of organisational trust. It connects macro‑level HR trends - culture repair, hybrid working, shifting employee expectations, generational change, and the acceleration of digital systems - to the evolving responsibilities of HR. Participants will leave with a roadmap for future‑proofing trust within their organisations.
Paul Brunson, Anna Richardson & Katherine Chapman
Trust, Transparency & Responsible Decision-Making in the Modern Workplace.
In an era of rapid organisational change, trust increasingly depends on how decisions are made, explained and experienced by employees. As organisations make greater use of data and new tools to inform decision-making, transparency and clear communication are essential to maintaining confidence in leadership and HR.
In this fireside chat, Paul C. Brunson joins broadcaster Anna Richardson alongside Katherine Chapman, CEO of Investors in People, for a candid conversation on how organisations can strengthen trust in a changing workplace. Together, they will explore how leaders can communicate complex decisions with clarity, ensure fairness in organisational processes, and build cultures where employees feel informed, respected, and confident in how their organisation operates.
Katherine Chapman, CEO, Investors in People
Below you, can access footage and photography from previous years of the Make Work Better conference – now entering it’s fourth year – to get an idea of what’s to come on 8th September at Kings Place.
Hover over the image below to browse through all the shots from the Make Work Better conference 2025.
Tickets for the Make Work Better conference 2026 go on sale on Wednesday 1st April – enter your details below to be the first in line to secure your place.
Ready to make work better? Complete the form below and one of our team will be in touch to discuss your accreditation enquiry.
Ready to make work better? Complete the form below and one of our team will be in touch to discuss your accreditation enquiry.
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