Leading and managing through transformational change: APSCo’s Virtual Conference highlights

The recruitment industry is navigating a complex landscape. With ongoing market challenges, evolving client expectations, and rapid technological advancement, the ability to navigate and deliver successful transformation has become essential for every leadership team.  

APSCo's Virtual Conference 2025 on June 18th, ‘Transformational Change Redefined’ brought together industry leaders, change experts, and recruitment professionals to explore how businesses can consistently transform their practices, culture, and technology to drive measurable business performance. Thank you to The Satori Partnership for sponsoring this event.

The virtual conference provided a space for recruitment business owners to reassess both the need for, and the structure of, dynamic change - emphasising that the most impactful improvements often begin with small, purposeful, and strategically implemented steps. 

The conference featured seven dynamic sessions, from practical frameworks for leading change to real-world case studies of digital transformation. 

Here are some of the key highlights from each session. 

Members can watch all the sessions On Demand

Session 1: Beyond Change - How recruitment businesses transform with purpose  

Joanna Oakley, Change and Transformation Consultant, Argylestone Consulting Ltd 

Key takeaways: 

• The Reality Check: We don't lack ideas or tools - we lack clarity.  

• The Power of the Pause - Before rushing into solutions, we need the discovery stage. Understanding what's actually happening (not what we assume) is critical. As Joanne noted: “Recruitment businesses are built for pace, not for pause" - but pause is exactly what successful change requires. 

• Words Matter: Change = training, new documents, small process tweaks. Transformation = behavioural shifts, cultural realignment. Understanding this distinction prevents us from underestimating what true transformation takes. 

Session 2: Transformation at scale - How Kantar identified and delivered change 

Stephen Day, Chief Procurement Officer, Kantar Research 

Key lessons learnt from Kantar that are crucial for you to consider:  

• Adopt technology, don't adapt. Focus on where you need to be and choose digital tools that meet most of your requirements. Don't try to fix everything in one go; this would be more costly and delay the deployment. Plan for microinvestments after the main adoption to meet the rest of your requirements.
• Less is more when it comes to training and communication. Be agile in your delivery and try not to overload the organisation. Your business will still be trying to drive revenue while you are driving the transformation. 
• Change management is a continuum. Leaders need to be resilient and have a realistic plan from the beginning. Change should be part of staff's day jobs, and transformation should facilitate a timely business need.
• People are the key to every change. Assume good intent and build a change network with clear actions. Realistic phasing builds confidence.
• Make decisions based on data, not emotion. Be aware of cognitive biases and assumptions. 

Session 3: Communication - a key ingredient for successful change 

Nicola Cohen, Change Management Lead, The Change Gang 

Our final session before lunch took us on a deep dive into the human-side of communicating through change. So many times projects focus on the technical impact and implementation, and neglect what is equally as vital - how people react and adopt change.

Here's our top takeaways: 
1. Change doesn't end when the change 'goes live': That is just the beginning of the journey and change needs to be sustained for it to be successful. 
2. Don't ignore the impact: Yes the strategic rationale and benefits are important to communicate. But don't ignore the impact on your people and what the journey will look like for them. 
3. Enlist your line managers: This group are often forgotten but they are key in ensuring that there is trust in the process and leadership. 

Session 4: Member Case Study - Driving Digital Transformation Through Insight and Engagement. 

Stinus Andersen, Information and Systems Director, Morson Group & Tracey O'Neill, Co-Founder, Satori Partnership 

Great conversation looking at discovery-led change management based on the project they delivered together. 
 
Main take-aways for us included:  

• There is no such thing as a digital quick fix - no shiny piece of new technology is going to solve an issue 

• Stakeholder and user engagement is absolutely key but also the hardest part to get right 

• Discovery-led approach works at any scale - large or small organisations can use it 

It was fascinating to hear how change works in practice but also the length of time it takes. A 3-month long planning, discovery and analysis process resulted in a report which was the foundation for a 5-year implementation process! 

Session 5: AI Transformation: Preparing for Recruiting's Tipping Point 

Marcus Sawyerr, Founder & CEO, EQ App 

Marcus Sawyerr’s session on AI Transformation was packed with insights on how AI is revolutionising recruitment. He stressed the importance of blending technology with a human touch to avoid inefficiencies caused by over-reliance on automation. 
 
Key Takeaways: 

• Market Evolution: The labour market is shifting, requiring a rethink of employment models to adapt to new demands. 

• Significant ROI: AI can dramatically reduce time and costs in recruitment processes, boosting overall productivity. 

• Overcoming Barriers: Address transactional focus, budget constraints, and the need to prove strategic value, with AI offering faster, higher-quality, and cost-effective outcomes. 

• Stakeholder Balance: Prioritise personalisation and common sense to ensure AI enhances, rather than hinders, efficiency. 

• Progressive Implementation: Start with an initial assessment of current workflows, pilot AI solutions on a small scale, train teams for integration, refine based on feedback, and scale for maximum impact. 
  

Session 6: My New Colleague Isn’t Human: How AI is Changing the Way We Work 

Fireside Chat with Ankur Anand – Group CIO, Nash Squared & Samantha Hurley, Managing Director, APSCo UK 

From utilising Copilot to empowering teams to own their AI journey, Ankur shared how AI is no longer a futuristic concept - it's driving real business value today.  
 
The discussion explored: 

• AI adoption starts with hands-on, safe experimentation 

• Clean, connected data is the backbone of AI success 

• AI isn’t replacing people - it’s freeing them to focus on higher-impact work 

• Real-world use cases like sales enablement, performance tracking, and recruitment insights are transforming daily operations 

• Ethical use, governance, and continuous feedback are critical for trust and long-term adoption 

Session 7: Navigating the Challenges of Change – a fantastic panel at this afternoon’s Virtual Conference

Featuring: Nick Bradley (Adepto Technical Recruitment Limited), Stephen Day (Kantar Research) and Claire Hodson (CIPD) 

• Start with a clear strategic vision – Know what you're aiming for, communicate it consistently, and align teams behind it.
• Put people at the centre – Engage employees early and make internal communication part of the plan from the outset.
• Go at the right pace – Break the change into phases, celebrate small wins, and measure impact along the way.
• Empower your internal champions – Look for people with the passion and bandwidth to lead from within.
• Be human and authentic – Honest communication builds trust and long-term adoption. 
  

APSCo Members – if you missed the Virtual Conference, head to the On Demand area to watch all the sessions in full.  

We’ll also be producing a deeper dive blog series on these topics, so stay tuned!