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APSCo Virtual Conference - Transformational Change Redefined
from
£0.00
Non-member
£495.00
Event Details
APSCo Virtual Conference
If you are a member of another APSCo, not UK, please contact your Account Manager to register for this event.
Non-members can also attend. Tickets are £495pp
Wednesday 18th June
10:00am-4:30pm
Virtual
Kindly sponsored by
Meeting Agenda
On-going change is the reality we live and work in. Navigating and delivering significant, and successful change is an essential competence for every leadership team to deliver an organisation’s short-term plans, medium-term strategy and long-term vision.
It is crucial to delivering meaningful success, particularly in a challenging market, that businesses can consistently transform their practices, culture or tech; driven by leaders who understand the link between measurable integrated change and increased business performance.
Our virtual conference this year provides the platform for recruitment business owners to revaluate the necessity and structure of dynamic change.
10:00 Welcome & Introduction
Samantha Hurley, Managing Director, APSCo UK
10:20 Beyond Change: How recruitment businesses transform with purpose
Joanna Oakley, Change and Transformation Consultant, Argylestone Consulting Ltd
Joanna Oakley will challenge recruitment leaders to rethink what transformation really means in this thought provoking session. Too often, change is seen as a grand, sweeping initiative, when in fact, the most impactful improvements start small. Drawing on over 20 years of industry experience, Joanna will explore the difference between change and transformation, the common pitfalls leaders fall into, and the ripple effects that even minor tweaks can have across marketing, compliance, finance, and frontline recruitment.
You’ll leave with a practical 7-step framework, real-world examples, and a fresh perspective on how to lead meaningful change that sticks.
10:55 Transformation at Scale - How Kantar identified and delivered change
Stephen Day, Chief Procurement Officer, Kantar Research
Stephen, will cover how Kantar, over several years, figured out where to focus its transformation by digging into operations, procurement, tech, and people readiness. It’ll show how private equity, tech, and investment came together to drive real change and better business results.
Stephen, will share how procurement evolved to support the company’s growth. He will also look at how change, transformation, and getting people ready all fit together.
Summary
- How the multi-year journey was shaped by private equity, tech, and investment
- How procurement stepped up to new maturity goals
- How change, transformation, and people readiness linked together
- How technology was used to push progress
- The business benefits that followed
- Lessons learned on the way
11:30 - 11:45 Tea & Coffee Break
11:45 Communication - a key ingredient for successful change
Nicola Cohen, Change Management Lead, The Change Gang
In this session, Nicola, will explore the communication strategies that underpin successful change. She will outline the essential elements of effect change management and why communication sits at its heart. This session will:
- Provide an overview of the keys to successful change
- Explain why communication is critical in change management
- Provide experienced based examples of the Do's and Don'ts of effective change communication
- Look at the vital role that leaders and line managers play in communication
12:15 - 13:15 Lunch Break
13:15 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
Stinus & Tracey will share the experience of leading a programme of change within Morson. Working alongside Tracey, they engaged directly with staff through in-depth interviews, to improve user experience for both staff and candidates from a digital perspective and harnessed real data insight to shape and drive an effective change strategy.
14:00 AI Transformation: Preparing for Recruiting's Tipping Point
Marcus Sawyerr, Founder & CEO, EQ App
The staffing & recruiting landscape is quietly, but rapidly evolving, and 2025 will mark a decisive moment. Firms already weaving AI into everyday workflows are shortening time-to-submit, winning retainers faster, and delighting clients with predictive insights. Join Marcus for a clear, data-driven look at the forces converging now—pricing pressure, client self-service platforms, and GenAI breakthroughs and leave with a 90-day action plan. Walk away ready to safeguard revenue, elevate consultant capacity, and build a future-ready operation.
Key Take-Aways
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Driving Stakeholder Adoption
-
ROI with AI
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A “Crawl → Walk → Run” roadmap
14:45 Fireside Chat with Ankur Anand – Group CIO, Nash Squared & Samantha Hurley, Managing Director, APSCo UK
My New Colleague Isn’t Human: How AI is Changing the Way We Work
In this session, Ankur and Sam will explore how AI is no longer a distant concept but a real, productive colleague in our day-to-day work. From integrating systems and creating AI agents that support consultants with a 360 degree view of their performance and actionable insights to developing an AI Agent that helps sales teams bring the Nash Squared world famous Digital Leadership Report to life with clients—this is AI in action. Ankur will also share how Nash Squared are empowering teams to be their own champions of AI
Three Takeaways:
AI That Works for You, Not the Other Way Around
Real-world examples of how we’re using AI to make consultants and sales teams more focused, efficient, and client-ready.
Build It, Love It: The IKEA Model of AI Adoption
Why giving colleagues the freedom to experiment with AI tools leads to stronger engagement and better outcomes.
AI For Growth
AI isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about unlocking growth.
15:25 Tea & Coffee Break
15:45 Panel Discussion - Navigating the Challenges of Change
Our expert panel include - Nick Bradley, Co-Founder, Adepto Technical Recruitment, Stephen Day, Chief Procurement Officer, Kantar Research, Claire Hodson, Change Management Lead, CIPD
16:20 Wrap up and Close
Samantha Hurley, Managing Director, APSCo UK
Speakers
Nicola Cohen
The Change Gang, Founder
Nicola Cohen is a strategic and innovative change leader with extensive experience working for leading national, FTSE 100, and global companies across various industries, including Shell, BUPA, British Telecom, UBS, Anglo American and KPMG. Nicola has a proven track record of delivering successful change initiatives, from technology programs to broader transformational change.
Currently serving as the Global Change Lead at KPMG International, Nicola is leading the change and adoption activity for a global AI programme designed to drive the delivery of secure Gen AI capabilities and tools to KPMG’s global functions and member firms. She has also founded start-up learning organisation, The Change Gang, which offers experienced based learning on how to manage change effectively.
Nicola's career highlights include setting up a centre of excellence for change management at Anglo American, leading a HR behavioural change programme at UBS, contributing to an ambitious HR Transformation programme at British Telecom, managing the communications stream for a global SAP program at Shell.
Nicola holds a Master of Organisational Behaviour from the London School of Economics & Political Science, Post Graduate Diplomas in Internal Communications and, Marketing, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration & Management and English Studies from Oxford Brookes University. Nicola is also a PROSCI Certified Advanced Change Management Practitioner and trainer and, Agile Project Manager.
Stephen Day
Kantar Research, Chief Procurement Officer
Stephen Day is the Chief Procurement Officer of the Kantar Group, a 30,000 strong global organization headquartered in London, which became a Bain Capital Company in 2019. Steve boasts a thirty year career in Procurement and Supply Chain, having worked for Kantar Group, Vodafone, T-Mobile, Cable & Wireless, Atos, Rolls Royce and Philips. Steve holds a BA from Coventry University, an MBA from the University of Birmingham, and is a Fellow of CIPS, the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.
Marcus Sawyerr
EQ, Founder & CEO
Marcus Sawyerr has 18 years in recruiting, is from London but living in California and is the Founder & CEO of EQ.app, an AI-agent platform powering thousands of automated Interactions every day. Previously, Marcus served as the Global President of Innovation at Adecco and for 10 years at CareerBuilder.com
Stinus Andersen
Morson Group, Information and Systems Director
Stinus Andersen is an accomplished Information and Systems Director at Morson Group, a leading staffing and engineering firm with their headquarter in Manchester. With extensive expertise in business systems and digital transformation, Stinus has played a key role in developing innovative solutions, including a cutting-edge portal application to enhance contractor engagement and operational efficiency. His leadership in technology-driven strategies has contributed to Morson’s competitive edge in the industry.
Tracey O'Neill
Satori Partnership, Co-Founder
Tracey embodies a profound mastery of data and recruitment, with an impressive 15-year track record dedicated to enhancing the utilisation of data for the benefit of staffing businesses globally. Her expertise spans key areas such as marketing, operations, and sales.
Joanna Oakley
Argylestone Consulting Ltd, Change & Transformation Consultant
Joanna is a change and transformation specialist who partners with recruitment agency leaders to resolve complexity, uncover efficiencies, and create the operational clarity needed for sustainable growth.
With over 20 years’ experience spanning the UK’s leading staffing brands – including ManpowerGroup, Randstad and RGF Staffing – Joanna brings a practitioner’s eye to operational performance. Through her consultancy, Argylestone Consulting, she helps agencies unpick years of entrenched processes, identify where spend is leaking, reduce manual inefficiencies, and ultimately streamline operations across front, middle, and back-office functions.
Her sweet spot? Making sense of operational chaos.
Whether it’s simplifying process across candidate delivery, client management, or support functions, Joanna is known for cutting through the noise and surfacing practical recommendations that reduce cost, mitigate compliance risk, and prepare businesses for the next stage – be that scale-up, a new system rollout, or expanding into MSP and RPO delivery models.
Ankur Anand
Group CIO
Ankur Anand is a digital transformation leader and strategic advisor, driving innovation and growth across global recruitment and workforce solutions