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3:00pm - 5:00pm, 4 November 2025
(Europe/London)
(Europe/London)
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Event Details
Members Meeting
Tuesday 4th November
Registrations and refreshments 2:30pm-3:00pm
Meeting 3:00pm-5:00pm
Venue: Santander, 6th Floor, 1 Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2BJ
Networking drinks from 5:00pm
Key Takeaways
- Understand the Regulatory Shift - Clear insight into upcoming legislative changes and how they impact contractor engagement models.
- Know Your Options and Risks - Practical guidance on navigating PSC vs umbrella decisions, with expert and peer-led perspectives.
Meeting Agenda
Responding to Legislative and Regulatory Change
As the landscape of employment legislation is evolving, businesses in the professional staffing and recruitment sector are preparing for a fresh wave of regulatory change. With information now emerging, this session will explore how these developments are already influencing compliance behaviours, market dynamics, and contractor engagement models.
This session will explore whether we are seeing a shift away from umbrella company models back towards PSCs (inside or outside IR35), and what this could mean for our members. What are the options available in light of these changes? How do they stack up in terms of risk, reward, and commercial viability? And how should firms adapt their strategies to remain compliant while maintaining competitive advantage?
Welcome & APSCo update
Moya Rylands, Managing Director, APSCo UK
Regulatory update
Laura Darnley, Partner, Ward Hadaway
A scene-setting overview of the proposed legislative changes, with insight into how the market is expected to respond and what members should be preparing for.
Panel discussion - understanding the options
A practical discussion with our panel of experts; with representatives from Kingsbridge, Ward Hadaway and the FCSA exploring what the changes will mean in practice.
Topics will include:
- Compliance obligations
- Commercial considerations
- Behavioural trends among clients and contractors
- Managing risk and remaining agile
Panellists
Laura Darnley, Partner, Ward Hadaway
Chris Bryce, CEO, The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA)
Round table peer discussions
Breakout discussions hosted by our expert facilitators will allow members to share concerns, explore different approaches, and learn from each other.
Q&A and close
This event is offered to members to ensure clarity and knowledge and to support members in navigating a period of complex changes.
Speakers
Chris Bryce
FCSA, CEO
Chris Bryce is Chief Executive of Freelancers & Contractors Services Association. Chris joined FCSA in January 2022 with an accomplished record of delivering excellence, growth, cultural change, and influence across a range of complex businesses and non-profits. His overall aim is to ensure all parties in the supply chain – especially workers served by FCSA members – can expect the highest levels of compliance, transparency, and reliability and to raise standards of compliance across the industry.
Chris began his career in sales, becoming Sales Director of a business logistics company and then moving on to become its General Manager. He then stepped into the world of contracting and consultancy at several financial institutions, delivering multiple global-scale change programmes as a consultant Programme Director. Chris has also acted as President of The European Forum of Independent Professionals (EFIP), a collaboration of national associations from across Europe which represents independent professionals at EU level through targeted research and advocacy.
Laura Darnley
Partner
Laura advises businesses and individuals on employment law and business immigration issues, providing clear, practical advice combined with a common sense, commercial approach. She helps solve "people" problems - by preventing problems in the first place, dealing with them when they arise, and providing strategic advice to help businesses grow and thrive.
On the business immigration side, Laura helps businesses navigate with the UK's immigration rules to ensure they are able to recruit and retain key skilled individuals from overseas. She is particularly experienced in helping businesses with the overlapping employment related issues that arise, and has been named by Legal 500 as a "Next Generation Partner".
