Meet the 2025 Speakers

In her current role as Director of People & Culture at Barnardo’s, leading a period of transformation as the Charity’s refreshed strategy is launched and embedded, Sarah Eglin’s aim is to leverage the People function and new ways of working and to use the drumbeat of colleague sentiment to facilitate participation and inclusion, and inspire a connection to purpose in order to make Barnardo’s a place where everyone can belong, grow and thrive. With a multisector background, Sarah has always undertaken roles with a transformation focus. After early days in New Look, Boots and Britvic; Sarah’s first HRD role at the age of 28, was as a HR Director in Balfour Beatty Rail. Moving on to become an Executive Director for Your Housing Group, Sarah’s remit grew to include Marketing, Project Management, Legal, Governance, Risk and Business Performance and she led the Group through a merger and a Regulatory downgrade. Prior to joining Barnardo’s, Sarah headed up the People Team for Co-op Operations covering 65,000 colleagues across Stores, Retail Support, Logistics and Funeralcare, her role has focused on the delivery of the Co-op’s ambitious Culture & Transformation agenda.

Alyson Fadil has been the Chief People Officer at Matalan since February 2024. She was previously  the Chief People Officer at N Brown Group for just over five years and is also a part time Non-Exec Director & Chair of Remuneration for Marks Electrical Group. She was previously Group People Director at Missguided and before that, she was Group People Director at Sofology for nearly five years. She started her career as a Dual Site – Senior HR Manager with Selfridges in 2006. A true business partner to the executive team – working tirelessly to ensure that the people strategy is aligned to the commerciality of the business – she is accountable for the overall HR/ people proposition, including Learning & Development and Internal Communications, within a fast paced, customer service, commercially driven business. Alyson is a mentor for the Women Leaders Association and the MBA Gold programme for Manchester University, and also a visiting Fellow of the Business School at Bolton University.

Perry Timms has over 30 years of experience in business change and performance, with the last 21 in HR/Organisation Development. He ranked Number 1 in HR’s Most Influential Thinkers 2022 (his fifth inclusion in that list) and is now in the HR Most Influential Hall of Fame. He is a 4x Engagement 101 Global Influencer, a 4x Guest Professor, a 2x TEDx speaker, and a 2x Author (with his third book published in August 2025). Perry is a Chartered Member of the CIPD, a Fellow of the RSA and in 2024 was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in self-managed, democratic organisations. and a Global Culture Icon Award.

Faye Ryder-Humphries is the Head of People at Wingstop UK, where she oversees the brand’s growing workforce, cultivating a positive and engaged culture. She leads on areas such as talent acquisition, DE&I, and wellbeing, and is passionate about nurturing career development within the hospitality industry via Learning & Development frameworks. Prior to joining Wingstop UK, Faye held senior HR & operational roles in several retail and hospitality businesses, including EG Group and TGI Fridays, and worked across America and Australia. Faye holds a MA in Human Resources Management.

Rhianon Plews is Head of HRBPs and Talent at Watches of Switzerland Group (WOSG), leading the HRBP and talent team to support the business tackle their pressing issues and longer term goals through an aligned and integrated people plan. Part of the HR Leadership Team, she is dedicated to embedding our new operating model and ways of working to drive business results. Prior to WOSG, Rhianon was Head of HR People Transformation and Change at Boots UK, leading the HR transformation and change agenda, driving strategic change projects with HR and for the business, ensuring they deliver benefits.

Darren Sanderson-Williams has been General Manager with Specsavers since March 2024. He was previously the Global Head of Leasing for Impress where he led site selection, negotiation and legals to lease in all seven markets. Darren is the Founder of Williams Harding Consulting working with start-ups, expanding and distressed businesses, primarily in retail and hospitality, but also outside of these sectors. In addition, he is Non-Executive Chairman of men’s skincare company Scrubd and a Trustee at Action 4 Youth. Darren has formerly held senior roles in several retail and hospitality businesses, including Hotel Chocolat and Unilever. He currently holds two ambassadorial roles, including Schools Role Model for Stonewall, and fundraising and awareness for Target Ovarian Cancer. Williams Harding also partners with a Bulgarian dog rescue centre.

Ebony Quow is a strategic people leader with a passion for creating workplaces where everyone can thrive. With extensive experience in talent and HR across the retail industry. She has a proven track record of driving impactful change in workplace environments. The main drive is to further pave the way for especially underrepresented groups, drive sustainable strategic outcomes, and help challenge the status quo. Ebony has spent time was in 2024 whilst appointed to the Diversity in Retail board, where they contributed to shaping diversity and inclusion strategies within the sector. Additionally, Ebony recently joined the Lancashire Cricket Club Foundation’s Inclusion Board, further expanding their influence by helping develop initiatives to make sport more inclusive, accessible, and equitable for all.

David Nottage is the Head of the Employer Brand and Talent Acquisition Department at Footasylum. A former professional footballer, who went into marketing and then into talent acquisition, he has a degree and masters in Public Relations and Marketing, as well as being CIPD Level 7 qualified. David has always loved tech, he has coded and built websites – even as far back as using Dreamweaver. He is an RL100 Core member – passionate about candidate experience, employer branding and creating campaigns to attract the best talent.

David Anderson is Rough Trade’s Head of People. He joined Rough Trade over two years ago as Head of Retail, marking the beginning of a new chapter – transitioning into his current role as Head of People, where he redefined what it means to manage people in retail. David’s ethos is to focus on learning and development, integrity, and community engagement. His efforts underscore a commitment to the growth of the business and every individual within it. David prioritises learning and development to ensure that Rough Trade’s staff are empowered individuals with a clear path to growth. His work extends beyond the internal mechanisms of HR, improving aspects like mental health and wellbeing. Their partnership with the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to combat suicide was a proud moment showing the power of community engagement and support. Before joining Rough Trade, David spent 15 years at Gap Outlet, where he managed stores across the UK.

Alice Gaydon has been a Lead Talent Acquisition Specialist – UK & US for PZ Cussons for nearly three years. Prior to that, she was Talent Acquisition Lead for THG’s largest division – THG Beauty. Alice has eight years talent management experience, including one year in international marketing, four years in agency search and three years in talent acquisition and people management. Passionate about brands and culture, Alice is currently leading global EVP and employer brand initiatives. She plays a key role on PZ Cussons engagement committee to manage change by driving employee engagement and agility through their global organisational transformation.

Narinder (Nick) Singh is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of dedicated service to IKEA. Starting as a part-time sales assistant at 19, Nick’s journey within the company has been marked by dynamic leadership and a commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion. Through various roles, including that of People & Culture Manager and his current position as Deputy Market Manager, Nick has implemented innovative initiatives to increase representation of underrepresented groups within the IKEA workforce, earning recognition for his positive hiring practices.

Laura-May Nardella is the Talent Acquisition & Development Partner for food at Co-op, overseeing retail and logistics teams. She drives learning and development strategy and shapes talent acquisition strategy for store and depot colleagues. Previously, she was the Learning & Development Partner for food and Head Office teams. Passionate about career development in operational settings, she recently completed an HR Management Masters from the Open University, focusing her research on the impact of digitalisation on the L&D field. Laura-May began her career at the Home Office, managing a legal casework team and working on Judicial Review cases for UK Visas & Immigration. She holds a law degree from the University of Cambridge.

As founder of Six Connections, Dave Scholes is a conversation starter. Tackling mental health as a legacy for his mate, he drives a purpose to make the conversations that we all need from time to time a normal part of the everyday. Starting with one conversation, Six Connections have helped 1000’s of people to open up with family, friends and colleagues and start healthy conversations in their space. Conversations before crisis – in the pub, in work or at the football. Incorporating creative training sessions and ‘conversation starting’ retail products, Six Connections are doing this differently. Creating genuine cultures of care with sustainable and practical outcomes – they save lives.

Anne-Marie Lister is an Independent Consultant with Spirited People and Change Consultancy, working with leaders to build and scale successful businesses. She was previously the Chief People, Officer at Atom bank for over three years and prior to joining Atom bank in 2016 as Head of People Experience, she Head of Organisation Change and Employee Engagement at Northern Powergrid.

Sarah Cunningham has been Group Talent Acquisition Manager – UK & Europe at Watches of Switzerland Group (WOSG) for nearly four years. WOSG are a FTSE-250 retail company employing nearly 3,000 people across the UK, Europe, and the United States. They are UK’s leading luxury watch specialist, with a significant presence in the US and a complementary jewellery offering. Prior to WOSG, Sarah was a Managing Consultant with AB Consultancy for over six years, a specialist hospitality, retail and leisure recruitment business.

Michael Spataro is the Chief Customer Officer at Legion. He has 30+ years of retail workforce management (WFM), store operations, and technology experience. He spent 16 years leading the Retail and Hospitality Services Practice Group at Kronos. His passion for retail WFM is rooted in the ten years he was Director of Store Technologies at Gap Inc. Previously, Michael led the Kronos Services Group at Axium. After being a customer, vendor, and consultant, he has a unique vantage point, which makes him a trusted partner when showing retailers how they can use Legion WFM to optimize labor efficiencies and empower frontline employees.

 
Liz Jewitt-Cross is the Founder of Future HR, Advisory Partner to the internationally acclaimed and award winning The Coaching Solution, and Non-Executive Director and Trustee for St Luke’s, a leading Peace Hospice Group in North London.
 
Through her multi-industry career, Liz has supported over 40 of our best loved brands, including Sainsbury’s, American Express, National Lottery, Mosaic/Aurora Fashions, Joules, Jaeger, New Look, Pets at Home, Co-Op Lincolnshire, McArthurGlen, as well as Banking, Health, Tech and Private Equity ventures.
 
An expert in navigating high-impact change, Liz is best known for her work and successes as an Interim Chief People Officer and Executive Coach, leading Businesses, Leaders, and People & Change teams through rapid growth, digital transformations, new operating models, M&A’s and critical business turnarounds and restructuring.
 
Through Future HR, and as an Advisory Partner for The Coaching Solution, Liz also champions and supports the next generation of People leaders and is part of a pioneering new mentoring program for first-time Chief People Officers, People Directors, and future talent, which is receiving high interest and exceptional initial feedback for its transformative impact.

As Partner & National Head of Employment at Irwin Mitchell, Elaine Huttley has considerable experience of contentious and non-contentious employment work including tribunal litigation and advocacy, advising clients on day to day employment issues including disciplinary and grievance issues, drafting contracts and policy documents. She also deals with corporate transactional work and has a particular interest in high level employment disputes involving shareholders and/or senior executives.

Mike Jennings is the Head of Sales for UK Retail at Reveal Media, as well as the Channel Partner Manager for ANZ. He has been at Reveal for over five years and in that time has seen the rapid growth of body camera technology in UK retail as an effective tool to de-escalate incidents against retail colleagues, deter crime and theft, and document evidence to help training or prosecution if needed. 

Matthew Gough joins the event as a HR professional but also in his capacity as a local primary school governor, of which he has been doing for the last year and a half. In this role and his day job, Matthew comes across many of the challenges that will be discussed at this event, from AI to D&I. He has been working in HR for seven years across a multitude of industries including retail.