34 Internal Communication Directors Confirmed To Present In Just One Day. For Group Discount Prices, Please Call + 44 (0) 203 479 2299.
Engage, Empower & Connect In Times Of Rapid Change, Disruption & Uncertainty With
Strategic, Engaging Internal Communications With Real Impact
Transforming IC Strategies To Skyrocket Engagement, Optimise Digital, Social & Channel Trends, Connect Remote Workers, Build Culture, Plan For Crisis & Position IC As A Business-Critical, Strategic Function Which Boosts Bottom-Line Impact.
A One-Day, Practitioner-Led Conference & Virtual Event, 19th January 2021, The Lowry Hotel, Central Manchester.
08.40 Log In & Explore The Virtual Platform
08.50 GIC Welcome
9.00 Morning Co-Chairs' Opening Remarks
Adrian Cox, Global Head of Communications, Deutsche Bank International Private Bank
Andrew Whyte, Director of Communications, Financial Conduct Authority
ENGAGE & CONNECT REMOTE WORKERS
09.10 Keep Remote Workers Engaged & Connected: Overcome Communication Barriers, Maximise Digital & Keep Connected With Home & Remote Workers For Ultimate Engagement & Productivity
- Establish a robust internal comms framework which reaches, motivates and engages employees to prevent disconnection from the wider business
- As homeworking becomes the new ‘normal’, ensure your organisation is seamlessly adapting to support workers and maintains a strong company culture to boost productivity
- With remote working relying on trust, combine the right tech, comms and engagement strategies to build a strong, open and transparent relationship
- Connecting with the (digitally) unconnected: how to build an internal comms strategy that reaches frontline, remote and hard-to-reach workers
Matthew Knowles, Head of Employee Communications, Thames Water
DIGITAL TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES | PANEL DISCUSSION & Q&A
09.30 Optimise The Digital, Social & Technology Trends Revolutionising The Digital Workplace To Ensure High-Impact, Humanised Engagement, Efficiencies & Results
- Workplace, Teams, Yammer, Zoom, Skype… assess, review and determine which platforms are right for your organisation and people
- Seamlessly integrate digital into your internal comms strategies to ensure all channels are connected and align with wider business objectives and outcomes
- Don’t lose the human touch! How can you best utilise virtual tools and technologies to replicate and recreate the physical, connected environment?
- Equip employees with the skills they need to make the most out of digital and examine the different etiquettes required for the new digital workplace
Dominic Carey, Colleague Engagement & Experience Manager, Great Western Railway
Matt Good, Communications Manager, Lloyds Banking Group
Ekaterina Stupina, Global Finance, Digital & Information Communications Manager, British American Tobacco plc.
10.00 IC, are you getting the full picture? How to Power It Up
- The strategy for weaving purpose, vision and culture into the fabric of your organisation through your most valuable asset, your people
- The need for upskilling and deepening the value of IC to drive the employee experience, enabling impactful behavioural and organisational change
- Driving performance through the employee experience - Your IC comms strategy will never be as good as it can be unless you work with HR to understand your people
Christopher Hopkins, Director & Lead Communications Consultant, Caburn Hope
ENGAGEMENT IN THE FACE OF CHANGE
10.15 Engage, Motivate & Unite During Unprecedented Times With An Impactful, Focussed & Inspiring Internal Communications Strategy
- Change, disruption, uncertainty… how can you recover and rebuild an authentic, impactful comms strategy which boosts productivity and fosters a sense of belonging?
- Tackle the commercial imperatives of employee engagement and experience to ensure a connected workforce
- Better together! Establish a line of sight between individual roles and the company’s collective vision to truly (re)build employee purpose and commitment
Matt Cooper, Head of Internal Communications & Engagement, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
10.35 Morning Break With Informal Networking
ENGAGEMENT IN THE FACE OF CHANGE
11.05 Everyone Consumes Video
- How we got here
- What's at stake for employers
- Where we’re heading
- How Merck empowers teams to make their own video for better internal communications to cut through the noise and move the needle.
Garrett Goodman, SVP International Partnerships, Wochit
Max Paluszynski, Cell and Gene Therapy, Segment Marketing Manager, Merck KGaA
THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF IC | PANEL DISCUSSION 1
11.20 Position Secured? Prove & Cement Internal Communications As A Trusted, Critical Business Function Aligned With Wider Business Goals Now & In The Future
- IC has proved itself vital throughout COVID-19, but how can you ensure the function retains a seat at the table in the future?
- Not just a function for crisis… prove the value of IC by evidencing the positive long-term impact on employee culture, retention and productivity
- Ensure you continue to foster relationships with senior leaders to retain your position at a strategic level
- Teamwork makes the dream work: how much should external comms, marketing and HR functions feed in to create a successful, integrated strategy?
- What does 2021 and beyond hold for internal comms? Navigate the next phase and explore the changing role of internal communications as it gains strategic influence
Catherine Morris, Group Head of Internal Communications (Engagement & Change), Home Office
George Kenning, Head of Personal Banking Communications, NatWest Group
Matthew Pittam, Head of Internal Communication, ScottishPower
LEADERSHIP
11.50 Maximise Senior Leadership & Stakeholder Buy-In & Secure Investment By Demonstrating Rock-Solid Results & Business Cases For Strong Business-Aligned Internal Comms Strategies
- Clearly communicate a strategic business case which aligns with leadership behaviours and break down corporate barriers to secure continued investment and early executive buy-in
- Avoid investment silos! Optimise the right measurement tools which tick the right boxes for senior executives and demonstrate ROI
- Transform your strategies to ensure authentic messaging across different levels of leadership
- Engage the disengaged! Drive employee connection across the business by encouraging open conversations between senior leaders and employees
Sneh Barker, People Partner, Rolls-Royce
THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF IC | PANEL DISCUSSION 1
12.10 Position Secured? Prove & Cement Internal Communications As A Trusted, Critical Business Function Aligned With Wider Business Goals Now & In The Future
- IC has proved itself vital throughout COVID-19, but how can you ensure the function retains a seat at the table in the future?
- Not just a function for crisis... prove the value of IC by evidencing the positive long-term impact on employee culture, retention and productivity
- Ensure you continue to foster relationships with senior leaders to retain your position at a strategic level
- Teamwork makes the dream work: how much should external comms, marketing and HR functions feed in to create a successful, integrated strategy?
- What does 2021 and beyond hold for internal comms? Navigate the next phase and explore the changing role of internal communications as it gains strategic influence
12.40 Lunch For Delegates, Speakers & Partners
13.20 Informal Peer-To-Peer Discussion
A) Line Manager Comms Note
Matt Good, Communications Manager, Lloyds Banking Group
CHANNEL MIX
- From implementation to channel adoption... streamline your channel comms strategy and listen to employee feedback to decrease the chances of resistance in the long-term
- Listen to the needs of your employees to deliver streamlined communications without bombarding them for ultimate engagement and productivity
- The human behind the webcam: get the balance right between digital success without losing the human touch
CULTURE, HEALTH & WELLBEING
14.00 Raise Awareness, Reconnect Employees & Provide Health & Wellbeing Support To Encourage Open Conversations & Reignite Company Culture
- Replace the ‘watercooler’ atmosphere: when face-to-face engagement and social interaction isn’t possible, how can other platforms be used to promote employee connection and wellbeing?
- Nurture a supportive organisational culture to develop trust and communication to empower your staff to come forward and discuss their mental health and wellbeing
- In times of uncertainty and change, keep your employees connected to your organisation’s vision and culture by fostering a culture of trust and transparency
Kate McFerran, Director of Communications, LNER
Stephanie Jones, Head of Communications, Natures Way Foods
Carol Brown, Communication & Engagement, Studio Retail Limited
Emma Henderson, Head of Employee Communications, Siemens Plc
Anne-Marie Griffiths, Head of Internal Comms & Engagement, DHL
Richard Stanbury, Head of Employee Relations, Direct Line Group
METRICS & MEASUREMENT
14.30 Maximise Effective Measurement Tools & Techniques To Showcase The Success Of Your Internal Comms Strategies & Refine Strategies To Ignite Real Change
- Listen and respond! Harness employee listening and funnel employee feedback into the business by effectively analysing your comms strategies with right tools and metrics
- Build a proactive measurement process to ensure your insights are accurate, up-to-date and drive improvements
- Take advantage of the digital workplace: how to track, measure and monitor impact to give you the numbers you need to take into the boardroom
Rachel Tolhurst, Head of Corporate Communications, Amey
Breaking Through The Digital Divide: Bringing Human Interactions Into The Digital Workplace
14.50 Breaking Through The Digital Divide: Bringing Human Interactions Into The Digital Workplace
In Powell Software's session, we will discuss how to bring office human interactions into your company's digital workplace focusing on these three principle factors:
- 1) Digital Workplace gamification
- 2) Single Digital Workplace entry point
- 3) Office interactions go digital
Matt Weston, Lead UK Evangelist, Powell Software
Danielle Jewett, Digital Workplace Consultant, Powell Software
15.05 Afternoon Break With Informal Networking
CONTENT & STORYTELLING
15.35 Embrace Creativity In Your Content Strategies For Authentic Stories & A Truly Connected, Engaged Workforce
- Guarantee sky-high engagement with creative content strategies which truly resonate with your workforce
- Understand the importance of board-level buy-in and evaluation to build your storytelling strengths
- In a world where ever more employees are remote, is user generated content key to staying connected to the organisation and its core values and culture?
Yvonne O’Hara, Head of Internal Communication, Metropolitan Police Service
CRISIS COMMS | PANEL DISCUSSION 1
15.55 Change, Disruption & Uncertainty – Lessons Learnt From COVID-19: The Impact On Internal Communications & How Can We Use This Experience To Future-Proof Strategies & Bolster Business Resiliency?
- When crisis hits! Explore challenges faced, overcome and lessons learnt from COVID-19 and how we can build resilient strategies now to help with future crises
- From furloughed employees, frontline workers and those working from home, how can you continue to keep employees informed, safe and productive throughout disruption?
- Back to business needn’t mean back to old habits! Use moments of uncertainty to drive innovation in the business and implement a new, positive culture in the aftermath of change
CONTENT & STORYTELLING
15.35 Embrace Creativity In Your Content Strategies For Authentic Stories & A Truly Connected, Engaged Workforce
- Guarantee sky-high engagement with creative content strategies which truly resonate with your workforce
- Understand the importance of board-level buy-in and evaluation to build your storytelling strengths
- In a world where ever more employees are remote, is user generated content key to staying connected to the organisation and its core values and culture?
Deborah Copeland, Head of Internal Communications, BT
CRISIS COMMS | PANEL DISCUSSION 2
16.45 Change, Disruption & Uncertainty - Lessons Learnt From COVID-19: The Impact On Internal Communications & How Can We Use This Experience To Future-Proof Strategies & Bolster Business Resiliency?
- When crisis hits! Explore challenges faced, overcome and lessons learnt from COVID-19 and how we can build resilient strategies now to help with future crises
- From furloughed employees, frontline workers and those working from home, how can you continue to keep employees informed, safe and productive throughout disruption?
- Back to business needn’t mean back to old habits! Use moments of uncertainty to drive innovation in the business and implement a new, positive culture in the aftermath of change
Ben Wilkie, Head of Internal Communications, Royal Mail Group
Paul Wheeler, UKI Corporate Communications Director & European Media Strategy Director, Kellogg's
Kyla Lacey-Davidson, Associate Director, People Experience, Stroke Association

