Now in its sixth successful year, the MAD World Summit – Make A Difference Media’s sister event – is firmly established as the go-to, solutions-focused conference and exhibition for employers looking for best practice in workplace culture, mental health and wellbeing.
A lot has changed since we gathered for our last MAD World Summit in October 2022. To ensure attendees stay one step ahead of this fast-evolving sector, our programme has evolved too.
Here’s what you can expect from this year’s event, which is taking place at 133 Houndsditch in Central London on Thursday 12th October, the day after World Mental Health Day.
New pricing structure
The MAD World Summit is designed to bring employers from across sectors together to share ideas and experiences. Co-founder, Mark Pigou explains: “This year, in line with our mission to bring more and more employers to the workplace wellbeing conversation, we’re offering employers a reduced ticket price, and limiting the number of suppliers in the audience”.
The super-early bird rate of £95.00 + VAT for employers expires on 31st July. It will then increase to £195.00 + VAT. You can find more details and book your place here.
Leading-edge thinking
With 60 speakers, laser-focused on workplace culture & engagement, strategy & leadership, prevention & intervention, this year’s agenda is packed with fresh thinking around workplace culture and employee mental health and wellbeing.
Topics to be covered in the panels and case studies range from “Putting wellbeing at the heart of the employee experience” and “Creating a workplace for humans – redesigning work and wellbeing around new ways of working” to “Wellbeing washing – what it is and how to stop it sabotaging your progress” and “The next chapter in financial wellbeing – moving beyond perks and benefits as part of a holistic approach”.
“The business case – putting human capital and wellbeing at the centre of sustainability”, “Using data to elevate your wellbeing strategy” and “The workforce of the future: multigenerational and cultural wellbeing and mental health expectations” are more of the fresh topics that will be covered.
Fresh voices
Agenda-setting keynotes from an impressive roster of thought leaders include insights from: Dr Sarah Hughes, CEO, Mind; Oliver Holbourn, CEO, RBS International; Kelly Beaver MBE, Chief Executive, Ipsos UK & Ireland, Helen Willis, Chief Financial Officer, Costain and many more.
Plus fresh case studies from IBM’s Amit Sudhpura, on managing change and achieving a shift in culture by working with groups of leaders, Centrica’s Sandra Dyball and Emily Gabrielsen on driving engagement with a cost-effective wellbeing vision, Mars’ Justin Boxall and Jen Christie on establishing a collaboration between health and business strategy and Northumbrian Water’s Elouise Leonard-Cross on linking workplace wellbeing, DEI and organisational design to deliver an inclusive wellbeing programme.
The agenda also features a whole host of panel sessions, including input from Dr Richard Peters, Chief Medical Officer, Goldman Sachs, Malcolm Staves, Global Vice President Health & Safety, L’Oréal, Sharon O’Connor, Global Lead Employee Wellbeing, Novartis, Kimberley Ward, Financial Inclusion & Vulnerability Manager, First Direct, Lindsay Southward, Group Director of Operations & People, Village Hotels, Rashree Chhatrisha, Director of Reward, Pensions & Benefits, Saga, Kevin Green, Chief People Officer, First Bus and many more.
You can find full details about the MAD World Summit agenda and register here.
Collaborating to embed employee wellbeing
The event’s goal is to create a melting pot of insight and inspiration, with collaboration as a key theme of this year’s agenda. So, the content has been designed to be relevant to all employers – wherever you are on your journey to embedding workplace wellbeing. Whether you’re just getting started and need to know how to prepare and implement your wellbeing strategy, or you’re shifting from reactive to proactive approaches and future-proofing strategies.
The content is as relevant to CFOs, HR, Wellbeing, Benefits, Health & Safety, Engagement, Culture and Transformation leaders as it is to Wellbeing Champions. It makes sense to bring a group who can then feed back insights across the organisation.
The DE&I Symposium
Echoing the collaboration theme, over the past year there’s been growing recognition amongst employers that effective Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives cannot exist in isolation from employee wellbeing.
Acknowledging this shift, this year’s MAD World Summit features the DE&I Symposium covering topics including building a successful DE&I strategy, using data-driven DE&I to achieve culture change, neurodiversity, allyship, racial equity and how to take an inclusive approach to recruitment.
Confirmed speakers include Asif Sadiq, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Warner Bros. Discovery, Frank Kellenberg, Global Head D&I, Sandoz, Tracey Lucas, Group Head of D&I, Kier Group, Michelle Okwudiafor, Communications & Engagement Lead, TotalEnergies, Shelley O’Connor, LGBTQ+ Network Co-Chair, Bank of England, and Claire Wilkinson, HR Lead, Functions and Wellbeing – Europe, AECOM.
You can find full details about the DEI Symposium @MAD World and register here.
Make A Difference Leaders’ Lunch
Our third Make A Difference Leaders’ Lunch of the year will take place at the MAD World Summit. The Leaders’ Lunch is for senior representatives of employers (who are not suppliers of workplace wellbeing products or services). It is the perfect opportunity to share ideas and experiences in a closed-door setting and advance best practice in workplace wellbeing in a non-sales environment.
All of the Leaders’ Club meetings are run following Chatham House Rules to encourage openness. Key anonymous insights will be shared as a report with the Make A Difference network, in line with our goal to build and share best practice in workplace wellbeing.
If you would like to join the Make A Difference Leaders’ Club lunch at MAD World, you can find more details and the form to sign up here.
Roundtables, workshops and an exhibition of leading suppliers
When you’re surrounded by change, it’s good to know there are constants in our MAD World.
As well as our new additions, this year’s Summit will feature the ever-popular roundtable discussions after lunch where you can share knowledge in person and build your toolkit of solutions.
MAD World is also the place to compare solutions – with an exhibition of leading suppliers of workplace culture, mental health and wellbeing solutions, all under one roof. Plus partner-led workshops, offering a comprehensive understanding of solutions in a working-group format.
We look forward to seeing you there.
You can find full details about the MAD World Summit and the DEI Symposium and register here.
The super-early-bird registration rate of £95.00 + VAT expires on 31st July. After this date the ticket price will increase to £195.00 + VAT.
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