Event Information

David is the CIPD’s Head of London. Recently described as “one of the UK’s most influential HR and workplace commentators”, he is a respected speaker and writer on progressive HR & business practice.

David has expertise on a wide range of areas, including organisational development, learning & development, talent and performance management, ethics, employee engagement and the future of work.

Prior to joining the CIPD, David worked as an independent Organisational Development Consultant, having held previous roles as Head of People Development at Metrobank and in various HR positions for an international FS firm.

Jon Dews has 35+ years in employment & training, HR, industrial relations, enterprise and business development, latterly with Acas as a Senior Adviser, before setting up his own business earlier this year. He has a particular interest and skills in mediation, dispute & conflict resolution and disciplinary investigations, as well as facilitation and consensus building. He has worked with employers from SMEs to FTSE100 companies in areas such as solving disputes, TUPE processes, redundancy & change management, employment contracts and policies.

In his spare time, Jon enjoys rugby, racquet-ball and tennis, renovating a pile of rocks in Normandy and exploring the delights of SW Turkey.

Formerly a solicitor for ten years, Richard transferred to the bar in 2014. He has specialised in employment law throughout this period and has been recognised by the leading legal directories for a number of years as a litigation specialist and for his extensive experience acting in disputes with a trade union or collective element.

During his career he has advised clients on contentious and non-contentious employment law issues in all industry sectors, ranging from FTSE 100 and 250 companies, to SMEs, local authorities and charities. He is also experienced in working directly with in-house legal teams and HR/senior management, whether in the private or public sector, particularly where there are potential or actual heavyweight discrimination or collective claims. Richard has appeared at the Employment Appeal Tribunal as both a solicitor and a barrister and is now routinely conducting cases against more senior Counsel, including QCs. Having trained at a large City firm and then spending a number of years in Newcastle, he is now based in Leeds but has developed a busy nationwide practice commensurate with his previous experience.

With this varied background, he is alive to the needs of clients, commercially pragmatic and sensitive to both costs and, where it matters, points of principle.

John has over 25 years’ experience in employment law and is noted as being a strategic thinker and leader in his field as well as being a practical hands-on lawyer. 

He is one of the leading lawyers in the UK with a national and international reputation. 

John is regarded as the leading expert in the UK on Transfer of Undertakings and he also has an international reputation in that field. 

He is variously described as the "TUPE guru", the "king of TUPE" and "Mr TUPE".  As well as being a writer and commentator on transfers, he advises the public, private and third sectors on the subject.  This includes wide experience in mergers and acquisitions, outsourcing, franchising and complex restructuring. 

He has extensive expertise in all areas of employment law including redundancies and restructuring, information and consultation, discrimination and high level executive termination of employment. 

An all-round employment law adviser, he is an editor of Harvey on Industrial Relations and Employment Law, the practitioner's "bible". 

An expert in employee engagement, he is a member of the Advisory Council of the Involvement and Participation Association.

Chris has over 25 years' experience of advising charities and social enterprises and leads the employment team at Wrigleys

Chris is a member of the Charity Law Association, Education Law Association and the Employment Lawyers Association. 

Chris advises on a wide range of issues including governance, contracts, data protection and employment matters. His particular work at present focuses on education charities, including schools and academies.

Chris is an academy governor at an outstanding secondary school and a trustee of a local charity looking to build a new community sports and social club.

Sue is a partner within our charities and social economy team at Wrigleys

Sue advises charities and other not for profit, voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises on all aspects of employment law including strategic issues involving TUPE and restructuring.

Sue has experience of advising on severance packages and on senior executive service agreements. She also represents employers throughout the Employment Tribunal process.

She manages Wrigleys HR Response, our telephone and email employment law helpline for charities including academies and independent schools.

Rosana is currently Training Leader at Leeds Mind, having 8 years’ experience delivering mental health training and consultancy to organisations across the private, public and voluntary sectors. This has included support to organisations such as West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Direct Line and the Canal & River Trust – aiding them to create mentally-healthy workplaces and helping find solutions at all levels to support the effects of mental-ill health at work.

Prior to this role Rosana worked in specialist mental health employment support, helping people with mental health difficulties to gain and retain employment. This involved working closely with employers to develop good practise in managing mental health in the workplace.

Rosana carries a wealth of knowledge and strategic understanding in providing training to a range of audiences, using a variety of formats to best support good mental health at work.

Prior to Leeds Mind, Rosana was formerly a teacher, bringing expertise from a solid teaching background – having worked with disadvantaged adults and specialist groups for 7 years.

Rosana is passionate about positive health and wellbeing and as such enjoys watching horror films, playing the keyboard and reading books.