Feb 10 / Natalie Savery

CIPD Wales Conference 2026 — Everest, AI, Improv… all in a day’s work

There are some days that leave you tired in the best possible way — the kind where you get home, sit down with a brew, and think: “Right. That was good for me.”

The CIPD Wales Conference was definitely one of those days.

It also had a bit of extra significance this year. It was CIPD CEO Peter Cheese’s final conference in Wales, and the first Wales conference we’ve had in a little while — so it needed to be good.

Thankfully, it absolutely was.

And that’s saying something, because the weather outside was doing its very best to convince us all to stay at home. It was one of those properly grim Welsh days — grey skies, damp air, and that sideways rain that makes you question your life choices before you’ve even reached the car park. I may have not looked my best by the time I arrived…

But inside the Principality Stadium, the atmosphere couldn’t have been more different.

The room was almost full, with even the front row nearing capacity. It was wonderful to see the commitment and passion of people choosing to show up — especially at such a busy time of year. People were there to learn, to think, to connect – and connect we certainly did.
We were extremely proud to be one of the event sponsors who were dotted about the room. We got to really be involved in the day – listening to the speakers and chatting in the breaks. I also had my CIPD South East Wales Branch hat on, so I spent my break times chatting to members from across Wales and what the branches are up to and how to get involved.

I really enjoyed the day — as well as catching up with my fellow CIPD branch volunteers, the CIPD central team, some close partners and some long-lost former colleagues — I also got to hear from some brilliant speakers and properly put my brain to work about what the people profession is facing in 2026 and beyond.

And wow… we covered some ground. Over the course of the day we covered a huge range of topics: political change, wellbeing, AI, and yes — Covid still being mentioned almost six years on. We talked about new employment legislation, apprenticeships, the skills pipeline, and everything in between.

Every speaker was truly excellent, but here are my key highlights from the day.

Mission, Mastery and Mindset — the Everest edition


The opening keynote from Tori James was an inspiring and engaging talk about her experience of being the first Welsh woman to scale Mount Everest. As well as videos of her death-defying climb (which left me with a sense of never wanting to walk up any mountain),
Tori gave us a powerful framework for success on the mountain:

   • Mission – know what you are working for and why it’s important
   • Mastery – strive to learn and develop your skills
   • Mindset – remember the power of ‘yet’

And I loved this, because it wasn’t just inspiring — it was incredibly relevant. It made me reflect on how important these three are to me and to organisations in general.

   • How can we lead others if we don’t have passion and clarity of mission?
   • How can we succeed if we see failure in everything?
   • How can we help others if we aren’t committed to bettering ourselves?

It was a brilliant reminder that leadership isn’t about charging ahead. It’s about knowing when to push, when to pause, and how to keep the team safe, focused and connected.

HR as a strategic partner — and a profession under pressure


A panel discussion on HR as a strategic partner explored the shifting landscape of the profession. Chaired by Susan Hayman from CIPD, with a panel made up of Sheenagh Rees from Neath Port Talbot Council, Matt Davies from Hapus People and Aled Nelmes from Lumen SEO.

The key themes were familiar but vital, framed within the real life experiences of the panel:
   • the pace of change will continue to be fast and unrelenting, so we need to be able to work within this environment
   • the growing complexity of the workforce means we have to be human-centred and
   • evolving expectations
   • and the increasing need for emotional intelligence in HR and leadership

One question that really stayed with me was this:
How is the current climate and technological breakthroughs impacting the future workforce. Where will people “cut their teeth” in junior roles if those roles shrink, change, or disappear? As a mum of two boys who will be joining the workforce sometime in the next 8 years, it is a worry, not just for the people profession, but how we support people in any role to develop the skills they need to be successful in their roles.

Mark Hendy — leadership skills of the future (that actually make sense)


I loved Mark Hendy’s session — a real highlight for me, and one that felt completely aligned with how we see leadership at Leaderful Action.

His leadership skills of the future included:
   • Adaptability
   • Curiosity
   • Decisive and measured
   • Human and authentic
   • Comfortable with vulnerability

And honestly… this is everything I’ve learnt in my leadership career and everything we go about in our work with leaders at all levels.

At the end of the talk, Mark left us with an important question -
“What would your team notice if you weren’t there any more — would it make their lives easier or harder?”

That’s the kind of question that sticks. The kind you take into your next meeting, your next one-to-one, and your next “how am I showing up?” moment.

The wellbeing panel — the nodding moment of the day

It wouldn’t be a conference without talking about AI or Wellbeing – while we covered both on this day, the wellbeing panel stuck out to me because it is indicative of what I see in a lot of my current coaching clients.

The panel, chaired by Oli Howard from CIPD and made up of Emily Gabrielsen (Centrica) Kristina Adey-Davies (Freshfields) and Trish Hewitt (Resolution at Work) spoke openly about burnout, health scares, and the reality that people professionals often put everyone else’s needs ahead of their own.

And you could see it landing — because the room was full of people nodding in recognition.
It was a reminder that wellbeing work isn’t something HR delivers to other people.
It’s something we have to live too.

Neil Mullarkey — the closing keynote that kept everyone awake (and smiling)

By the final keynote, most conferences are limping towards the finish line.

Not this one.

Neil Mullarkey had the whole room engaged right up until home time — and that is no mean feat!

He brought improv and comedy experience into organisational life in a way that was genuinely useful (and very funny). He reminded us that:
   • we can “offer” something in conversation
   • others can choose to accept it
   • and when we make it our job to make the other person look good – we both look good!

I particularly liked his point about how simply offering something — an idea, a question, a curiosity — can spark conversation and connection.

And as someone who loves learning, facilitation, and meaningful dialogue… and a huge fan of improv theatre … I was absolutely there for it.

Final thoughts: proud, energised, and slightly rain-soaked

I was proud to be part of the CIPD team on the day — chatting to members about how they’re feeling, what they need from the profession, and what we’re planning locally.

This conference mattered. You can tell by the overwhelmingly positive feedback I can see popping up on my Linked In feed even as a I write this blog two days later. We wanted and needed to connect, to laugh and to reflect, and this conference gave us that.