
Harnessing HR
Technology to Drive
Organisational
Productivity
In-Person | Wednesday 22 January 2025
London, UK
9.00 – 15.30 GMT
Event
Technology advances have the potential to improve organisational productivity, though this is much harder to achieve than we might expect. Our research will explore the HR technology landscape and consider how we might harness the available technology to solve the productivity puzzle. We will share insights on setting a technology roadmap that delivers your objectives around productivity gains and consider how to maximise value from technology.
Learning Objectives
- Understand future trends in the HR technology market, with a particular focus on the potential impact of GenAI.
- Discuss practical strategies for maximising the business impact of technology implementation, overcoming the common issues and avoiding pitfalls.
- Learn from other organisations around how they have harnessed HR technology to improve performance, the challenges they have faced and what they have learned from their experiences.
- Consider key risks that HR needs to address, including ethics, data privacy and security.
Who is this event for?
Senior HR leaders with responsibility for developing and implementing the HR technology roadmap for their organisation and HR leaders looking for practical recommendations around maximising the business impact of technology investments.
To register for this event please ensure you are logged in. If you are not a member and interested in attending, please contact us below.
If you would like to amend or cancel your booking please contact events@crforum.co.uk.
To attend the online version of this event, please see information here.
Location
Church House Westminster,
Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ
Pre-event Masterclasses
These pre-event masterclasses, hosted by CRF Partners Beamery, Mercer and Ricoh are included within the event but require additional registration. Once you have registered for the event, you will be emailed and invited to select your choice of masterclass. Masterclasses take place Wednesday 22 January, 9.00 – 9.50am. The main day’s event starts when these masterclasses end.
The Rise of the HR Ecosystem: Connecting Skills, Jobs and People Through Tech
Join Beamery’s Strategic Solution Consulting Director, Chris Illingworth, for an insightful exploration into the shifting landscape of skills-based transformation.
Delve into strategies for enabling HR and TA teams to unlock the potential of their data and drive business outcomes through an interconnected ecosystem. Learn how by bringing together skills, jobs and people, you can address the complexities of today’s talent demands whilst simultaneously building a successful business and people strategy.
This masterclass is a must for leaders ready to reimagine their approach to workforce development and stay ahead in the age of AI.
Connecting Talent to Work: Insights on Skill-based Practices and Internal Talent Mobility Technology
In today’s fast-changing world, organisations are increasingly recognising skills as vital to unlocking productivity and driving success. Yet, the Skills Tech landscape is a complex mix of possibilities and challenges. Creating meaningful employee experiences and addressing skill needs across the organisation is no easy task. This masterclass invites participants to explore this critical topic, equipping them to enhance skills practices through HR tech.
**FULLY BOOKED**
Unlocking efficiency in HR: Process Automation for Recruitment and Beyond
HR teams are under constant pressure to do more with less, and process automation is becoming a critical enabler of productivity. In this masterclass, we’ll explore how automation and orchestration can simplify and streamline complex HR workflows and processes. Discover how automated workflows reduce manual effort, improve compliance, and create more seamless, efficient experiences for both HR teams and employees. Participants will gain practical insights to help them identify where and how automation can make the biggest impact in their HR processes.
Agenda
08.45 | Masterclass Attendee Arrival | |
09.00 | Masterclasses | |
09.30 | Main Event Arrival and Registration | |
10.00 | Technology and The Productivity Puzzle | Nigel Guenole, Director of Research, Institute of Management Goldsmiths Kate Mathias, Chief People Officer, Clyde & Co. |
10.15 | Welcome and Table Discussions | Gillian Pillans, Research Director, CRF |
10.35 | Research Overview | Nigel Guenole |
10.50 | Emerging Technology to Unlock Productivity | Thomas Otter, Venture Capitalist, Arcadian Ventures |
11.15 | Coffee Break | |
11.35 | CRF Update | Rosie Neary, Senior Membership Engagement Manager, CRF |
11.40 | The Opportunity of Emerging Technology | Kelson Fernandes, Global Head of Learning and Performance Enablement, Experian Nigel Guenole Thomas Otter Johannes Sundlo, People Director, Avalanche Studios Group |
12.45 | Lunch | |
13.30 | Making Implementation a Success | Sarah Bullock, Agile Delivery Lead, Experian Nigel Guenole Kate Mathias Johannes Sundlo |
14.25 | Realising the Productivity Benefit | Sarah Bullock Nigel Guenole Kate Mathias |
15.10 | Call to Action and Close |
Speakers

Sarah Bullock
Agile Delivery Lead, Experian
Sarah’s HR career began in HR business partnering, before moving into leadership positions across a variety of specialisms including Reward, Employee Relations, Policy Development and Learning. She has spent the last two decades primarily focussing on Talent Management and Leadership Development, whilst running her own boutique HR consulting business. Her experience covers a wide range of sectors including HR leadership in banking, fmcg, leisure and retail. Since joining Experian, Sarah has led the introduction of Agile practices into the Talent & Learning team and more widely across HR, and also leads on Global Early Careers programmes, global leadership assessment and coaching. She’s developed a particular interest in Agile practices and is a certified Agile HR Practitioner and Product Owner.

Kelson Fernandes
Global Head of Learning and Performance Enablement, Experian
Kelson is an HR leader who began his career in business intelligence and market research before transitioning to Human Resources over a decade ago. With expertise in People Analytics, Business Partnering, and Talent Management, he has led numerous initiatives adopting agile, customer-centric approaches to deliver impactful results. Currently based in London, Kelson leads global learning at Experian, a company recently recognised as one of the 25 World’s Best Workplaces™ by Fortune and Great Place to Work®. In this role, leads the global learning strategy, and innovative training solutions aligned with critical business needs. He is also leading a global initiative to redefine Experian’s approach to performance management. Prior to moving to London in 2022, Kelson was based in São Paulo, Brazil, where in the previous years he served as Experian’s Regional Head of Talent and Performance Management, Leadership Development, Learning, and DEI for Latin America.

Dr. Nigel Guenole
Senior Lecturer and Director of Research for the Institute of Management at Goldsmiths
Nigel Guenole is internationally renowned for his expertise in leadership assessment, HR analytics and artificial intelligence in HR. His work focuses on enhancing the quality of psychological measurement in industry and promoting analytical approaches in HR. His work has appeared in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, European CEO Magazine, and European Business Review. He co-authored The Power of People: Learn how Successful Organizations Use Workforce Analytics to Improve Business Performance, and recently co-edited a special issue of the Human Resource Management Journal on HR Analytics. He is an elected fellow of the American Psychological Society’s Division 14, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, for outstanding career contributions to Assessment and HR Analytics.

Kate Mathias
Chief People Officer, Clyde & Co.
Kate has extensive experience in leading People and culture advisory work and HR transformation programmes. Having worked across all aspects of talent and resourcing including 10 years blue chip consulting experience, Kate has advised clients across a wide range of organisations to define and deliver better HR functions and services. Following her time with Deloitte, Kate worked independently with a range of large international clients before moving in-house to Standard Chartered Bank, where she led large-scale global change programmes before transitioning into Global Talent roles. Currently, Kate works as the CPO at Clyde & Co, a leading international law firm. A strong strategic leader, Kare focuses on driving change within HR functions, through operating model, product design and technology programmes.

Thomas Otter
Venture Capitalist, Acadian Ventures
Thomas joined Acadian Ventures in March 2022 as a General Partner. Prior to Acadian Ventures, Thomas ran Otter Advisory where he advised companies such as Workday, Ultimate Software, Personio, Unit4, HiBoB, 360Learning, SmartRecruiters, Staffbase, Peakon, and many more. Additionally, he worked with private equity and growth equity firms including Warburg Pincus, Scottish Equity Partners, PSG, Goldman Sachs, and Blackstone Group on M&A strategy, negotiations and due diligence. In addition to being a limited partner in Acadian Ventures first fund he has also been an active angel investor in companies including Reveal, Growblocks, and Maki. Before launching Otter Advisory, Thomas led the product management organisation at SAP SuccessFactors, scaling it to more than $1B in annual recurring revenue. with over 50 million global users. Thomas also was a research vice president at Gartner Group where he led proprietary research in HR and HR Technology.

Johannes Sundlo
People Director, Avalanche Studios Group
Johannes Sundlo is an HR leader and AI strategist with over 15 years of experience. He has helped global companies develop AI strategies for their organisations, leadership teams, and HR departments. Johannes has previously worked at Spotify, where he contributed to the company’s rapid growth. He also hosts the Fullstack HR newsletter, where he discusses the future of HR and technology from a practical perspective.