🗓️ Thursday 22nd January 2026
🕐 13:00 - 14:00 GMT
📍 Online
How do we create workplaces where people feel valued, connected and inspired to stay, especially when change is constant?
Join the Karen McAllen, CEO at the Agile Business Consortium for an engaging conversation with Liz Jewitt-Cross, Gemma Hood and Nebel Crowhurst, HR and Culture Leaders as they unpack what drives engagement in today’s busy and ever-changing work environments. Together, they’ll explore how principles often associated with agile ways of working, like empowerment, transparency and continuous learning, can help organisations strengthen employee experience and retention. Expect fresh perspectives and meaningful discussion on building healthier, more collaborative cultures in the workplace.
Key Takeaways
- What Truly Drives Engagement in Evolving Workplaces, gain clarity on the core factors that help people feel valued, connected and motivated, regardless of organisational structure or industry.
- How to Build a Culture That Supports Belonging and Retention: listen to ideas on how to create trust, transparency and a sense of purpose, ensuring environments where people feel inspired to stay and contribute.
- Applying Human-Centred Principles Found in Agile Ways of Working, discover how concepts such as empowerment, adaptive leadership, psychological safety and continuous learning strengthen engagement, without needing a formal agile background.
- Insights from HR and Culture Experts, hear firsthand experiences and perspectives that help organisations evolve their culture to meet modern employee expectations.
Who should attend
- HR professionals (HRBPs, HR Managers, People Partners, Talent Leads)
- Leaders and managers, looking to strengthen team engagement & evolve their culture
- Internal communications teams, supporting culture and engagement programmes
- L&D and training professionals
Speakers
Karen Mcallen
Karen has extensive experience in business leadership across multiple functions. As the Consortium’s CEO, Karen oversees daily operations and leads the development of our exceptional team, ensuring alignment with our strategic objectives and the evolving needs of agile practitioners and businesses.
Karen is passionate about creating environments where teams can thrive and adapt to ever-changing business landscapes.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with her family, staying active at the gym, and indulging in true crime podcasts.
Nebel Crowhurst
Passionate about shaping workplaces where people and culture thrive, Nebel partners with organisations to build people strategies that unlock potential and drive meaningful, lasting change. Her career spans global brands and high-growth, PE-backed businesses including Virgin, River Island, Roche, and Reward Gateway, where she served as Chief People Officer during its $1.45bn acquisition, and becoming the world’s first Chief Appreciation Officer.
Recognised on HR Magazine’s Most Influential List (2021–2025) and a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, Nebel is dedicated to elevating the impact of HR as a driver of business performance and human connection. She now works as a Fractional Chief People Officer and Board Advisor, helping purpose-led companies build future-ready cultures where people truly flourish.
Gemma Hood
Gemma is the founder of Culturehood, a people and culture consultancy for creative and scaling agencies. She helps businesses build strong culture foundations that reduce turnover, improve communication, and create workplaces where talented people want to stay.
She leads the development of practical people strategies through collaborative discovery, strengthening leadership and enhancing team performance. Through project work and long-term retainers, Gemma acts as a strategic people partner as agencies grow.
Passionate about creating environments where people do their best work, Gemma is dedicated to helping founders build positive, high-performing cultures.
Liz Jewitt-Cross
Liz Jewitt-Cross is the Founder of Future HR Consulting, partnering with CEOs, Boards and People Teams on business, HR and transformation strategy. She is also an Advisory Partner and Executive Coach with The Coaching Solution, supporting senior leaders to elevate capability, confidence and impact.
With over 20 years’ experience as a transformational business leader and former Chief People & Transformation Officer, she has delivered high-impact international growth, change and digital transformation across multiple sectors. Her expertise spans performance revitalisation, omni-channel operating model evolution, culture and leadership uplift, and customer and employee experience transformation. She has supported global brands, listed companies, SMEs and scale-ups across retail, consumer, tech, finance, hospitality and healthcare. Her portfolio includes work with M&S, Pets at Home, Co-op, Sweaty Betty, New Look, American Express, Starling Bank and many others.
She brings deep capability in executive coaching, organisation development, talent strategy, and Board advisory. Purpose-driven at her core, she also dedicates time to pro bono coaching and supports causes focused on health, animal rescue and child welfare.