With special guest speakers: Neil Carberry OBE, Chief Executive of CIPD & John Garland MD Growing Vision Ltd

Leading Above the Line: accountability, influence and confidence for HR Professionals in a volatile world – join us for an interesting and interactive session with Neil Carberry OBE, CIPD’s new Chief Executive and John Garland Managing Director, Growing Vision Ltd.

Join us for an evening of insightful CPD and the opportunity to meet the CIPD's new Chief Executive during his first visit to the South West. Hear directly from Neil about his vision and priorities for the profession, with the opportunity to ask questions and share your own perspectives.

John will lead us through a journey of self-discovery and development considering the following:

HR professionals and leaders are working through one of the most demanding periods in years. New employment law, complex cases and repeated rounds of redundancy put pressure on HR, and on the managers HR relies on. Many of those managers were promoted for their technical skill and left to work out leadership on their own. This interactive session looks at what it takes to lead with impact at every level of HR: holding yourself and others accountable, influencing people who don't want to change, and building managers who step up instead of shrinking back.

What you'll take away:

The Accountability Ladder: a simple tool for spotting when you, your team or your managers drop "below the line", and how to climb back up

Why capable managers stall, and how to target the one thing that's missing.

A practical way to influence in real time: read where someone is, choose the right approach, and tell real commitment from polite compliance.

Format

Highly interactive, with table work throughout. Bring your phone to take part in live polls and send in questions.

Guest speakers

Neil Carberry OBE – Chief Executive, CIPD

Neil joined the CIPD from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), where he has been Chief Executive since 2018. He previously led the CBI’s work on labour market, skills and employment relations, and brings more than 25 years’ experience across the HR and employment field. He is currently Chair of the CBI’s Trade Association Council and has held a number of influential public roles, including serving on the Council of ACAS and as a member of the Low Pay Commission. He was awarded an OBE in 2025 for services to business and the economy.

John Garland – Managing Director, Growing Vision Ltd based in Somerset

John Garland is Managing Director of Growing Vision Ltd and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership. For more than 24 years he has worked with directors, senior leadership teams and managers to build confident leaders and high-performing teams, across sectors from engineering and manufacturing to the charity sector. His work spans executive coaching, leadership programmes and team facilitation, with a focus on accountability, influence and turning strategy into delivery. He is a member of the Association for Coaching and a charity trustee, so he knows first-hand the realities of leading volunteers and stretched teams. His sessions are practical, interactive and grounded in real workplace challenges.

Joining instructions

Guest speakers

Some events may include external speakers. Any views or opinions expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CIPD.

Accessibility and reasonable adjustments

If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your participation, please contact us and we'll do our best to accommodate your needs.

Description supplied by the event organiser.