We're thrilled to be preparing for the Recruitment and HR Reset Conference, in partnership with Roythornes Solicitors, taking place on 24th February 2026. This is a must-attend event for any senior HR professional operating within the food industry!
From October 2026, the way we hire, retain and support employees is going to change. With new employment rights coming into force, it is more important than ever to hire the right people and get your processes right from the very start. Brought to you by Roythornes Solicitors and MorePeople, we’ll explore the upcoming changes in detail, whilst assessing the best practices for recruitment within your business.
As we confirm even more news and guest speakers, we will update this page, so check back often! For now, take a look below at what's to come...
Event Details
Date: Tuesday 24th February 2026
Location: KingsGate Conference Centre, Peterborough, PE1 4YT
Time: 9 am-2 pm (including a networking breakfast and lunch)
We will explore…
Employment Law updates – key changes and what they mean for your business.
What makes a good recruitment process – why it fails and how to make it work.
The candidate’s point of view – considering their challenges.
We’re delighted to announce Phil Cookson as our first confirmed speaker! Phil leads the Employment team at Roythornes Solicitors and brings deep expertise in employment rights, helping organisations prepare for legislative shifts and practical risk management. He’ll be sharing key insights on the upcoming Employment Rights Bill and actions HR teams should be considering now. Phil has spent much of the last year advising clients on how to get themselves into shape before the changes become law to avoid ‘Day 1’ mistakes and possible claims. The majority of his clients are from the agricultural and food sectors, where Phil advises on a variety of cases such as disciplinary issues, senior-level restructuring, TUPE, redundancy and contractual issues.
2. Aggie Mutuma, CEO, Mahogany Inclusion Partners
Aggie is a multi-award-winning Inclusion and Anti-Racism expert, Executive Coach, and captivating speaker. With over 25 years of experience in People Strategy, Aggie equips HR leaders with the mindset shifts and practical tools needed to challenge limiting beliefs and embed inclusion as a business-critical strategy. Aggie engages executive leaders and their teams to deliver transformative, inclusive culture strategies. Her unique ability to create judgment-free spaces empowers leaders to align their actions with core values, catalysing meaningful cultural transformation. As recruitment continues to evolve, new legislation is reshaping how organisations hire and retain talent, making these skills increasingly critical.
Her recent accolades include being voted as the UK’s 5th Most Influential HR Thinker in 2024 and top 20 in 2025.
As a trusted advisor for the CIPD and an engaging speaker, Aggie has delivered powerful insights at prestigious events, including CBI conferences, FTSE 100 organisations, and numerous CIPD Annual Conferences. Her impact spans global FTSE 100 companies, the third sector, the public sector and central and local government.
In leading Black Inclusion Week, having a role in the Mayor of London’s Women in Digital taskforce and as a board advisor for the Women’s Institute, Aggie demonstrates her active commitment to driving change across society.
Her impactful, strategic and compassionately challenging approach continues to make her a sought-after expert in organisational culture, anti-racism and inclusion.
Adam brings over two decades of experience in financial and professional services, having worked with a diverse portfolio of clients, from SMEs and corporate enterprises to real estate businesses. He will be sharing his first-hand experience of a good recruitment process and how it helps to set a candidate up for success within an organisation.
Before joining Roythornes, he led Barclays UK Agriculture and Landed Estates, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the bank’s strategy for rural and agricultural clients. Adam’s expertise lies in driving strategic growth, transforming organisations, and enhancing client experience. His leadership focuses on fostering a culture of innovation and engagement, ensuring that both clients and employees thrive in an evolving legal landscape. His ability to navigate change and deliver sustainable commercial growth has made him a respected figure in the industry. Beyond his role at Roythornes, Adam contributes his strategic insight as a board member of several large land-owning charities, helping to shape their long-term direction. His passion for business, people, and progress continues to define his approach to leadership.
Having led teams and worked extensively across permanent and interim recruitment, Richard brings deep sector knowledge, credibility and hands-on experience. As a senior leader at MorePeople, he oversees the day-to-day management of the recruitment team and works closely with food, produce and agricultural businesses to ensure hiring decisions translate into long-term success - not just day-one relief.
Richard will challenge the idea that recruitment success is achieved when an offer is accepted. Instead, he’ll focus on why the first 90 days are where most hiring decisions truly succeed - or quietly unravel - particularly in food, fresh produce and agricultural environments.
Drawing on real-world examples from manufacturing sites, packing facilities and seasonal operations, Richard will explore where early hires most commonly fall away: the pre-start phase, weeks two to six, and the first performance conversations. He’ll explain why many early leavers were actually good hires who weren’t set up to win.
Richard will unpack the critical difference between induction and onboarding, why onboarding really starts during the interview process, and how unclear expectations, busy operations and “assumed ownership” create risk. The session will offer practical insight into what effective onboarding looks like in high-pressure, operational environments - including early clarity on what good looks like, regular check-ins, and simple structures that protect retention when demand is at its peak.
Richard began his recruitment career in Stamford in 2005, learning his trade in the fresh produce and food sectors. He has since held recruitment leadership roles in the UK and internationally, working both within and outside the food industry.
5. Suzanne James, People & Culture Director, Fairfax Meadow
Suzanne is a Senior HR leader with over 25 years’ experience across people strategy, organisational development and executive leadership within the food service sector. She has operated at Board and Executive level, delivering transformation, cultural change and commercially focused HR initiatives.
Alongside her corporate career, Suzanne is a certified Mindset & Success Coach and NLP Master Coach. She is a passionate advocate for women in leadership, actively mentoring and leading initiatives to increase female representation and support multi-generational workforces.
In her session, Suzanne will translate recent employment law changes into clear, practical business implications. Moving beyond legal theory, she will explore what the legislation means day to day - from leadership behaviours and people processes to risk, culture and compliance. Attendees will leave with pragmatic strategies to respond confidently and use legislative change to strengthen performance, engagement and trust.
6. Sean Sankey, Head of Executive Development, MorePeople
Sean is Head of Executive Development at MorePeople, bringing 20 years of experience developing leaders at a variety of organisations including Google, HP, Knight Frank, Rijk Zwaan, Organic Herd, the NHS and many more.
In his session, Sean will speak directly to two of the biggest challenges facing our industries: succession planning for retiring leaders and developing director-level talent from rising stars within our organisations.
Challenging conventional wisdom, he'll examine whether traditional leadership development approaches, majoring on classroom training, are really adequate to deliver what we're after. Or whether we need to rethink how we develop senior talent within our businesses. He'll offer immediate takeaways for HR leaders that need to spark meaningful conversations within their executive teams about the future health of their business and the retention of their best people.
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