Attend the 2023 Graduate Development Program Leaders' Summit

2023 GDP Summit Agenda (past)

November 8th, 2023 - London, UK

08:00

Breakfast & Networking

08:30

Welcome & Introductions

09:00

Opening Keynote

Chief University Partnerships Officer at JobTeaser & Associate Professor at IE Business School

Dr. Amber Wigmore Alvarez

Early Talent Development and Diversity & Inclusion: Can we be experts at both?

In recent years, many organizations have united early talent development and diversity and inclusion under one umbrella – often putting both functions under a single leader. On the face of it, this makes a lot of sense; nourish a diverse pipeline at its roots by bringing diversity to your emerging talent and building it up for the future. After all, the current generation of new recruits is significantly more diverse overall than prior generations. But is uniting these two functions the best approach to building a diverse, high-performing workforce? Some say that both functions are big enough on their own to warrant individual focus, and that diversity initiatives should permeate all generations of employees. Join Dr. Amber Wigmore Alvarez for an exploration of the increasing alignment of diversity and early talent development. Where might this alignment take us? What should we watch out for? And how can you shape the direction your organization takes regarding both functions?

10:00

Networking Break

10:15

Panel Discussion A

Director EMEA Early in Salesforce Career Program

Siobhán Boucher

Global Early Talent Manager / D&I at GSK

Laurianne Griffiths

Joint Chief Executive at ISE

Stephen Isherwood

Acumen from Behind the Screen: Are they Ready for the (non-home) Office?

Have you been finding that your newest program participants’ confidence level and business acumen are a little “off.” There has always been an office culture gap to cross in on-boarding new graduates (and a traditional gripe about “kids these days”), but with so much happening virtually in recent years it often seems like that gap has been widening. How can we help today’s emerging talent professionals quickly understand how a professional environment works? How can we help them become more productive more quickly – and avoid awkward mistakes? In this session, a panel of practitioners will lead discussion on tactics employed to bridge the gap. What’s worked and what hasn’t? What changes are we willing to make in our programs, and our expectations, to accommodate them?

11:15

Networking Break

11:30

Community Interactive Session

Topic Tables: ‘Idea Snack” discussions

The landscape of managing early talent pipeline programs has changed dramatically over the past twelve months. The best help we get is from each other. What is your most pressing challenge as you navigate the new environment? Where do you need ideas, guidance or validation from your peers? Choose from several “topic tables” for open group discussion in this interactive community session. Stay with the same group, or pop in and out of these moderated intimate chats. Leave with ideas and confidence. Would you like to propose a topic for discussion?

12:30

Lunch

13:30

Panel Discussion B

Founder at The Talent Lighthouse

Anna Champion

Sr. Mgr.-Global Talent Strategy & Programs

Jo Shields

Early Talent Program Manager EMEA at Eaton

Zita Szabó

Building a Global Voice with a Local Accent

As mobility re-enters the architecture of our graduate programs, we need our participants to be both globally and locally fluent. While it’s easier than ever for participants to interact virtually with colleagues in other regions, are they really prepared to make an impact in geographies outside of their comfort zone – whether in different countries, or simply other offices? How can we be more intentional about helping our participants develop a global mindset and still remain sensitive to the local customs that lubricate business? And how well equipped are we to deliver the operational logistics that go into moving someone across borders and keeping them productive? In this interactive panel discussion we’ll hear from several graduate program managers in the thick of making these decisions. How do we identify and develop skills needed in a particular region? How do we manage compensation? How do we track progress in an impactful way? How do we entice participants to switch geographies when they aren’t inclined to? Join us for these questions and more.

14:30

Networking Break

14:45

"Rapid Fire" Session

A popular session format for LDP Connect events. Participant volunteers share a best practice, learning or challenge with the audience in 7 minutes or less. A quick exchange of actionable ideas, and an efficient introduction to others who may be wresting with the same challenge you’re wrestling with.

15:45

Networking Break

16:00

Panel Discussion C

Head of Early Careers Resourcing at BBC

Karen White

Early Talent Attraction Lead at Accenture

Sam Turnpenny

Country Human Resources Manager - UK at GE Healthcare

Ravi Kishore Dyta

Productive Altruism: Service Activities as a Tool for Competency Development

Getting our program participants involved in socially conscious activities is nothing new. Many programs formalize “giving back” through service activities that connect participants to the community and reflect well on the firm. But are we fully leveraging the potential impact of volunteer experiences? Many firms today are tying their products and services tightly into the narrative of making a better tomorrow. To what extent are those firms identifying competencies in their high-performers that can be developed or reinforced through socially impactful activities? To what extent can early talent program managers be intentional about building socially conscious activities into the program specifically to build these competencies? And let’s speak plainly: yes, being socially conscious is good in and of itself. But given the pressures program managers feel to deliver ROI, can community service actually increase our participants’ productivity? Join this panel for an exploratory discussion of how we might push program community service beyond altruism and into a powerful development mechanism for tomorrow’s leaders.