City HR Annual Conference

Dr Grace Lordan is a LSE professor, global public speaker and thought leader. She is the Founding Director of The Inclusion Initiative and the creator of the MSc in Behavioural Science at the LSE. Grace is an expert on labour market skills, building productive organisations, inclusive leadership, women’s progress in the workplace, the future of work and individual success. Grace served as an expert advisor to the UK government sitting on their skills and productivity board. She currently leads the £2 million ESRC funded diversity and productivity from education to work (DAPEW) project. Her academic writings have been published in top international journals and she has written for the Financial Times, Fortune, Fast Company, MIT Sloan Management Review , Reuters and Harvard Business Review. Grace is a regular speaker, educator and advisor to blue chip finance and technology firms. Think Big, Take Small Steps and Build the Future you Want, is her first book.

Lyndsey Simpson is the Founder and CEO of 55/Redefined; the global leader in enterprise age intelligence and technology solutions and is flying the flag for all those people who may be getting older…but who have absolutely no intention of slowing down. With exclusive access to unique data and insights regarding the over-50s workforce, Lyndsey is the leading authority on this age group and a subject matter expert in our ageing population. Her commitment to enabling everyone, everywhere, to feel inspired and not retired is redefining this next stage of life for millions. This is delivered by working with the world’s largest organisations to future-proof their businesses with an age strategy that recognises and releases the immense value that age brings to the workplace. Lyndsey’s entrepreneurial achievements have earned her recognition as one of the ‘UK’s Top 35 Businesswomen’ by Management Today and The Sunday Times, and she is listed among the UK’s ‘50 Most Inspirational Female Entrepreneurs.’ Her insights on ageing populations, entrepreneurship and the future of work, have been featured in prominent media outlets including the FT, ITV, Sky, City AM, Yahoo Finance, The Guardian and The Independent and in 2024 she was shortlisted for the prestigious Veuve Clicquot Bold Future Award, highlighting her impact on the business landscape. Her book, “The Age Rebellion: Plan Your Future and Thrive,” will be published globally in May 2026 by Hachette.

Former CEO, CIPD

For nearly two decades, Mary-Clare (MC) has coached individuals and advised businesses in the UK and the US on creating environments where people can thrive. She is passionate about finding innovative ways to apply insights from psychology to solving workplace challenges. MC believes that with the right tools, anyone can succeed. A recognized expert in her field, MC’s research has been published in several journals, including Frontiers in Psychology, among many others. She serves as a Board advisor to various organizations in the Mental Health and DEI sectors, and she lectures at University College London and Columbia Business School.

Meena is an experienced Human Resources professional. She was latterly the Managing Director and Chief HR Officer for the 30,000 strong Global Business Services arm of Standard Charted Bank. In addition to being the CEO for the City HR Association, Meena serves as a Non-executive Director at both CNWL NHS Foundation Trust and Origin Housing. She is also a Trustee for the Community Schools, Multi Academy Trust and a Board Advisor for an HR publication based in Asia. Meena is on the Inspire List (Trustees Unlimited) and has been recognised as one of the 100 Women to watch to be a FTSE 350 NED by Cranfield in 2021. In addition to her Board work and CEO role, Meena recently founded The Careers Company, a career development company focused on the career success of diverse employee groups.

Group Chief People Officer, BMS Group; Chair, City HR

Nick is Head of the Employment Group at Charles Russell Speechlys LLP. He is hugely experienced both in the Employment Tribunals, Civil Courts and in Arbitration and has conducted cases involving discrimination, whistle-blowing and business protection (e.g. team moves and restrictive covenants) to name but a few. Nick’s non-contentious experience covers a wide spectrum of work ranging from advising on complex employment and remuneration documentation, giving strategic advice on reorganisation programmes and all sorts of business transfers and TUPE. Nick works across a number of sectors, but has particular experience advising businesses and senior professionals operating within financial services. He is able to offer a rare breadth of expertise in this space to navigate what is a unique working environment. Nick is a prolific contributor to newspapers and journals, regularly lectures on employment law issues, has appeared on radio and TV and has contributed chapters to a number of books. He is recognised as a world leading practitioner in Who’s Who Legal. Nick is also recognised as leading individual for Employment in The Legal 500 and in Chambers & Partners for Employment and highly recommended in the Lexology Index 2026.

Managing Director, Compensation at JP Morgan Chase Vice Chair, City HR

Emma Djemil is an HR professional turned coach, speaker and viral content creator who has built a reputation for making HR and People professionals laugh by saying out loud what they’ve been muttering under their breath for years. After an 18-year career in HR, Emma now helps women in leadership get the clarity, confidence and courage to create a life that’s bigger than their work. Combining her corporate experience with a Certificate in Applied Neuroscience, certification as a One of many® women’s coach and accreditation as a Brain and Behaviour Change Practitioner, she is the creator of Humans Resourced ® – a movement built on the belief that no one should go home from work worse than when they arrived. Whether she’s coaching leaders, speaking on stage or creating comedy that’s been viewed hundreds of thousands of times online, Emma uses humour to shine a light on the realities of modern work. Her audiences leave feeling seen, understood and inspired to think differently about the way they work, lead and show up for themselves.

Partner, Workforce Transformation, Mercer

HR Transformation Lead, Mercer

Previous City HR Chair, Chair Institute of Risk Management, NED, Advisor, Executive Coach, Past Master HR Professionals

Previous City HR Chair, Managing Director, Global CHRO of Wholesale Banking at Societe Generale

Previous City HR Chair, Senior HR Leader, HR Business Partner, Head of HR, NED, Consultant, AI Ambassador

Previous City HR Chair, Head of Private Banking, C. Hoare & Co.