About this event
Join us at the CIPD Thrive Conference 2026 on 15 October at Aviva Stadium, Dublin.
The CIPD Thrive Conference brings together business leaders, HR professionals, academics and organisational experts to explore the relationship between performance, productivity and people.
Focusing on trust, leadership, organisational effectiveness and wellbeing, the conference will showcase the latest research, real-world case studies and practical frameworks that help organisations improve productivity, strengthen engagement, build trust, develop capability and achieve sustainable business results.
Delegates will leave with evidence-based insights, actionable tools and measurable examples they can apply within their own organisations.
Secure your place today and join a community of people professionals and business leaders committed to creating thriving workplaces and sustainable organisational performance.
Agenda
Morning sessions
Welcome
📌The Thrive Equation: Performance, productivity, trust and wellbeing
Speaker: Meg Dunphy, Policy, Content and Engagement Lead, CIPD
📌Research panel: Performance by design
Speakers:
📌Keynote session: The Leadership Multiplier: Trust, safety and sustainable success
Speaker: Aoife O'Brien, Leadership and culture strategist, author of “Thriving Talent” and podcaster
📌 Experience zones and networking
Where conference themes come to life through practical tools, fresh thinking and peer discussion.
📌Panel: The people advantage; from strategy to results
Speakers:
- Amy Martin, Equality, diversity and inclusion partner, John Sisk
- Additional organisational case studies 
- Additional speakers to be announced
Chair: Joyce Rigby Jones, Chair, CIPD Ireland Board of Directors
📌Fireside conversation: From CPO to CEO: Seeing business through a people lens
Speaker: Jean O’Sullivan, CEO, Bus Éirean
Chair: Meg Dunphy, Policy, Content and Engagement Lead, CIPD
Afternoon sessions:
📌The Thrive exchange: Facilitated roundtable expert-led conversations.
Topics:
- AI, workforce transformation and work design
- Commercial impact, risk and organisational performance
- Evidence, insight and measurement
- Manager capability and leadership confidence
- Sustainable performance and human sustainability
- Trust, culture and employee voice
- Wellbeing, health and attendance
Chair: Linda Waters, Senior Employer Solutions Manager, CIPD
📌Panel: Beyond efficiency: How AI can create better work and better outcomes
Speakers:
- Will Fitzgerald, Associate Director, Scientific & Capability, Novartis
- Declan Fitzgerald, Hireovate 
- Additional speakers to be announced
Chair: Linda Waters, Senior Employer Solutions Manager, CIPD
📌Closing keynote: The future we choose
Speaker: To be announced soon
Group booking offer: Receive a 15% discount when booking four or more places.
Interested in exhibiting? Contact us at events@cipd.ie.
Please Note
Cancellations MUST be notified in writing.
No refund can be made for cancellations received after 1 October 2026. A substitution may be made at any time.
CIPD reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the event or change its associated programme or substitute a speaker. In the event of cancellation, liability is limited to the amount of registration only.
For your security and peace of mind, CIPD and its subsidiaries will not supply your details to any organisation for marketing purposes. By submitting this request you confirm that you agree to the use of your information as set out in CIPD’s privacy policy. We reserve the right to include your name in a list of delegates at the event.
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Professional photography and video production may be taking place at the event and these images may be used on future promotional materials for CIPD. Please note that by attending the event, you are giving your consent for your image to be used on any CIPD promotional materials.
