About this event
Support, insights & real solutions for people professionals—collaborate, share, and solve together.
Are you a people professional working in a small team or just want different perspectives of a challenge you are currently facing?
This event is designed to connect people professionals, giving you a space to share challenges, exchange insights, and gain practical solutions through the power of peer collaboration.
Using Action Learning Sets, a structured but informal approach, you’ll have the opportunity to bring real workplace issues, tap into collective experience, and leave with fresh ideas and strategies to tackle them. No theory—just real conversations, real solutions, and a network of like-minded professionals.
Join us for a session that’s all about support, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Timings
18:30 - Arrival, refreshments, networking
19:00 - Event begins
21:00 - Close and depart
About the speakers
Mike Bates: Learning and Development, Organisational Design specialist and Business Psychologist.
Mike has extensive experience in people development, established over twenty years of working in dynamic and challenging environments internationally. He has proven leadership capability and experience, from a successful military career, he uses this expertise to develop leaders and teams within organisations to develop and grow whilst being commercially aware. His wealth of experience working across many industries and sectors enables me to understand and engage with people and organisations, at all levels to offer effective development solutions.
Specialties: Leadership and Management Development, Team Development and Executive Coaching
Sarah Fitton: Career Coach, Interview Skills trainer, HR Lecturer and Apprenticeship Development Coach
With a background in business change and a career which was seen her work for a variety of large, blue-chip, global organisations, Sarah now spends her time designing and teaching on CIPD programmes and HR apprenticeships from L3 through to L7. Sarah is a big advocate for creating a positive employee experience and helping people professionals to showcase the value that HR can bring to an organisation.
Passionate about bringing theory and concepts to life, Sarah loves to design highly interactive classroom experiences and to provide coaching and mentoring support to HR apprentices to enhance professional practice. Sarah is also a CCS-licensed career counsellor who helps others find fulfilling careers, navigate challenging job markets and build a strong personal brand while helping to improve the candidate experience through her interview skills training for managers.
Specialties: Career coaching, CIPD programme design and delivery, HR apprenticeships, business change and management development
Sarah Luke: Learning and Development Consultant; CIPD Associate Facilitator; EDI Consultant; CIPD Herts Branch Volunteer
With 19+ years in Learning & Development and 10 years in coaching, Sarah has worked across Retail, Financial Services, Publishing, Charity, NHS and Local Government. She designs and delivers bespoke development interventions, helping teams and individuals grow.
A dynamic facilitator and coach, Sarah brings energy and authenticity to every session, ensuring learning is impactful and engaging. Her expertise spans curriculum design, development consultancy, and change management. She is an MBTI, FIRO-B and TKI practitioner, Action Learning Set facilitator, and advocate for neurodivergent strengths and menopause awareness in the workplace.
Specialties: L&D, Coaching, Action Learning Sets, MBTI, FIRO-B, TKI, EDI, Change Management, Menopause & Neurodivergence Advocacy
Please note:
- Reminder emails will be sent to you the day before, with a further reminder on the day of the event.
- Photography and video production may be taking place at the event, and these images may be used in the CIPD newsletters.
- By attending the event, you are giving consent for your image to be used on any CIPD promotional materials.
- As we are supplying refreshments, if you can no longer attend, please cancel your place either on Eventbrite, or by responding to the confirmation email.
- This event may include an external speaker who has prepared their own presentation. Any views or opinions expressed by the speaker are their own and do not reflect those of the CIPD.
- Please note that refunds for CIPD non-member tickets will only be available until seven days prior to the event, any cancelled tickets after this will not receive a refund.
- If you require any reasonable adjustments to enhance your experience, please get in contact with us by responding to this email and we will do our best to accommodate
