It’s time to party again…

#CareersFest Friday 18th October 2024, online, 9am – 4.30pm

We had such a blast last year we’re coming back even bigger and better this year!  Hit the link below to find out more about #CareersFest2024 and grab yourself a ticket before they’re all gone, or take a look at the page below to see more about what went down at the party of the year in 2023.

Find out more about #CareersFest2024

As soon as you purchase a ticket you’ll be sent an email with further details about what happens next and the webinar link etc to join the festival will be sent in due course.  We are aware some firewalls (especially schools) are blocking these so please contact us if you do not receive an email.  Once purchased, tickets are non-refundable.

Careers in Careers Festival 2023 – Event now over.

14th November 2023 – 9.30am – 3.30pm GMT (online) – Event has now finished – contact us to find out about #CareersFest2024

The modern workforce is much changed and critical to the success of individuals, employers and the whole economy are Careers Professionals.  We need to be loud and proud, to value ourselves and the work we do, so others will follow suit.  This celebration festival does just that, with a chance to network, share best practice and learn how we keep growing as a sector.  As Alex Pye, Careers Professional, recently said,

“our #careersimpact isn’t just measured by outcomes for our clients; our impact can also be measured by the time, energy and investment we make in each other as a community.”

Event ended – contact to find out about #Careersfest2024

As soon as you purchase a ticket you’ll be sent an email with further details about what happens next and the webinar link etc to join the festival will be sent in due course.  We are aware some firewalls (especially schools) are blocking these so please contact us if you do not receive an email.  Once purchased, tickets are non-refundable.

Main Stage (Sponsored by The Career Development Institute)

We’re still finalising the details with some of our acts right now but here is the brilliant line up we can already share…

Welcome

with Caroline Green (The Talent Cycle) 

A warm welcome from Caroline Green, founder of the Talent Cycle, Career Development Expert and Mastermind behind the Careers In Careers Celebration Festival.

Keynote

with  David Morgan (The CDI)

David will reflect on the importance of the careers profession and the #CDIBigListen research showing how careers professionals feel hugely proud but undervalued for their work.  The CDI are working with others such as the CDPG to raise the profile of the profession and increase recognition for the value it adds. This requires data evidencing the impact of the profession and sharing great #careersimpact stories of how careers interactions have benefited individuals.

What’s Your Strength?

with Katherine Jennick, ‘What’s Your Strength?’

Katherine, creator of the award winning ‘What’s Your Strength?’ cards for adults and young people, will discuss the importance of using a strength-based approach to support the personal development of our clients AND ourselves!  She’ll be celebrating the depth and breadth of the skills and strengths of the CDP workforce with an opportunity for individuals to recognise their own skills and strengths.

The Future of Work

with Liz Willets, flexible work recruiter and Founder of Investing in Women Careers and Gina Visram, Careers Coach and Consultant

The work of Careers Professionals is about #somuchmorethantalkingaboutjobs, and in this session Liz will discuss the future for work, what Careers Professionals can do to support clients to take their whole self to work, to thrive in flexible workplaces and to understand new cultures and environments in the modern workplace.  Gina will be adding to this to further discuss getting the balance between work and life, including successful relationships whilst having a successful career.

Getting Stakeholder Buy-In

Panel discussion: Jessica Pieri (The Careers People), Joanna Lott (Joanna Lott Coaching), Danny Mirza (Careers Consultant) and Farrah Burke (The Grad Coach)

In this panel discussion, we’ll be looking at what you can do to gain buy-in from stakeholders, whatever part of the sector you work in.  The panellists come from across the sector, including Joanna Lott discussing how to map out your coaching offer, communicate it effectively and charge a professional rate.  Whilst Jessica Pieri will discuss how to adapt your marketing offer depending on who you are aiming at, from school and students, to employers and beyond and Danny will talk about getting buy-in from other parts of the sector such as HE.  Farrah will also discuss how to help not only your clients market themselves, but how you get buy-in yoruself.

Using technology in Careers

Panel discussion: Chris Webb, RCDP, Careers Writer and Podcaster, Nick Boothroyd, MD & Founder, NaturallyTalentedMe, Jo Carrington, Morrisby and Deirdre Hughes OBE, Associate Professor 

We’ll be looking at how technology can shape careers practice and will further explore how AI tools are already impacting career development work and the ethics and policies around its use.  We’ll also all talk about how we can use all types of technology to enhance, not replace, careers services, whatever part of the sector you work in.

CPD for CDPs!

Panel discussion: Liane Hambly (Liane Hambly Associates), Polly Wiggins (Careers Consultant), Meena Anand (Portfolio NED, CEO and Founder, The Careers Company) & Vanessa Cowland, Learning and Development Manager (Otsuka, Europe)

The careers sector can be a tricky one to break into and navigate your way around.  In this panel discussion, we’ll be looking at ways to develop yourself, even when you’re on a tight budget and how to develop with opportunities around the sector.  Liane will discuss career management models, Polly will focus on networking and using research to move forward, Meena will talk about progressing the careers of all for diversity and Vanessa will reflect on how great development is also about focusing on your strengths and interests.

Supporting adults with Career Change

With Steve Jones (Morrisby)

Steve will give his ‘top tips’ on supporting clients with career change and how they can go about that; from building resilience/confidence and self-awareness to decision making and action planning, along with some tools on how to enable that.

Inclusive pathways

With Nicola Tuner (Senior Fair Access Adviser, UCAS), Ifza Shakoor (PhD researcher) and Daniel Pikett (Spatial Careers)

How we ensure clients and careers professionals secure the right career journey, for them.  From different pathways to overcoming barriers, how do we secure inclusivity for all and not just a ‘one size fits all’ approach?

Awards

Compered by Chris Targett, CXK Careers Adviser (RCDP) and Area Manager, Young People’s Careers Service Kent & Medway

In this final session of the day, we’ll be celebrating some of the amazing work and people in the sector.  The six awards will focus on different aspects of support; from the most supportive employer, to the individual/group who are supporting the sector by being its greatest advocate.  NOMINATIONS NOW CLOSED.

We’ll share further details on the final few sessions soon along with more exact details on when each session will be taking place.

Yes, all of that (thanks to our amazing sponsors) for the price of just £30 a ticket.  But wait!  There is more…

Event ended – contact to find out about #Careersfest2024

What is the ‘Why’ of protecting the sector?

0
pounds saved for every £1 spent on career support
0
% surveyed careers professionals leaving sector within 2 years
0
% more engaged employees with access to CPD
0
+ different exciting roles in the careers sector

The rest of the festival site…

If there is a session on the Main stage you don’t quite fancy, or to make the most of the break and lunch time slots between sessions on the Main Stage, why not have a mooch around the rest of the festival? No Henna tattoos on offer but lots of other exciting things, from great free resources over in the Market tent to a chance for some open networking in the Karaoke tent.

The ‘Karaoke’ Tent

Our profession can feel solitary at times, take a chance to network with like-minded professionals, share best practice, learn about other parts of the sector and generally ‘careers geek out’.  The networking stage will be open all day so you can pop in between Main Stage sessions, at breaks or as an alternative if any of the sessions don’t meet your needs.

The Market Tent (sponsored by Adviza)

The market/resources tent will be open throughout the festival day and all through the week so you’ve got plenty of time to access some great resources.  A brilliant place to pick up some really useful free and paid for resources which are currently on offer to help support careers professionals across the sector.  Take a tour around the tent any day of festival week and pick up some great finds to help enhance your practice.

Questions? Contact us now

Meet the team

Here are just some of the amazingly talented speakers and ambassadors helping The Talent Cycle to bring this innovative festival to you (watch this space as more are added…).

Caroline Green (Event Host)

Founder, The Talent Cycle

Caroline is a committed RCDP with over 18 years’ experience supporting clients to fulfil their career dreams through guidance, coaching and CV writing.  She’s also a Learning and Development professional, taking the Careers sector by storm to improve practice, mentor those new to the profession and with the support of The Talent Cycle team, she aims to #savethecareersector by raising visibility, improve understanding and pay and conditions, and encourage a future talent pipeline.

David Morgan (Speaker/Sponsor)

CEO, The CDI

David joined the CDI in April 2021 after a decade working in education, at City & Guilds and AQA, bringing experience of the vocational and academic arenas. As Chief Executive of the CDI he is responsible for steering the UK-wide professional body for career development.. David is a member of the Board of Careers England and represents the CDI on the Career Development Policy Group, on the WWF Sustainable Futures programme advisory group and on the Gatsby Foundation’s next 10 years review.

Nick Boothroyd (Speaker/Sponsor)

MD & Founder, NaturallyTalentedMe

Nick is a long-standing contributor to the Talent Acquisition community as a recruitment agency founder and TA Director for brands including The Rank Group, Prezzo, Merlin Entertainments, The Body Shop and BBC Studios.  A firm believer in the existence of talent and potential in everyone, he has used his wide range of experiences to design, build and deliver a digital employability platform that supports those furthest from the workplace to align their talents with new career opportunities.  Used to challenging his teams and clients to think differently and to ‘disrupt’ to benefit improved outcomes, he is an advocate for tech where it can add value.

Steve Jones (Speaker/Sponsor)

Account Manager, Morrisby

Steve is an Account Manager at Morrisby where I support Education providers in building careers programmes and evidencing their impact, through the use of a range of tools and resources.  He is also a qualified Careers Adviser having achieved his Level 6 qualification during an 8 year period working for Careers Wales, and has undertaken a Post-graduate Certificate in Career Development at Nottingham Trent University.

Jo Carrington (Speaker/Spomsor)

Head of Guidance, Morrisby

Jo is a level 7 qualified careers consultant with 15 years experience in careers, and further experience in other educational roles within schools, HE and FE. Her role at Morrisby ensures that good guidance practice is adhered to in the Morrisby products, alongside managing all the careers, subjects and courses content and data which appears on people’s Morrisby accounts and within our AI tool, Huxby. Prior to Morrisby she worked in HE at the London School of Economics where she gained her Level 7 Certificate in careers education information and guidance in higher education from the University of Warwick.

Nicola Turner (Speaker/Sponsor)

Senior Fair Access Adviser, UCAS

Nicola is Senior Fair Access Adviser at UCAS, where she has been involved in widening access and participation for students from under-represented and disadvantaged groups since she joined in 2016. A former teacher, Nicola is a strong believer in the transformative potential of education, and the importance of collaborative working to drive improvements for learners – whatever their background.

Jessica Pieri (Speaker/Sponsor)

Founder, The Careers People

Having spent 10 years in Recruitment, Training and Careers Education, Jess started The Careers Lady in 2018. Working with schools, education organisations and employers, alongside her Level 6 Careers Guidance and Leadership qualifications, provided her with a broad range of knowledge across the early careers sector.  After the demand for support rose, The Careers People was born; a collective of careers professionals supporting Schools, Young People, Education Companies and Employers.

Deirdre Hughes OBE (Speaker)

Associate Professor and Founding Director of CareerChat (UK) Ltd

Deirdre specialises in careers, employment and skills policies, research and practice at an international, national and regional level. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, Institute for Employment Research (IER) and Founding Director of CareerChat (UK) Ltd – a pioneering technology start-up company focused on career exploration and the effective use of artificial intelligence (AI). She is also Managing Director of dmh associates – an independent research and consultancy company.  In 2012, Deirdre was awarded an Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen for services to lifelong guidance.

Liane Hambly (Speaker)

Liane Hambly Associates

Liane has over 30 years of experience in career development as a coach, trainer, university lecturer and author. She is co-author of Creative Career Coaching (Routledge 2019), a best-selling book for career practitioners, and works with organisations worldwide to strengthen the confidence and skills of their practitioners. Whilst delivering keynotes and workshops worldwide, she continues to run her own career coaching and supervision practice.

Katherine Jennick (Speaker)

What’s Your Strength? 

Katherine is a creative and innovative RCDP with nearly 20 years’ experience. Throughout her career, she has  empowered young people to grow in confidence and fulfil their ambitions.  Katherine is the founder of What’s your strength?®, an award-winning activity to help people recognise their own skills and qualities, used across 15 different countries.  A passionate advocate of the careers community, alongside Bella Doswell (RCDP), she spearheaded the online campaign #SoMuchMoreThanTalkingAboutJobs.

Chris Webb (Speaker)

Career Consultant

Chris is RCDP currently working in the higher education sector, with experience of delivering CEIAG in schools, colleges, universities and adult guidance settings. A member of the Career Development Institute, AGCAS and the Careers Writers’ Association, and is a freelance careers writer, blogger and podcaster.  He co-hosts the CDI’s regular #WeAreCareers livestream show, and publishes a popular weekly careers newsletter via LinkedIn; ‘The Week in Careers’.

Meena Anand (Speaker)

 CEO, The Careers Company

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.  She currently 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, Meena recently founded The Careers Company a career development company focused on the career success of diverse employee groups.

Vanessa Cowland (Speaker)

Senior L&D Manager, Otsuka

As an experienced Learning professional who has always championed the careers industry, Vanessa has worked with careers advisors arranging Continuous Professional Development and training for new advisors, more recently she has designed and delivered Graduate and Apprentice programmes in a range of industries. Vanessa is currently working across Europe in a role that has allowed her to create an Internship this year and many more personal development opportunities for those working in the organisation. She is fully committed to unlocking people’s potential through creating great learning opportunities.

Ifza Shakoor (Speaker)

PhD Researcher/EDI Consultant

Ifza Shakoor is a final year PhD researcher at the University of Derby exploring equity, diversity and inclusion in England’s career development sector. She is passionate about empowering underrepresented groups and making the career field more inclusive. Ifza has 10+ years of experience in the education sector, including roles in training, research, school engagement and governance. She currently serves as an EDI Associate for the CDI and runs her own consultancy focused on organisational transformation. Ifza is also Chair of the EDI Committee at her university.

Polly Wiggins (Speaker)

Career Consultant and Writer

Polly is a freelance careers consultant, careers writer and avid careers nerd (her words, not ours, but it’s why we love her!), working as a careers writer, coach and tutor for a range of clients and organisations.

Elizbeth Willets (Speaker)

Investing in Women Careers

Elizabeth Willetts is the Founder of Investing in Women, helping family-friendly AND forward-thinking employers hire professionals looking for fulfilling flexible and part-time work. She is an experienced Recruiter with over 17 years of experience – both in-house at one of the Big 4 and from one of the UK’s largest recruitment agencies. She is a passionate believer in the power of part-time and flexible work to retain women in the workplace and close the gender pay gap.

Farrah Burke (Speaker)

The Graduate Coach

Farrah AKA The Graduate Coach is an accredited life coach & careers mentor, specialising in helping students & grads land roles quickly and easily after uni. She worked at a top management grad scheme employing early talent for 5+ years before retraining in coaching (Animas Centre for Coaching, 3D Coaching, ACC mentoring) & psychology (University of Toronto). Now with a community of 5k+ students & grads across Linkedin & Tiktok, she shares daily content on how grads can get noticed and hired with straight-talking, zero BS practical employability tips and psychological tools.

Joanna Lott (Speaker)

Joanna Lott Coaching

Joanna helps qualified coaches get clients with honesty not hype. There is a huge gap between qualifying as a coach and making it into a paid career and Joanna is passionate about empowering more people to gain the skills, know-how and confidence to do the work they love and get paid for it.

Gina Visram (Speaker)

Career Coach and Consultant

Gina’s full bio is coming soon but in the meantime we can tell you she’s another amazingly talented careers professional who we’re so excited to hear from!  Check out her LinkedIn link to find out more about Gina.

Danny Mirza (Speaker)

Careers Consultant

Danny is an AI/Tech-Savvy Careers Professional, a ChatGPT Trainer for CIAG and Co-Chair Midlands International Group and member of AGCAS student & Graduate Engagement task group.  He is also a personal branding enthusiast and LinkedInCredible mentor who provides career rocketing advice and guidance to University students.   His special area of expertise include international students, AI X careers, virtual reality for CIAG, and student engagement.

Daniel Pikett (Speaker)

SPATIAL Careers Founder

Daniel is a Neurodivergent Careers Professional RCDP, Careers Leader and Founder of SPATIAL Careers who champions inclusivity for those with SEND.  Full bio coming soon.

Chris Targett (Awards Compere)

CXK Careers Adviser/Area Manager

Chris is a career development professional who has worked in the education sector for over twenty years, he is a passionate advocate of people having all their options made available to them. He is a published author, illustrator, fine artist, and the current chair of the Careers Writers Association. He was named the CDI UK Careers Adviser of the Year 2021. He loves career theory and turning ideas into practice, as well as making information, advice, and guidance accessible and inclusive, to as many people as possible.

Debbie Dymock (Ambassador)

Northamptonshire Careers

Debbie is the owner of Northamptonshire Careers, a CDI registered Career Development Practitioner and professional CV Writer who co-founded and sits on the board of the British Association of CV Writers. Debbie is also an associate for a number of career coaching and CV writing organisations as well as being a Trainer and Assessor for the Career Development Institute.

Jake Richings (Ambassador)

Director of Authentic Engagement

Jake Richings is Director of Authentic Engagement, enabling leaders to make careers education more engaging for GenZ through workshops, CPD and digital content. Jake works with brands like The Co-operative and General Assembly creating resources that are played directly into schools or beamed across his social media channels, with the aim to better engage the next generation in their futures.

Dr William Donald (Ambassador)

Professor

Will is an Associate Professor of Sustainable Careers and Human Resource Management at the Ronin Institute (USA) and a Visitor at the University of Southampton (UK) as a guest of Professor Yehuda Baruch. Will has 50+ peer-reviewed publications on the topics of graduate employability and sustainable careers. His work has 25,000+ reads and 150+ recommendations (ResearchGate), and 650+ citations (Google Scholar). He is a Life and Performance Coach, a FLPI, an Associate Fellow of the AFHEA, a Member of the National Council of Psychotherapists (MNCP NP), and a Member of the CDI (MCDI). Before academia, Will worked as a Graduate Recruiter for an Investment Bank in London (UK), responsible for recruiting early talent.

Bella Doswell (Ambassador)

Career Transition Consultant

Bella is a Certified (Ontario, Canada) and Registered (UK) Careers Development Practitioner, currently working in Outplacement Service provision. She brings 17 years of global careers experience and has years of rigorous training in psychology, client-centred/psychodynamic counselling, and specialised career theory knowledge. Bella has provided career management expertise in HR Consultancy, publicly-funded service and Higher Education sectors. Bella’s weekly post on LinkedIn, ‘CDP Thought For The Week’, champions CDP professional identity and pride, aiming to unite CDPs to deliver a coherent message about what they do.

Event ended – contact to find out about #Careersfest2024

Meet the team

Here are just some of the amazingly talented speakers and ambassadors helping The Talent Cycle to bring this innovative festival to you (watch this space as more are added…).

Caroline Green (Event Host)

Founder, The Talent Cycle

Caroline is a committed RCDP with over 18 years’ experience supporting clients to fulfil their career dreams through guidance, coaching and CV writing.  She’s also a Learning and Development professional, taking the Careers sector by storm to improve practice, mentor those new to the profession and with the support of The Talent Cycle team, she aims to #savethecareersector by raising visibility, improve understanding and pay and conditions, and encourage a future talent pipeline.

David Morgan (Speaker/Sponsor)

CEO, The CDI

David joined the CDI in April 2021 after a decade working in education, at City & Guilds and AQA, bringing experience of the vocational and academic arenas. As Chief Executive of the CDI he is responsible for steering the UK-wide professional body for career development.. David is a member of the Board of Careers England and represents the CDI on the Career Development Policy Group, on the WWF Sustainable Futures programme advisory group and on the Gatsby Foundation’s next 10 years review.

Nick Boothroyd (Speaker/Sponsor)

MD & Founder, NaturallyTalentedMe

Nick is a long-standing contributor to the Talent Acquisition community as a recruitment agency founder and TA Director for brands including The Rank Group, Prezzo, Merlin Entertainments, The Body Shop and BBC Studios.  A firm believer in the existence of talent and potential in everyone, he has used his wide range of experiences to design, build and deliver a digital employability platform that supports those furthest from the workplace to align their talents with new career opportunities.  Used to challenging his teams and clients to think differently and to ‘disrupt’ to benefit improved outcomes, he is an advocate for tech where it can add value.

Steve Jones (Speaker/Sponsor)

Account Manager, Morrisby

Steve is an Account Manager at Morrisby where I support Education providers in building careers programmes and evidencing their impact, through the use of a range of tools and resources.  He is also a qualified Careers Adviser having achieved his Level 6 qualification during an 8 year period working for Careers Wales, and has undertaken a Post-graduate Certificate in Career Development at Nottingham Trent University.

Jo Carrington (Speaker/Spomsor)

Head of Guidance, Morrisby

Jo is a level 7 qualified careers consultant with 15 years experience in careers, and further experience in other educational roles within schools, HE and FE. Her role at Morrisby ensures that good guidance practice is adhered to in the Morrisby products, alongside managing all the careers, subjects and courses content and data which appears on people’s Morrisby accounts and within our AI tool, Huxby. Prior to Morrisby she worked in HE at the London School of Economics where she gained her Level 7 Certificate in careers education information and guidance in higher education from the University of Warwick.

Nicola Turner (Speaker/Sponsor)

Senior Fair Access Adviser, UCAS

Nicola is Senior Fair Access Adviser at UCAS, where she has been involved in widening access and participation for students from under-represented and disadvantaged groups since she joined in 2016. A former teacher, Nicola is a strong believer in the transformative potential of education, and the importance of collaborative working to drive improvements for learners – whatever their background.

Jessica Pieri (Speaker/Sponsor)

Founder, The Careers People

Having spent 10 years in Recruitment, Training and Careers Education, Jess started The Careers Lady in 2018. Working with schools, education organisations and employers, alongside her Level 6 Careers Guidance and Leadership qualifications, provided her with a broad range of knowledge across the early careers sector.  After the demand for support rose, The Careers People was born; a collective of careers professionals supporting Schools, Young People, Education Companies and Employers.

Deirdre Hughes OBE (Speaker)

Associate Professor and Founding Director of CareerChat (UK) Ltd

Deirdre specialises in careers, employment and skills policies, research and practice at an international, national and regional level. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, Institute for Employment Research (IER) and Founding Director of CareerChat (UK) Ltd – a pioneering technology start-up company focused on career exploration and the effective use of artificial intelligence (AI). She is also Managing Director of dmh associates – an independent research and consultancy company.  In 2012, Deirdre was awarded an Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen for services to lifelong guidance.

Liane Hambly (Speaker)

Liane Hambly Associates

Liane has over 30 years of experience in career development as a coach, trainer, university lecturer and author. She is co-author of Creative Career Coaching (Routledge 2019), a best-selling book for career practitioners, and works with organisations worldwide to strengthen the confidence and skills of their practitioners. Whilst delivering keynotes and workshops worldwide, she continues to run her own career coaching and supervision practice.

Chris Webb (Speaker)

Career Consultant

Chris is RCDP currently working in the higher education sector, with experience of delivering CEIAG in schools, colleges, universities and adult guidance settings. A member of the Career Development Institute, AGCAS and the Careers Writers’ Association, and is a freelance careers writer, blogger and podcaster.  He co-hosts the CDI’s regular #WeAreCareers livestream show, and publishes a popular weekly careers newsletter via LinkedIn; ‘The Week in Careers’.

Katherine Jennick (Speaker)

What’s Your Strength? 

Katherine is a creative and innovative RCDP with nearly 20 years’ experience. Throughout her career, she has  empowered young people to grow in confidence and fulfil their ambitions.  Katherine is the founder of What’s your strength?®, an award-winning activity to help people recognise their own skills and qualities, used across 15 different countries.  A passionate advocate of the careers community, alongside Bella Doswell (RCDP), she spearheaded the online campaign #SoMuchMoreThanTalkingAboutJobs.

Meena Anand (Speaker)

CEO The Careers Company

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.  She currently 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, Meena recently founded The Careers Company a career development company focused on the career success of diverse employee groups.

Vanessa Cowland (Speaker)

Senior L&D Manager, Otsuka

As an experienced Learning professional who has always championed the careers industry, Vanessa has worked with careers advisors arranging Continuous Professional Development and training for new advisors, more recently she has designed and delivered Graduate and Apprentice programmes in a range of industries. Vanessa is currently working across Europe in a role that has allowed her to create an Internship this year and many more personal development opportunities for those working in the organisation. She is fully committed to unlocking people’s potential through creating great learning opportunities.

Elizbeth Willets (Speaker)

Investing in Women Careers

Elizabeth Willetts is the Founder of Investing in Women, helping family-friendly AND forward-thinking employers hire professionals looking for fulfilling flexible and part-time work. She is an experienced Recruiter with over 17 years of experience – both in-house at one of the Big 4 and from one of the UK’s largest recruitment agencies. She is a passionate believer in the power of part-time and flexible work to retain women in the workplace and close the gender pay gap.

Farrah Burke (Speaker)

The Graduate Coach

Farrah AKA The Graduate Coach is an accredited life coach & careers mentor, specialising in helping students & grads land roles quickly and easily after uni. She worked at a top management grad scheme employing early talent for 5+ years before retraining in coaching (Animas Centre for Coaching, 3D Coaching, ACC mentoring) & psychology (University of Toronto). Now with a community of 5k+ students & grads across Linkedin & Tiktok, she shares daily content on how grads can get noticed and hired with straight-talking, zero BS practical employability tips and psychological tools.

Ifza Shakoor (Speaker)

PhD Researcher/EDI Consultant

Ifza Shakoor is a final year PhD researcher at the University of Derby exploring equity, diversity and inclusion in England’s career development sector. She is passionate about empowering underrepresented groups and making the career field more inclusive. Ifza has 10+ years of experience in the education sector, including roles in training, research, school engagement and governance. She currently serves as an EDI Associate for the CDI and runs her own consultancy focused on organisational transformation. Ifza is also Chair of the EDI Committee at her university.

Joanna Lott (Speaker)

Joanna Lott Coaching

Joanna helps qualified coaches get clients with honesty not hype. There is a huge gap between qualifying as a coach and making it into a paid career and Joanna is passionate about empowering more people to gain the skills, know-how and confidence to do the work they love and get paid for it.

Danny Mirza (Speaker)

Careers Consultant

Danny is an AI/Tech-Savvy Careers Professional, a ChatGPT Trainer for CIAG and Co-Chair Midlands International Group and member of AGCAS student & Graduate Engagement task group.  He is also a personal branding enthusiast and LinkedInCredible mentor who provides career rocketing advice and guidance to University students.   His special area of expertise include international students, AI X careers, virtual reality for CIAG, and student engagement.

Gina Visram (Speaker)

Career Coach and Consultant

Gina’s full bio is coming soon but in the meantime we can tell you she’s another amazingly talented careers professional who we’re so excited to hear from!  Check out her LinkedIn link to find out more about Gina.

Polly Wiggins (Speaker)

Career Consultant and Writer

Polly is a freelance careers consultant, careers writer and avid careers nerd (her words, not ours, but it’s why we love her!), working as a careers writer, coach and tutor for a range of clients and organisations.

Daniel Pikett (Speaker)

SPATIAL Careers Founder

Daniel is a Neurodivergent Careers Professional RCDP, Careers Leader and Founder of SPATIAL Careers who champions inclusivity for those with SEND.  Full bio coming soon.

Chris Targett (Awards Compere)

CXK Careers Adviser/Area Manager

Chris is a career development professional who has worked in the education sector for over twenty years, he is a passionate advocate of people having all their options made available to them. He is a published author, illustrator, fine artist, and the current chair of the Careers Writers Association. He was named the CDI UK Careers Adviser of the Year 2021. He loves career theory and turning ideas into practice, as well as making information, advice, and guidance accessible and inclusive, to as many people as possible.

Debbie Dymock (Ambassador)

Northamptonshire Careers

Debbie is the owner of Northamptonshire Careers, a CDI registered Career Development Practitioner and professional CV Writer who co-founded and sits on the board of the British Association of CV Writers. Debbie is also an associate for a number of career coaching and CV writing organisations as well as being a Trainer and Assessor for the Career Development Institute.

Dr William Donald (Ambassador)

Professor

Will is an Associate Professor of Sustainable Careers and Human Resource Management at the Ronin Institute (USA) and a Visitor at the University of Southampton (UK) as a guest of Professor Yehuda Baruch. Will has 50+ peer-reviewed publications on the topics of graduate employability and sustainable careers. His work has 25,000+ reads and 150+ recommendations (ResearchGate), and 650+ citations (Google Scholar). He is a Life and Performance Coach, a FLPI, an Associate Fellow of the AFHEA, a Member of the National Council of Psychotherapists (MNCP NP), and a Member of the CDI (MCDI). Before academia, Will worked as a Graduate Recruiter for an Investment Bank in London (UK), responsible for recruiting early talent.

Jake Richings (Ambassador)

Director of Authentic Engagement

Jake Richings is Director of Authentic Engagement, enabling leaders to make careers education more engaging for GenZ through workshops, CPD and digital content. Jake works with brands like The Co-operative and General Assembly creating resources that are played directly into schools or beamed across his social media channels, with the aim to better engage the next generation in their futures.

Bella Doswell (Ambassador)

Career Transition Consultant

Bella is a Certified (Ontario, Canada) and Registered (UK) Careers Development Practitioner, currently working in Outplacement Service provision. She brings 17 years of global careers experience and has years of rigorous training in psychology, client-centred/psychodynamic counselling, and specialised career theory knowledge. Bella has provided career management expertise in HR Consultancy, publicly-funded service and Higher Education sectors. Bella’s weekly post on LinkedIn, ‘CDP Thought For The Week’, champions CDP professional identity and pride, aiming to unite CDPs to deliver a coherent message about what they do.

Event ended – contact to find out about #Careersfest2024

Huge thanks to our AMAZING sponsors, helping us make this a great event accessible to all!

⭐ The Career Development Institute⭐ NaturallyTalentedMe⭐Morrisby⭐Adviza⭐⭐UCAS⭐

and also ⭐The Careers People ⭐ Study Work Grow⭐ Complete Careers⭐⭐Trotman Indigo Publishing⭐

Huge thanks to our AMAZING sponsors, helping us make this a great event accessible to all!

⭐ The Career Development Institute⭐

⭐NaturallyTalentedMe⭐

⭐Morrisby⭐

⭐Adviza⭐

⭐UCAS⭐

and also ⭐The Careers People ⭐

⭐ Study Work Grow⭐

⭐Complete Careers⭐

⭐Trotman Indigo Publishing⭐

The Awards

These awards are an opportunity to celebrate the AMAZING work of this incredibly important sector. They are all about support; supporting others to be the best they can be, supporting others with the conditions they need to thrive and supporting the sector as a whole.  Winners will be announced at the Festival.  You can self-nominate or show the love for someone else, by filling out a very simple nomination form before the deadline of Friday 29th September 2023, 4pm GMT.

Nominations closed

⭐ Greatest advocate of the careers sector (sponsored by Study Work Grow)
(any individual/pair/group who are exemplary at raising the profile of the sector, either politically or with the public. This could include through running campaigns, raising awareness on social media or through reaching a wider audience as a careers podcaster or careers writer).

⭐Most supportive employer (sponsored by Trotman Indigo Publishing)
(an employer who is particularly supportive with pay, terms and conditions, development or other attributes who can be shown as an example of best practice for the sector).

⭐Most innovative initiative to move the careers sector forward
(from grassroots campaigns, to resources which help ensure best practice and an innovative sector we can all be proud of).

⭐Best careers impact story (sponsored by The Careers People)
(‘stories are like data for the soul’ – Brene Brown, and we want to hear stories of how your careers work is impacting your clients and what we can all learn from it).

⭐Best tool to help careers professionals
(from technology to products to use in careers sessions, from time saving products to help busy sole traders manager their workload to worksheets to use in coaching, if you can name who designed it, we want to hear about it).

⭐Greatest unsung hero (sponsored by Complete Careers)
(the sector is full of amazing people doing great work in often incredibly difficult circumstances. We want to hear about these heroes of the sector who do things like go the extra mile, or who work in a bit of the sector that doesn’t get talked about, or who offer up their time volunteering to support the sector in one way or another).

Nominations closed

Want to know more about The Talent Cycle and what we do when we’re not hosting Celebration Festivals?

The Talent Cycle Homepage
Event ended – contact to find out about #Careersfest2024