GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit 2024

Tackling The Biggest HR Issues Facing The Games Industry

The GI HR Summit returns for a second year to unite HR professionals from across the games industry to discuss the biggest topics impacting their teams, including sessions on mental health, the skills crisis, change management, leadership, AI, neurodiversity and more. The event takes place at the prestigious Royal Institution in London, and concludes with the 2024 Best Places To Work Awards.

Speakers

AJ Grand-Scrutton

CEO, Dlala

Andy Coley

Leadership Development Trainer, Game Studio Training

Craig Duncan

Studio Head, Rare

Emma Smith

Founder and Director, Hestia Talent Partners

Gina Jackson OBE

Harinder Sangha

COO, Maverick Games

Hayley Blundy

Studio Welfare Manager, Futurlab

Lisa Opie

Managing Director, Ubisoft Reflections and Ubisoft Leamington

Michael Chan

Head of People & Operations, Compulsion Games,

Perri Lewis

Founder and CEO, Mastered

Pierre Escaich

Neurodiversity Talent Program Director, Ubisoft

Sarah Brewster

Managing Director, Fresh Seed

Sarah Sorrell

Charity Director, Safe In Our World

Scott Baxter

Operations Director, Wardog Studios

Sean Hogan

Sustainability + Research Sector Lead, Director, RKD

Sheila Attwood

Senior content manager, Brightmine

Steve Cuss

Founder, The GamePlan Consultancy

Tommy Thompson

Director, AI and Games

Main Stage

18 September, 2024
1. 09:00 am — 09:30 am BST
  
  Registration (Teas and Coffees)
2. 09:30 am — 09:40 am BST
  
  Welcome to the HR Summit
  
  Speaker: Christopher Dring (GamesIndustry.biz)
3. 09:40 am — 10:00 am BST
  
  Navigating the current economic and labour market conditions
  
  Speaker: Sheila Attwood (Brightmine)
4. 10:00 am — 10:20 am BST
  
  Understanding Potentials and Pitfalls of AI in the Workplace
  
  Speaker: Tommy Thompson (AI and Games)
5. 10:20 am — 10:45 am BST
  
  Break (more tea and coffee)
6. 10:45 am — 11:25 am BST
  
  Panel - Divergent expectations of work and management by generation
  
  Speakers: Andy Coley (Game Studio Training), Lisa Opie (Ubisoft), Michael Chan (Compulsion Games)
7. 11:30 am — 11:45 am BST
  
  Putting people first – practical tips for mental health and wellbeing support
  
  Speaker: Hayley Blundy (Futurlab)
8. 11:50 am — 12:15 pm BST
  
  Weathering the Storm. Building Trust and Positivity in Challenging Times
  
  Steve Cuss (GamePlan Consultants)
9. 12:15 pm — 13:15 pm BST
  
  Lunch
10. 13:15 pm — 13:35 pm BST
  
  Maintaining Personal Boundaries and Wellbeing as an HR Leader
  
  Speaker: Emma Smith (Hestia Talent)
11. 13:45 pm — 14:05 pm BST
  
  The Skills Crisis Report - Six Months On
  
  Speaker: Gina Jackson OBE (Pitchify)
12. 14:10 pm — 14:30 pm BST
  
  Neurodiversity in the game industry: unlocking hidden talents
  
  Speaker: Pierre Escaich (Ubisoft)
13. 14:35 pm — 14:45 pm BST
  
  TBA
14. 14:50 pm — 15:35 pm BST
  
  Leadership through times of change
  
  Speakers: Craig Duncan (Studio Head, Rare), Harriet Manson (Chief of Staff, Rare), AJ Grand-Scrutton (CEO, Dlala), Gemma Foster (COO, Dlala)
15. 15:50 pm — 17:00 pm BST
  
  Drinks/Networking
16. 17:00 pm — 18:00 pm BST
  
  Best Places To Work Awards 2024
  
  The winners of this year's event will be revealed
17. 18:00 pm — 19:00 pm BST
  
  Drinks Reception

Breakout Room 1

18 September, 2024
1. 10:45 am — 11:25 am BST
  
  Overcoming the Challenges of Prioritising Mental Health in the Games Industry
  
  Sarah Sorrell (Safe In Our World) and Emma Smith (Hestia Talent) will lead this discussion about mental health support for staff
2. 11:30 am — 12:10 pm BST
  
  The Leadership & Line Manager gap - how do we tackle the challenges?
  
  Sarah Brewster of Freshseed will discuss ways to improve games industry leadership in this session
3. 13:15 pm — 13:55 pm BST
  
  Managing uncertainty in a remote/distributed team
  
  Perri Lewis from Mastered will lead a conversation around supporting distributed teams during periods of change
4. 14:00 pm — 14:40 pm BST
  
  The Skills Half Life
  
  Scott Baxter of Wardog will talk about the issues of keeping employees on top of the latest tech and information

Breakout Room 2

18 September, 2024
1. 10:45 am — 11:25 am BST
  
  Games Industry Salary Survey Results
  
  Sheila Attwood of Brightmine will share some of the latest reward (salary) figures for the video games industry and explain how the project works
2. 11:30 am — 12:10 pm BST
  
  Creating creative spaces for neurodiverse workforce
  
  Sean Hogan and Eimear Slattery of RKD join us to discuss designing your office to better support your teams and the environment
3. 13:15 pm — 13:55 pm BST
  
  Developing new talent pipelines – How apprenticeships add value to the creative industries
  
  Phil Attfield (NextGen Skills Academy) and Amy Smith (Framestore) will share insights into apprenticeships in video games
4. 14:00 pm — 14:40 pm BST
  
  It’s cool to be kind - stories of great mental health and wellness in the workplace
  
  Futurlab's Hayley Blundy will chat with HR Summit attendees to hear stories about great ways they have supported the mental wellbeing of their staff

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