21/05/2026
The Institute of Employability Professionals is delighted to announce the full panellist lineup for IEP Summit 2026, themed ‘Thriving in Tomorrow’s Labour Market’. Bringing together employability professionals, policymakers and sector leaders, this year’s Summit, headline sponsored by City & Guilds, promises to be the most dynamic yet – and the stage will be set on 11 June with an exceptional cast of speakers and hosts.
Your Panellists
Liz Sewell FIEP — Director, The Grow Programme, Belina Grow
Liz is Director of the multi-award-winning Grow Programme, which supports women who are further from work into training and employment. She developed the first Employability App for women and is a former Chief Executive of the single parent charity Gingerbread and a former Vice President of the National Union of Students.
Ayden Sims FIEP — CEO and Country Leader, AKG UK
Ayden oversees AKG UK’s development, strategy and impact, bringing two decades of experience in the employability and skills sector. He began in operational delivery roles supporting unemployed disabled people and veterans into work before moving into strategic leadership. A former RAF Pilot who was medically discharged in 2007, Ayden draws on personal experience to champion inclusive recruitment. He is a Fellow of the IEP and a Board Member of ERSA.
Dr Katy Jones FIEP — Reader (Associate Professor) in Employment and Head of the Decent Work and Productivity Research Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University
Dr Katy Jones is an internationally recognised scholar in employment and social policy, specialising in active labour market policy, job quality, skills and employer engagement. She leads the Decent Work and Productivity Research Centre at Manchester Met, delivering independent, rigorous evidence about how employment support interacts with labour market realities — and what it means to help people into good work, not simply any job.
Ian Ross FIEP — CEO, Elevate Employment Services
Ian is the Founder and Chief Executive of Elevate Employment Services and Whitehead-Ross Social Work, with 17 years of senior experience across the employability and social services sectors. He holds a degree in Economics from Swansea University and is a qualified teacher from the University of Wales. His career spans the third sector and three UK Government departments, including HM Treasury. Ian is a paid Non-Executive Director of the Federation of Small Businesses, Chair of its Commercial Committee, a serving Magistrate in the criminal court, and a Director of ERSA.
Patrick Craven FIEP – Executive Director, Policy & Stakeholder Partnerships, City & Guilds
Patrick brings over 35 years of experience in accreditation, assessment design and educational technology, with a career focused on the intersection of education, skills development and assessment technologies. His current role examines the growing impact of policy and new technologies on the education and skills industry and the wider labour market. Throughout his career he has remained committed to evidence-based, fit-for-purpose learning and assessment solutions.
Alex Stephany – Founder and CEO, Beam
Alex is the founder and CEO of Beam, the leading provider of AI tools for frontline teams. Beam works with more than 300 partners, including over 130 government bodies across five countries, and its flagship product Beam Notes is used by the majority of UK social care teams over 150,000 times per week. Since launching in 2017, Beam has helped over 6,500 disadvantaged people — including people experiencing homelessness and Ukrainian refugees — into jobs and stable homes. Before Beam, Alex was CEO of JustPark, backed by Index Ventures and BMW. He is also the author of The Business of Sharing, published by Macmillan.
Megan Cooper FIEP — Growth Director, Maximus UK
Megan has extensive experience across the employability, health and adult social care sectors, following an initial 11 years in recruitment. She has worked on numerous national and devolved programme tenders focused on supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged groups into sustainable employment. Her expertise spans programme design, commissioning and supply chain strategy, with a strong focus on integrated, person-centred solutions that improve outcomes and deliver social and economic impact.
Caroline Bostock FIEP – Director – Employability and Community Services – Palladium
Caroline is Director of Employability and Community Services at Palladium, with over 20 years’ experience developing and delivering place-based employment and skills programmes. In her current role she oversees delivery of major UK Government contracts, including Restart, Connect to Work, and previously the Refugee Employability Programme. Caroline specialises in building cross-sector partnerships with local/combined authorities, health systems and local community organisations to tackle complex barriers to work. An experienced business development leader, she has also secured multiple large-scale contracts and brings strategic insight into the future of employability provision. She is passionate about creating sustainable pathways into work for marginalised communities and driving system change.
Your Hosts
For the first time, the IEP Summit 2026 will be hosted by a double act: two well-known figures from the employability, education and skills sectors, both proudly from the North East of England.
Brian Bell FIEP — Former CEO, Fedcap
Brian needs little introduction. With decades of experience at the heart of the employability sector’s evolution, he has played a central role in building and leading two of its most recognised organisations: Working Links and Fedcap UK. Throughout his career he has worked alongside some of the sector’s most influential leaders, helping to design, deliver, and continuously improve services that have supported countless individuals, families, and communities into work. A long-standing contributor to the IEP Summit as both speaker and panellist, Brian also hosts the IEP Fellows Lectures — a role he has held for three years. His ability to connect big-picture challenges with real-world impact makes him a natural presence on the Summit stage.
Lou Doyle FIEP — Co-Founder, SDN Mesma Group
Lou is co-founder of SDN Mesma Group, a practice partner and software provider spanning AI-powered diagnostics, consultancy and professional development. With over 20 years of experience across further education, skills and employment support, she has been central to some of the sector’s most significant quality improvement initiatives — including helping to shape the award-winning IEP Quality Improvement Framework in partnership with IEP members. Lou is also the founder of the Quality Professionals Awards for FE & Employability, and is an award-winning advocate for closer employer-sector collaboration. Based in the North East of England, she works extensively with government departments to turn policy into practice across the UK. Those who have seen her at IEP Basecamp or other sector events will know she brings energy, clarity and a genuine ability to engage a room.
Together, Lou and Brian will draw out ideas from speakers, engage the audience directly, connect conversations across the day, and keep the pace and focus throughout.
Book Your Place at the IEP Summit 2026
Join employability professionals, policymakers and sector leaders for a day of expert insight, frank debate and unrivalled networking.
The evening Networking Dinner, sponsored by Get Set UK follows from 6:30pm in the Carlton Room at 116 Pall Mall.
Expert speakers. Thought-provoking sessions. Connections that last.
Tickets are limited so get in quick. Last year’s Summit welcomed delegates from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Sweden.