THE HOST
Gareth is a highly effective and influential leader in the Accountancy and Finance Training industry with broad experience in all aspects of setting up and running highly successful businesses. Gareth is an entrepreneur who loves to positively impact the skills sector and to support the careers of the learners and colleagues that he works with. He adores wine and his children.
SPECIAL GUESTS
Andrew Pakes (Labour & Co-operative MP)
Andrew is the Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Peterborough, serving since the 2024 General Election. He is the Co Chair of the APPG on Apprenticeships and Chair of the APPG on Future of Work. Before entering Parliament, Andrew was the Deputy General Secretary of Prospect union representing a diverse membership across science, technology and engineering jobs.
Rob Elder (Agent for Greater London, Bank of England)
Rob became a Bank of England Agent for Greater London in May 2018. Rob joined the Bank of England in 1998 and supported the Monetary Policy Committee for twelve years, first as an economist and then as a senior manager. Between 2010 and 2012, he represented the UK on the Board of the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. When he returned, he worked within the press office, and most recently, supported their Financial Policy Committee by running a team monitoring developments in the UK banking sector.
Between 1990 and 1998 Rob worked as an economist and forecaster at HM Treasury, British Telecom and Manchester University. He also taught English in Japan for a year.
Paul Surtees (CEO & Co-founder, Capitalise.com)
Tom Bewick (Academic and Commentator, author of Skills Policy in Britain and the Future of Work)
Tom is a British educationalist, consultant, policy adviser, workforce journalist, academic and professional career interim at CEO level. He has more than 25 years of experience working at the forefront of post-compulsory education and training policy and practice, initially as a post-16 adviser to the UK government, between 1997 and 2002; and latterly in both the UK domestic and international arena.
As CEO to five boards since 2004, Tom has been responsible for several high-profile initiatives. He was the architect of the UK-wide sector skills councils (2001-2010); and he represented the UK awarding bodies for over 5 years (2018-2023), securing changes to apprenticeship assessment and qualifications reform.
As visiting professor of skills and workforce policy at the University of Staffordshire, Prof. Bewick has recently completed writing an academic book: ‘Skills Policy in Britain and The Future of Work’, to be published by Bristol University Press/Policy Press 29th October 2025. He is the author of a number of reports and articles, exploring apprenticeships, skills and productivity.
Dr Fiona Aldridge (CEO, Skills Federation and Skills England Board Member)
Fiona is the Chief Executive at Skills Federation, the voice of employer-led sector skills bodies. Alongside this role, she is also a Skills England Board Member; a Non-Executive Director at Youth Futures Foundation, the What Works Centre for youth employment; and a member of the Mayor of the West Midlands’ Council of Experts. She has more than 25 years’ experience of developing and implementing evidence-based policies and programmes across lifelong learning, skills and employment.
Prior to her current role, Fiona was Head of Insights and Intelligence at West Midlands Combined Authority, where she led the development of its Employment and Skills Strategy and on negotiations for the employment, skills and careers elements of the WMCA trailblazer devolution deal. She was previously Director of Policy and Research at Learning and Work Institute.
Iain Wright (Chief Policy & Communications Officer, ICAEW and Business Chair of the Professional and Business Services Council)
Iain is the Chief Policy and Communications Officer at ICAEW, where he leads the Institute’s global policy, advocacy, and public affairs strategy. He is responsible for ensuring a coordinated and influential approach to ICAEW’s external engagement and communications worldwide.
Since joining ICAEW in 2018 as Director for Business and Industrial Strategy, Iain has been instrumental in strengthening the organisation’s voice on key economic and business issues. He was promoted to Managing Director of Reputation and Influence in 2021, building on his experience in shaping policy and representing the profession at the highest levels.
Before ICAEW, Iain served as a Member of Parliament, Government Minister, and Chair of the Business Select Committee, where he led scrutiny of economic and industrial policy. He continues to play a significant role in the UK’s business landscape as Business Co-Chair of the Professional and Business Services Council and as a member of the Government’s Small Business Growth Forum.
Laurence Grafton (Department for Business & Trade)
Laurence is leading on all skills and human capital elements of the UK’s Industrial Strategy at the Department for Business and Trade. He spent four years in the Department for Education where he delivered a White Paper and package of reforms that will transform the skills system, and before that was the education and skills lead in the Prime Minister’s Implementation Unit. He started his career in policy on the Civil Service Fast Stream, after a short stint teaching law at the University of Bonn.
Lorraine Twist (National Specialism Director Finance, Hays)
Lorraine is a seasoned recruitment leader with deep expertise in the accounting firm sector, qualified finance, and executive search. She has a proven track record of growing and leading national teams, transforming recruitment strategies, and advising on talent solutions across sectors.
Lorraine is passionate about inclusive leadership, data-driven decision-making, and building lasting relationships that drive business success.
Lindsay Conroy (Former UK Head of Apprenticeships at UCAS and now CEO of The Association of Apprentices and Founder & Director, The Bright Path Advisory Ltd)
Lindsay has been a passionate advocate for apprenticeships throughout her 20-year career in the sector. Beginning her own journey as an apprentice, she has since gone on to lead at provider, national, and policy level, with a focus on widening participation and creating real parity of esteem between technical and academic pathways.
Recently appointed as Chief Executive of the Association of Apprentices, Lindsay will be driving forward its mission to empower apprentices and strengthen the apprenticeship community. Alongside this, she serves as Director of Policy and Strategic Engagement at The 5% Club, shaping national conversations on workforce development and employer engagement.
Previously, Lindsay was part of the UCAS Senior Leadership Team, where she secured the inclusion of apprenticeships in the UCAS Tariff and delivered innovations such as parity of search between degrees and apprenticeships.
Lindsay’s commitment to inclusion extends beyond her professional role. She is a safeguarding governor at a school for young people aged 4–19 with special educational needs, and is deeply engaged in ensuring students with SEN have access to the right support, guidance, and opportunities. She also regularly volunteers to provide careers advice to students in local schools.
Holly Hobbs (Gen Z and Apprenticeships Influencer and Co-Founder & CGO, urfuture)
Holly is one of the UK’s most influential voices in Early Careers Talent Attraction. As the former founder of the viral TikTok platform How to Get an Apprenticeship and now Co-Founder of urfuture – the UK’s fastest growing Gen Z job app – Holly helps employers cut through the noise to actually connect with young talent.
From apprenticeships to entry-level hires, Holly specialises in turning social platforms into real recruitment channels. She’s worked with leading employers across sectors to future-proof their pipelines and reach a diverse pool of young people where they really are – not just on jobs boards (because Gen Z aren’t there).
Known for her bold, honest style and deep insight into Gen Z behaviour, Holly is on a mission to make early careers recruitment more inclusive, more effective, and less outdated. She brings a fresh lens to all industries, ready to evolve how they recruit the next generation of talent into their business.
Karen Arch (Chief People Officer, BHP Ltd)
