The full line-up of this year’s GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit has been announced, featuring keynotes from Sarah Venables, founder of the HR Confidence Club; Jonny Hopper, CEO of Glowmade Studio; and Harvey Elliott and Carmen Martino of Playstack. The event is once again sponsored by Amiqus.
Taking place at The Royal Institution in London on October 1, the day-long event will include over a dozen talks and sessions dedicated to people and workplaces. Sessions will cover issues such as neurodiversity in the workplace, the role of AI in HR, the importance of workplace culture, and the future of unions in games workplaces.
The morning session is dedicated to key issues facing people professionals in game businesses, giving practical insights on developing topics like AI, upcoming legislation, and working with unions. The afternoon session is dedicated to effective leadership and how people strategy can deliver business success, and looking ahead to the skills, structures and strategies required to run a successful games business following a period of unprecedented industry disruption.
Both stage sessions are followed by dedicated breakout sessions of facilitated and roundtable discussions conducted under Chatham House rules, enabling attendees to share insights and learn from experts in fields including managing performance during business turmoil, identifying and developing required skill pathways, and addressing the rise of AI both in HR process and business more generally.
The event will conclude with the 2026 Best Places to Work Awards, which feature awards for small, medium, and large companies. In addition, companies will receive a number of special awards in categories including Education, Diversity, and Corporate Social Responsibility. The Best Places to Work Awards are sponsored by Amiqus, Playground Games, IO Interactive, Games London, and Special Effect. Tickets for the day are available here.
You can view the full schedule below.
Main stage
08:30: Registration (Teas and Coffees)
09.00: Welcome to the HR Summit
09.15: The Future of People Leadership – Resilience, complexity, changing expectations | Sarah Venables (HR Confidence Club)
09.45: Becoming the Critical Friend – How HR earns influence and becomes a strategic business partner | Niki Head (Stellar Entertainment)
10.15: Unions, Employee Voice and the Future of Games Workplaces
11.00: Break
Breakout Room 1
11.20: Managing Neurodiversity in the Workplace – Practical approaches to supporting performance, making adjustments, and helping managers lead neurodiverse teams
12.05: AI in Employment Relations – Practical guidance for handling AI-generated cases, evidence, and employee relations challenges
Breakout Room 2
11.20: Preparing Your People Strategy for AI – Exploring the workforce, leadership, and capability challenges created by AI
12.05: Beyond Resilience: Supervision for HR Leaders – Creating space for reflection, better judgement and sustainable People leadership
Main stage
12.45: Lunch
13.30: People as a Competitive Advantage – How workplace culture drives organisational success | Jonny Hopper (Glowmade Studio)
14.00: People Strategy in Practice – Turning culture into business impact | Harvey Elliott and Carmen Martino (Playstack)
Breakout Room 1
14.30: Employee Expectations vs Business Reality: Balancing flexibility, transparency, and employee experience with commercial realities
15.15: The Skills Challenge: How do we build, retain and develop the capabilities games business will need next?
Breakout Room 2
14.30: Performance in a People First Workplace: How do we create accountability, address under performance and maintain high standards while building supportive workplaces?
15.15: Culture Through Change: Maintaining trust, engagement and performance during periods of change
Main stage
16.00: What Makes a Great Games Workplace in 2027? If we had the courage to tackle three things over the next two years what should they be?
16.30: Drinks & Networking
17.15: Best Places to Work Awards
18.15: Drinks & Networking
19.00: Ends