Chalk & Talk: The Intelligent Hirer Live
About this Event
Strategic thinking for the modern recruiter.
Forget awkward networking and endless PowerPoint presentations.
Chalk & Talk is a brand-new event from Hire Intelligence, bringing together over 100 HR Directors, Heads of People, Talent Acquisition Leaders and In-house Recruiters from across hospitality, care, retail and education for a day of learning, discussion and genuine connection.
Hosted at London’s newest immersive social venue, Poolhouse, this is an opportunity to step away from the day-to-day, hear fresh perspectives from industry leaders and build relationships with peers facing many of the same challenges.
View the full agenda below
Who Should Attend?
This event is designed for:
HR Directors, People Directors, Heads of People, Talent Acquisition Leaders, Recruitment Managers, In-house Recruiters, Employer Branding Professionals
The Venue
Taking place at Poolhouse, London, attendees will enjoy a unique blend of strategic content, interactive networking and social competition in one of London’s most exciting new venues.
Agenda
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Arrival, Tea & Coffee
🕑: 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM
Welcome: The State of Hiring in 2026 – The Stats Don't Lie
Host: Ewan Stark, Co-CEO, Hire Intelligence
Info: The numbers behind the noise. We open the day with the data shaping recruitment right now: where applications are surging, where quality is falling, and what it means for the year ahead.
🕑: 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM
Beyond the Click: Measuring Quality of Hire, Not Quantity of Applications
Host: Joanna Llewellyn, Head of People, Harbour Hotels Group
Info: Application volumes have never been higher... so why is hiring harder? This session makes the case for retiring vanity metrics and measuring what actually matters: the quality, fit and longevity of the people you bring in.
🕑: 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM
Leading Business Transformation in the AI Era: Turning Talent Acquisition into Your Competitive Advantage
Host: Tony O’Hara, Senior Sales Manager, LinkedIn
Info: AI is already transforming how organisations grow, compete and hire. While many talent teams are experimenting with AI, few have embedded it into their hiring strategies, creating a significant opportunity for those ready to lead.
This keynote explores how AI is reshaping talent acquisition, the new challenges it introduces, and why trust and high-quality data are essential for success. Discover how LinkedIn's AI-powered solutions, including AI-powered search and Hiring Assistant, are helping organisations hire faster, smarter and with greater confidence.
🕑: 11:30 AM - 11:50 AM
Break
🕑: 11:50 AM - 12:10 PM
When Candidates Are AI Too: Hiring in the Age of AI-Generated Applications
Host: Hannah Blake, Group Talent Acquisition Manager, MAB
Info: AI-written CVs. Auto-applied candidates. Interview co-pilots. When every application looks polished, how do you find the real person behind it? A frank look at the new arms race in hiring, and how to stay ahead of it.
🕑: 12:10 PM - 12:40 PM
The Connected Stack: Why Your ATS Is Only as Good as What It Plugs Into
Host: Katie Hulley, Head of Talent, Brunning & Price
Info: Your ATS was never meant to work alone. This session unpacks how integrations across sourcing, screening and analytics decide whether your tech stack drives hiring performance or quietly holds it back.
🕑: 12:40 PM - 01:30 PM
Lunch
🕑: 01:30 PM - 01:45 PM
The Apprenticeship Update: What's Changed and What It Means for You
Host: Matthew Robinson, CCO, TOP
Info: Matthew Robinson from The Opportunity Provider will share the latest updates from across the apprenticeship landscape and what they mean in practice for employers, from funding and levy considerations to using apprenticeships to support attraction, progression and retention.
🕑: 01:45 PM - 02:00 PM
Stop hiring for the Title. Start designing for the goal.
Host: Hannah Swarbrick-Done, Founder, Yellow Group
Info: This session challenges the instinct to hire for a job title rather than designing a role around around what the business actually needs to achieve. Using a real recruitment story, it shows how growth ambition and urgent operational need often get squeezed into a single senior hire, leading businesses to overpay for strategy that never gets used, then offers a practical reframe for allocating the same budget more effectively as the business grows.
🕑: 02:00 PM - 02:30 PM
Employer Brand in an AI World: Why Human Stories Win
Host: Sam Chance, Founder, Scrumptious
Info: When AI can generate anything, authenticity becomes your scarcest asset. We look at why real people and real stories now outperform polished corporate content, and how to put them at the heart of your employer brand.
🕑: 02:30 PM - 02:45 PM
Wrap-Up & Group Split
🕑: 02:45 PM - 04:30 PM
Pool Time
Info: The chalk half of Talk & Chalk. Conversations continue over cues and cocktails at the Poolhouse tables.
🕑: 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM
Post-event Drinks in partnership with Pinpoint
Info: Join our partners at Pinpoint for some post event cocktails in Poolhouse's fabulous downstairs bar and discuss who came out on top from the pool games.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 149.00 to GBP 500.00
