Resilience, purpose, and belonging, the common threads running at Employee Benefits Live 2025
- virginie-bellaton
- Oct 5
- 3 min read
Meeting inspiring women leaders and experts at #EBL25
From an energetic kick-off with Lioness Jill Scott, who shared a timely perspective on resilience, to the many discussions emphasising authenticity, inclusion, and care, the conference was a powerful showcase of what purposeful leadership looks like today. The event offered valuable perspectives and practical solutions for organisations striving to build more equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace cultures.
I was particularly pleased to observe that innovative approaches to collaboration continue to emerge, especially those designed to navigate today’s economic and social challenges. While technology can support this process, at the centre must always be the empowerment and inclusion of an increasingly diverse workforce.
Key themes in Scott’s words re-emerged throughout #EBL25:
Creating space to unlearn taxing coping mechanisms and adopt healthier, more connected ways of living
This theme resonated across the conference, with:
Dedicated sessions on mental and reproductive health, well-being, resilience, and sustainability.
Welcome Break, winner of the EBL25 Best Mental Health Strategy Award, recognised for its holistic approach to supporting a predominantly young and female workforce with specific needs.
Valuing your community’s energy and caring for your team
#Changemaker exhibitors showcased tangible solutions to pressing workforce challenges, such as:
KareHero, supporting employees who are carers (1 in 5 adults) who have unique strengths and transferable skills to offer.
Health tech Micrima with Mi~Scan, a portable device for early detection of breast cancer risks.
Working with purpose and building legacy
Many speakers echoed the need to acknowledge those who have driven and push for progress in all their diversity. They underlined the urgency for organisations to live their values, care deeply for their workforce, and foster authentic connection. To note, benefits and rewards suppliers advancing such visions:
B Corp Social Supermarket, aligning merchandising and F&B offerings with social purpose and values.
Platform terryberry, offering engagement analytics and reward and wellness solutions that transform workplace culture.
Asking the hard questions, being authentic and accountable
Discussions addressed:
Pressing HR challenges such as pay transparency and equity, calling for clear and decisive action. Amy Vokes, EMEA total rewards, professional and global pay equity Lead at Siemens, stressed the importance of equipping managers with leadership skills and empowering employees, so they clearly understand their entitlements.
Leading change to support a workforce ready for the future. Josephina Smith, Reward Director at British Airways, clarified that the crux is in providing swift and tailored responses to stakeholder feedback.
“Finding your own formula” for career success, riding the highs and lows and facing life’s challenges
As Jill Scott put it: “It’s not about the splash, it’s about the dive… it’s the journey that stays with you”. Key reflections included:
Laura Sherwood, CPO at Ogilvy, defining resilience as the capacity to ask for what you need.
Jenn Barnett, Head of ESG and DEI at Grant Thornton, describing the firm’s shift toward a people-centred sustainability strategy, making programmes more adaptable, accessible, and engaging.
Housing21, named top UK employer for workforce satisfaction, recognising the diverse needs of its employees through wide-ranging communication channels and a value-driven benefits package that has reduced turnover by 5% and generated £450k in annual savings.
Changing norms is hard work — it needs to be championed and celebrated
Highlights of #EBL25:
In conversation with Ruth Randle, Reward and Recognition Manager at Northern Gas Networks, we discussed the importance of women’s networks and the need to build skills and capacity to strengthen EDI and belonging.
I fully agreed with Richard Watts, Analyst – Retail Rewards, Bonuses and Structures at Next, who cautioned against conflating engagement with impact. He offered valuable insights on evaluating recognition programmes and highlighted the role of recognition in reinforcing organisational values. Tom also noted the importance of coaching to ensure inclusivity and behavioural change, and the potential of digital platforms to act as a repository for remembering employees’ contributions, analyse programme effectiveness, and identify reward bias.
Tom Pridmore, Head of Reward, Benefits and Wellbeing at BDO, presented impactful initiatives designed to build healthier habits and enhance overall well-being. The firm’s Inspire network, among other focus groups, empowers women and promotes gender balance in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
George Willis, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Eurostar, closed on a hopeful note, sharing that 85% of organisations are maintaining or increasing their EDI targets despite the current global pushback. She invited us to consider how organisations can embed DEI more deeply by developing a unifying vision that fosters belonging, investing in behavioural change, and continuously assessing impact to identify and activate the most effective levers for lasting transformation.
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