8.30 – 9.00: Registration and welcome coffee

9.00 – 9.15: Welcome from International Employment Lawyer

9.15 – 10.30: Plenary Session 1: Europe’s future working trends

From automation, AI, and environmental and supply chain challenges to demographic changes, flexible working, and the gig economy, our opening panel session will provide an overview of ongoing employment trends and their implications for Europe’s workforce. Panellists will also provide best practice examples of policies and programmes designed to help employers navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of work in Europe.

Moderator:
Louise O'Byrne, Partner, Arthur Cox (Ireland)

Panellists:
Aušra Vainorienė, Senior Legal Counsel, Vinted (Lithuania)
Daniel Hund, Partner, Seitz (Germany)
Helen Webb, Counsel EMEA, Employment, Twilio (Ireland)
Jacqueline Ho, Employment Counsel, Eir (Ireland)
Juan Bonilla, Partner, Cuatrecasas (Spain)

10.30 – 11.00: Coffee break

11.00 – 12.15: Breakout Session 1: Responding to criminal investigations

Amid a greater focus on allegations of sexual abuse, as well as claims of corruption and even espionage, navigating criminal investigations involving employees and senior executives poses complex challenges for multinationals. Legal experts will explore the strategies, best practices, and ethical considerations for responding to criminal probes across Europe and further abroad.

Moderator:
Michael Doyle, Partner, A&L Goodbody (Ireland)

Panellists:
Isabel Hexel, Partner, Oppenhoff (Germany)
Lynne Martin, Head of Legal Employment and Benefits, Allied Irish Banks (Ireland)
Sinead Casey, Partner, Linklaters (United Kingdom)

11.00 – 12.15: Breakout Session 2: Working with hidden disabilities

For employees with hidden disabilities, navigating the workplace can present unique challenges. The panel aims to equip delegates with a deeper understanding of non-visible disabilities and the tools necessary to create environments where all employees feel accepted, respected, and empowered to excel. This session focuses on both neurological and other non-visible health conditions, such as diabetes, gastrointestinal, and chronic pain.

Moderator:
Karen Killalea, Partner and Head of Employment, Maples Group (Ireland)

Panellists:
Bryn Doyle, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs (United Kingdom)
Máire Neary, General Counsel and Head of People, Flipdish (Ireland)
Natacha Lesellier, Partner, Flichy Grangé Avocats (France)
Scott Anderson, Senior Employment Counsel, Autodesk (Ireland)

12.15 – 1.30: Networking lunch

1.30 – 2.45: Breakout Session 3: How to protect your trade secrets

With reduction-in-force projects showing no signs of abating, and the war for talent continuing, multinational businesses should be wary of exiting employees leaving with sensitive and confidential information. From trade secrets to patents and client lists, this session will look at the types of intellectual property outgoing staff could steal, the potential impact on businesses, how employers can prevent or mitigate such thefts from occurring, and how to recover their property when it does.

Moderator:
Donal Hamilton, Partner, McCann FitzGerald (Ireland)

Panellists:
Frances Taaffe, Labour and Employment Counsel, Accenture (Ireland)
Gautier Busschaert, Senior Attorney, Van Olmen & Wynant (Belgium)
Juan José Hita Fernández, Partner, Augusta Abogados (Spain)
Matthew Howse, Partner, Morgan Lewis & Bockius (United Kingdom)

1.30 – 2.45: Breakout Session 4: Creating healthier, safer workplaces

Workplace health and safety has evolved beyond trips, slips, falls, and toxic exposure to increasingly include the psychological harm of modern working environments. Employers must be ever cognisant of the injuries that may befall workers, especially in the online world where graphic content can result in psychological trauma. This session will consider the most prevalent occupational and mental health diseases trending across Europe, and how employers can prevent, or at least mitigate, their risk in the workplace.

Moderator:
Suzanne Horne, Partner, Paul Hastings (United Kingdom)

Panellists:
Dirk Jan Rutgers, Partner, Rutgers & Posch (Netherlands)
Joanna Patterson, Senior Legal Director (Global Employment & Labour Law), Expedia (United Kingdom)
Johanna Haltia-Tapio, Specialist Partner, Hannes Snellman (Finland)
Ralf Peschek, Partner, Wolf Theiss (Austria)

2.45 – 3.15: Coffee break

3.15 - 4.00: Plenary Session 2: In conversation with Gráinne Gleeson, Senior Director and Head of International Employment Law, LinkedIn 

A fireside chat with a leading in-house counsel to examine the opportunities and challenges of key cross-border trends impacting their multinational business.

4.00 – 5.15: Plenary Session 3: Organised labour and employee activism

From the gig economy to traditional white-collar industries, employers worldwide are witnessing a rise in collective employment actions. A panel of in-house and private practice lawyers will look at what the future holds for industrial relations in Europe and how to respond to increasing employee activism in the post-covid era.

Moderator:
Melanie Crowley, Partner, Mason Hayes & Curran (Ireland)

Panellists:
Angelo Zambelli, Managing Partner, Zambelli & Partners (Italy)
David Hopper, Partner, Lewis Silkin (United Kingdom)
Joanne Redmond, Director & AGC, EMEA Employment, Meta (Ireland)
Jonathan Tuck, Partner, Baker McKenzie (United Kingdom)

5.15 – 5.30: Closing remarks from International Employment Lawyer

5:30 – Close and networking drinks reception