8.30 – 9.00 – Registration and welcome coffee

9.00 – 9.15 – Hosts’ welcome remarks 

9.15 – 10.30 – Plenary Session 1: The Nordic model at a crossroads: Resilience, relevance, and reform

The Nordic labour market model is often held up as a gold standard – combining high levels of worker protection with economic competitiveness, flexibility, and social trust. But as economies digitalise, political pressures evolve and uncertainty looms, questions emerge about whether the model is merely enduring or actively adapting. This panel will explore whether the long-standing partnership between employers, trade unions, and the state remains robust, how far legislation is reshaping what was once largely governed by collective agreement, and whether the model still delivers agility in times of disruption. With recession risks and technological acceleration on the horizon, the discussion will consider whether the Nordic model’s flexibility is its greatest strength – or its most misunderstood feature.

10.30 – 11.00 – Coffee break

11.00 – 12.00 – Breakout Session 1: Equality headwind: Can the Nordics keep leading on inclusion?

Nordic countries have long been regarded as global leaders on equality, inclusion, and progressive workplace policy. Strong social frameworks, high female labour market participation, and family-friendly working arrangements have set a benchmark for other nations to aspire to. Yet in a shifting global climate where DEI initiatives face political, economic, and cultural pushback the Nordic approach is increasingly being questioned. This panel will explore whether the Nordics are still advancing equality or if progress has slowed as expectations evolve and new challenges emerge. Panellists will examine how businesses and industry confederations are responding to changing sentiment, talent pressures, and regulatory signals, and whether the current moment presents an opportunity to rethink, refresh, and reframe inclusion strategies. With a particular focus on family-friendly working policies, the discussion will assess how inclusive design can remain a driver of competitiveness, resilience, and social trust.

11.00 – 12.00 – Breakout Session 2: Mobility by design: Building Nordic-ready workforce strategies

The Nordic region remains highly attractive to international talent, but global mobility into and within the region has become more complex. Immigration reform, labour market protection, tax and social security coordination, and evolving work patterns are reshaping how organisations move people across borders. At the same time, geopolitical uncertainty and increased regulatory scrutiny are forcing employers to rethink traditional mobility models. This panel will explore the key mobility challenges facing employers operating in the Nordics today. From securing and retaining foreign talent to managing cross-border remote work, social security exposure, and compliance risk, the session will examine how mobility strategies must adapt to remain competitive, compliant, and resilient in a rapidly changing environment.

12:00 – 13.30 – Networking lunch

13:30 – 14.30 – Breakout Session 3: AI in the “Land of Unicorns”: Growth, governance, and the human cost of automation

The Nordics has earned its reputation as the “Land of Unicorns” – producing high-growth, tech-driven companies at a rate that rivals far larger economies. As artificial intelligence becomes embedded at the core of these businesses, the pressure to scale fast, automate aggressively, and innovate continuously is intensifying. But rapid growth brings legal challenges that cannot be solved by code alone. This panel will examine how AI is reshaping Nordic firms as tensions between speed and compliance, innovation and trust, and automation and social dialogue become ever more acute. From the evolving role of the employment lawyer to the risks of AI-enabled deepfakes, and from physical workforce automation to questions about whether a unicorn bubble is forming, the session asks how companies can grow responsibly without undermining the very foundations of the Nordic labour model.

13:30 – 14.30 – Breakout Session 4: Nordic non-competes: Four models, one question – which works best?

Non-compete restrictions sit at the fault line between protecting business interests and enabling labour mobility and innovation. Nowhere is this tension more visible than in the Nordic region, where four broadly similar economies have taken distinctly different legal and policy approaches to regulating post-termination restraints. This panel will compare the differing regimes side by side, asking whether any one approach strikes the “golden” balance between competitiveness, fairness, and enforceability. With increasing scrutiny on labour mobility in knowledge-intensive industries, panellists will explore where non-competes truly add value, where they fail, and how employers can ensure restrictions are targeted, defensible, and effective.

14:30 – 15.00 – Coffee break

15.00 – 16.15 – Plenary Session 2: Beyond legal advice: The employment lawyer’s role in crisis management

Workplace crises rarely arrive neatly packaged as legal questions. Whether triggered by geopolitical events, workforce disruption, misconduct, cyber incidents, or sudden restructurings, crises unfold in real time often demanding judgement, empathy, and strategic clarity as much as technical legal accuracy. This panel will examine whether the employment lawyer’s role in crisis management should extend beyond interpreting the law. It explores how lawyers can add value as trusted advisers during moments of uncertainty, helping organisations balance legal risk with human impact, reputational considerations, and long-term trust. The session will challenge traditional boundaries and ask what modern crisis leadership really requires from employment lawyers.

16.15 – 17.30 – Plenary Session 3: Managing geopolitical risk in an uncertain security landscape

Long viewed as a region of stability, the Nordics are now operating in a markedly changed geopolitical environment. Heightened tensions in the Arctic, renewed focus on Greenland’s strategic position, and persistent concerns around Russian expansion from the east raise questions of security, sovereignty, and preparedness into mainstream discourse – along with very real implications for employers. This panel will explore how geopolitical risk translates into workplace risk across the region. From the business impact of armed forces mobilisation and potential drafting to crisis management for organisations operating near sensitive or exposed areas, the session will examine how employers can prepare without overreacting. Particular attention will be given to the responsibilities organisations owe to mobile talent who may find themselves in or near conflict zones. The discussion aims to equip employers with a practical framework for resilience, duty of care, and business continuity in an era of growing uncertainty.

17.30 – 17.45 – Hosts’ closing remarks 

17:45 onwards – Close and networking drinks reception