Cathryn Barnard

Director, Working the Future

Cat is a co-founder at Working the Future, a business advisory firm helping organisations and their leaders make sense of the future of work. Working the Future’s trend intelligence and reports provide distilled analysis of the multiple, convergent forces driving change in the workplace. These insights are used as the foundation upon which to design practical, people-centred, future-proofing strategies.

With a prior career in workforce planning spanning three decades, Cathryn has helped build high-performing teams delivering leading edge communication technology across Europe and beyond. With additional experience of starting and growing successful businesses, Cat recognises the crucial role of human connection, relationship and communication in cementing team engagement and wider organisational performance. 

Since 2019, Working the Future has supported the IoIC to analyse and report on the key trends driving change at work and to present the expanding opportunity for internal communication professionals.

Dr Peter Mandeno

Director of Connectivity, Better Connected

Peter Mandeno (PhD) is an expert in the science of human connection. Following two decades in global communication, strategy and experience-design roles, Peter recently completed a PhD in Behavioural Design at Imperial College London.

His practical and actionable approach builds on our existing deep understanding of the importance of workplace connections to reveal why people are struggling to connect in today’s workplaces and what we can do about it. Through keynotes, workshops, consulting and design collaborations, Peter applies the knowledge and practical tools developed through his PhD to help organisations improve human connectivity outcomes intentionally and by design.

Jennifer Sproul

Chief Executive, Institute of Internal Communication

Jennifer is responsible for the leadership of IoIC, the only independent professional body solely dedicated to internal communication. IoIC is the voice of internal communication, setting standards for more than 70 years through qualifications, career development, thought leadership and best practice.  

Prior to joining IoIC, Jennifer has worked for over 20 years in professional associations, most recently as Strategic Marketing & Sales Director at the Market Research Society, developing and leading on activities across marketing communications (both internal & external), careers, membership, professional development and publishing. ­­­