Practitioners Forum 2024

Modernising membership

• Kenyatte Nelson, Co-op Group

Co-op Group’s Chief Membership and Customer Officer will discuss membership management and the steps the organisation is taking to modernise its membership function.

Leading and embedding change

• Stacey Salt and Ali Longden, The Co-operative College

Through the lens of co-operative values, this session will explore different approaches to change and how to ensure change is managed and communicated to inspire positive action.

In line with the College’s co-operative learning approach, this session will be interactive and collaborative, enabling attendees to:

• Explore and reflect on different approaches to change and how this can impact the effectiveness of individuals and teams
• Gain actionable take-aways to help navigate the challenges of change

Increasing member engagement through Facebook: A deep dive for co‑operatives

• Amrit Singh, Rebel Creatives

In this session we'll delve into the effective use of Facebook as a tool for co-operative businesses, particularly those with smaller marketing teams. We'll explore strategies for increasing member engagement, leveraging the platform's features, and building a loyal following. We'll also discuss the importance of a Facebook strategy, the use of Meta tools, and exciting future developments in the field.

Co-operatives and AI: Navigating the path ahead

• Ross Hossack, Head of Customer Experience, One Family
• Katie Gallagher, Manchester Digital

We know many co-operatives are already exploring the opportunities AI offers to businesses. Our movement offers a unique opportunity to navigate together, the opportunities and challenges as we begin to integrate AI into some operations and processes – with a specific focus on ethical uses of AI. In this session, Co-operatives UK's Terry Tyldesley shares insights from a recent member survey on AI. We'll also hear from pioneers in this space, One Family, with Ross Hossack providing an overview of the financial mutual's approach including successes and learnings so far. There'll be plenty of time for questions and discussion as we explore how AI can work for our movement. 

Ask the experts

• Zena King, Co-operatives UK
• Dave Boyle, the Community Shares Company
• Sarah Patrice, Anthony Collins Solicitors

Don't miss this interactive session with a panel of experts who will answer your burning governance questions. Zena King is a Senior Governance Advisor at Co‑operatives UK, a Chartered Company Secretary and formerly Co‑operatives UK’s Society Secretary for five years. Dave Boyle has worked in the co‑operative movement for 25 years, specialising in advising on governance and capital raising. He is a member of Co‑operatives UK's Board and a member of the Expert Governance Panel. Sarah Patrice heads up Anthony Collins Solicitors' governance, funding and corporate team. Specialising in all aspects of legal governance, she advises clients on wide-ranging contractual, governance and Board‑level issues.

Law Commission consultation

• Dr Nathan Tamblyn, Law Commission of England and Wales

Running from September to December 2024, the Law Commission consultation is a once in a generation opportunity to improve co-operative law and unlock growth within the co-operative economy. This session welcomes Nathan Tamblyn from the Law Commission of England and Wales and gives members the chance to ask questions, discuss ideas and help shape the Law Commission’s work, alongside Co-operatives UK's policy team. 

Drop in sessions: Nathan Tamblyn will also be available for drop-in sessions between 9.30-3pm at Practitioners Forum. Attendees will be able to sign-up at the event reception on the day.

Neurodivergence on boards – experience, challenges and opportunties

• Sarah Musique, Think Musique

How can your organisation embrace diversity, ensure an inclusive environment and improve conditions to strengthen the contribution of neurodivergent individuals? Join us for this session where we address challenges neurodivergent people face within the boardroom, and provide you with the tools needed to support neurodivergent directors, enhancing decision-making and governance across the sector. 

Member Governance: Best practice for hybrid and virtual meetings

• Laura Harper and James King, Lewis Silkin LLP

Getting meeting processes right for your co-operative is crucial – in terms of getting the right engagement but also relating to the governance and rules of your Society. Lewis Silkin LLP's Laura Harper and James King will take us through the physical versus virtual versus hybrid meetings. It will look specifically at the current legal position under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 - and proposed reform through the Law Commission consultation. There will also be practical considerations and a checklist of considerations around: best practice; achieving quorum; participation and conduct; voting methods; and documentation, data protection and confidentiality.

Access to finance for co-operatives

Tim Coomer, Co-operative & Community Finance
Amy McFayden, Relationship Manager, The Co-operative Bank
Sheila Murtagh, Credit Union Social Investment Lead, GMCVO
John Dawson​,​​​ Head of Market Development, Co-operatives UK

Hear from financial services and organisations that specialise in offering support to co-operatives. In this session packed full of experts, delegates will leave with a far greater understanding of the financing options for their co-operative, its members and employees.

Financial reporting update

Catriona Lawrie, Forvis Mazars

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has issued comprehensive improvements to the accounting and financial reporting standards applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland. These amendments finalise the FRC’s periodic review of the UK’s accounting standards consulted on in FRED 82 Draft amendments to FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard Applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland and other FRSs – Periodic Review 2024. This session will explore key changes to FRS 102 and focus on:

• Section 23 Revenue from Contracts with Customers: The revenue accounting requirements have been completely replaced with a new section based on IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers.
• Section 20 Leases: The lease accounting requirements have been completely replaced with a new section based on IFRS 16 Leases. The amendments require all lease arrangements to be recognised on-balance sheet, with some exemptions and practical simplifications, and therefore removing the distinction between operating and finance lease arrangements.

Optimise your finance function

Alan Frost, Forvis Mazars

In this interactive session you will discover what excellence looks like in financial operations. Learn practical tips for making small yet impactful improvements and unlock strategies to add significant value to your organisation. Elevate your finance function and drive success with actionable insights.

Employment tax and VAT for co-ops

Jacki Wells and Nicola Kelleher, Crowe UK LLP

The session brings value added! Delivered by experts from leading audit, tax, advisory and consulting firm Crowe UK, it covers a wide variety of VAT issues. These include: VAT registration; annual accounting and cash accounting simplifications; property costs; VAT recovery and the option to tax; reverse charges; grants versus contracts; business/non-business apportionments and partial exemption.   

How to make flexibility work for everyone

Dr Sarah Dauncey, Timewise

Timewise was formed in 2010 to help businesses shape better flexible working policies and practices and they’ve been working to establish more inclusive workplaces powered by flexible working ever since. In this session, Dr Sarah Dauncey will explore how co‑operatives can implement flexible working practices to help create stronger, more inclusive and - ultimately - more successful organisations. 

The use of AI in recruitment

Nermeen Hilton, Recruitment and Employment Confederation

Adopting AI‑enabled tools in HR and recruitment processes can offer greater efficiency, scalability, and consistency, but it can come with risks as well. In this session delegates will explore what co‑operatives should consider so they can deploy AI responsibly in recruitment. 

Creating an inclusive workplace

Jon Prashar, Enhance the UK

An inclusive workplace can boost creativity, productivity, employee engagement, attract a diverse talent pool and improve employee wellbeing. In this session we'll be covering the knowledge and skills needed to engage with disabled colleagues, from the use of inclusive language and terminology to tried and tested mthods for encouraging disabled people to work for your organisation.

Employment law update

Emma Bagshaw, Nexa Law

Emma Bagshaw, employment and immigration lawyer at Nexa Law, will examine recent and upcoming changes in employment law and, importantly, the implications for your co-operative or community business. The spotlight will be firmly placed on those areas having most impact on co-operatives. 

The dos and don’ts of AI

Matt Haworth, Co-Founder and Director, Reason Digital

Join Matt Haworth, co-founder of Reason Digital will deliver a talk focused on the dos and don’ts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the context of co-operatives. Matt’s session will cover the best and latest tools and the potential pitfalls of using AI - and also facilitate a discussion on how the 'virtual employee' of AI can be treated by member-owned organisations.

Social Media 101 – the ABC of social platforms

Amrit Singh, Rebel Creatives

Join Content Creator and Digital Consultant Amrit Singh for this comprehensive overview of the top social media platforms, their unique features, and how they can be used to meet different business needs. Delegates will also discover hidden gems within these platforms and discuss strategies for telling a compelling brand story through social media. The presentation will address questions such as whether a business should be on every platform, prime-posting times and importance of a social media strategy.

Telling powerful stories

Steve Rawling, Business Storytelling Expert

In this session, you will receive a storytelling masterclass from Steve Rawling on how to find and tell great stories about your co-operative, alongside key tips to bring stories to life. You will be encouraged to get to work straight away as Steve shares an overview of what makes a good story. Delegates will be helped to develop and tell powerful human stories about their co-operative. We will look at this in the context of the United Nation's International Year of Co-operatives 2025 and you will hear how we work together to amplify each others' stories across the international year.

Making the most of your content – a guide for co-operative businesses

Amrit Singh, Rebel Creatives

How can you maximise the value of existing content, such as photographs, videos, and user-generated assets for your co-operative?  This session will explore strategies for creating new engaging content without a large marketing budget, leveraging trends like 'day in the life of' videos  and utilising the right equipment. Delegates will also explore how co-operatives can take advantage of the upcoming International Year of Cooperatives to showcase their work and connect with a wider audience.