Many employers throw themselves into the 'war for talent' with only one goal: to conquer the best candidates on the market. But in the heat of battle we sometimes forget how we can really excel. Human and technical errors mean that we sometimes, consciously or unconsciously, miss out on great opportunities. Excluding bias allows employers to offer promising talent the very best offer, to pursue a fairer recruitment policy and ultimately to excel as an organisation.

Debra Searle will share her amazing personal story of rowing the Atlantic solo for 111 days after her oarsman husband developed an uncontrollable fear of the ocean and had to be rescued just 2 weeks into the journey. More than just an inspiring storyteller, Debra leaves her audiences with actionable golden nuggets that she used to stay motivated at sea and that she relies on now to grow her businesses, taking her from school failure to serial entrepreneur and BBC presenter. This session is about challenging our perceptions about skillset vs. mindset, and moving beyond our comfort zones.

A panel of students and grads offer lessons and tips to improve hiring the next generation.