In the spirit of personal development, this session explores adaptive leadership in the AO sector. We will discuss the current reform programme to identify opportunities for innovation and personal development. Learn how to transform the challenge of systemic change into a catalyst for excellence, ensuring your leadership remains effective in a rapidly shifting landscape.
As Managing Director of one of the leading AOs, Rob May will discuss how he manages strategic direction, ensuring the delivery of high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship assessments, financial stability and full regulatory compliance.

Dean will provide an update from Qualifications Wales covering the latest initiatives and discussing how AOs can utilise these to deliver vocational awards in Welsh centres.
As a key figure in Qualifications Wales' Reform team, he will discuss the current qualifications reform picture and also the latest developments on digital assessment - a hugely important piece of the education framework across all four nations.

This session will look at balancing continuous improvement and regulatory burden with a psychologically safe environment within the Awarding Organisation, and maintaining workplace positivity and employee wellbeing.

We are extremely pleased to welcome the Scottish Qualifications Authority to the AO-Forum. Donna will provide an update from SQA discussing recent programs and looking at how AOs can benefit.
As Chief Examining Officer and Director of Qualifications Development, Donna is well placed to take us through the latest developments in SQA's qualification framework.

Ofqual is stewarding the exams and assessment system through a significant period of transition, with the ongoing reform of post-16 qualifications and the implementation of a new regulatory framework for apprenticeship assessments in collaboration with Skills England. This comes against a backdrop of challenges and opportunities around cyber security, qualification fraud and malpractice, Artificial Intelligence and on-screen assessment of high-stakes exams.
Lucy will take us through the latest developments and discuss what this means for those of us working at the coal face. This session will be followed by a short Q&A which will lead into a discussion panel.

Skills England's stated ambitions are to build world class skills, enabling growth and opportunity, understand the nation’s skills needs and improve the skills offer, simplify access to skills to boost economic growth and to mobilise employers and other partners, co-creating solutions to meet national, regional and local skills needs.
Still in its formative stages, there are still questions that need to be resolved but Carmel will provide an overview of current plans. Come along to hear the latest news on apprenticeships and qualifications.

This is a Q&A session with the regulators and provides you with an opportunity to ask questions related to your business or raise issues relevant to your sector. The session will be chaired by Ben Smith, who will employ Paxman-like tenacity to solicit solid answers to your questions! Either raise a question on the day or submit your question in advance.

Ofqual have highlighted a "technological arms race" between exam integrity and increasingly sophisticated methods of malpractice. These include the use of covert devices, such as discreet earpieces, smart glasses, and hidden cameras, as well as the growing role of impersonators, who openly advertise on social media, and other organised cheating services. This session explores how cheating has developed into a profitable and increasingly organised business, the range of products and services being marketed, and the risks this poses to assessment integrity. Understanding these threats is crucial to protecting the fairness and credibility of assessments, maintaining public confidence, and ensuring that qualifications remain trustworthy.