25th Annual Employee Vetting and Screening Conference
London Conference
Ensuring a safer workplace and protecting your organisation.
Date/Time: Wednesday 1st October, 09:30 - 17:00
Location: The Danubius Hotel Regents Park, London (NW8)
Early bird rate: £316 +VAT (20% off the standard £395 +VAT rate).
This offer is for a limited time only.
Stay ahead of global employment screening trends and regulatory compliance requirements
With recruitment budgets under intense scrutiny and hiring costs rising across international markets, HR professionals worldwide need comprehensive employee vetting strategies that are both legally compliant and cost-effective. Pre-employment screening fraud is escalating globally, costing organisations billions annually while damaging employer brands and operational integrity.
This premier international screening conference delivers cutting-edge best practices for HR leaders, compliance officers, and recruitment professionals responsible for background check processes across multiple jurisdictions. You'll master the essentials of building robust vetting programmes that prevent recruitment fraud, protect organisational reputation, reduce employee turnover, and optimise hiring investments.
Key learning outcomes for international delegates:
- Digital screening transformation strategies and AI implementation
- Multi-jurisdictional compliance frameworks for global operations
- Privacy and security balance in candidate data handling
- Fraud prevention techniques and risk assessment methodologies
- Vendor selection criteria for international screening partners
- Industry accreditation standards and quality benchmarks
Join delegates from the UK, EU, and US at this essential employee screening event designed for today's complex, interconnected recruitment landscape.
HR Director: “The conference was insightful and well-organised. All the speakers were experts in their fields, and I feel more confident to review our vetting processes. It’s a must-attend event for anyone in HR"
Compliance Officer: “The sessions on legal requirements and best practices were particularly valuable.”
Head of HR: "The networking opportunities were fantastic, and the content was relevant and actionable."
Recruitment Manager: “The Pre-Employment Screening and Vetting Conference provided us with the tools and knowledge to enhance our hiring processes. The focus on legal compliance and security was especially beneficial. Looking forward to the next one"
Register today and ensure your vetting and screening is compliant, robust and effective.
Which functions will benefit from attending
- HR, Security, Recruitment, Legal & Compliance, Directors & Managers responsible for Immigration & Right to Work Checks, Vetting & Screening, Administration & Operations
Hear from
Schedule
Registration and welcome coffee
Chair's opening remarks
Elizabeth Smith
Director of Research , Business Forums International Ltd. (BFI)
Elizabeth is director of research and a founding co-director at Business Forums International. She is responsible for all programme content and writing, and researches current areas of interest for senior HR professionals in large organisations. BFI is the UK’s leading HR risk specialist conference and training provider, delivering key and timely information to over 3,000 delegates a year both through public and in-house training courses. Before founding BFI in 1996, Elizabeth specialised in researching corporate financial programmes in Asia and the Middle East, based in Dubai. She also worked in advertising and publishing in the Middle East and London. Elizabeth was educated in the West Indies, Saudi Arabia and Belgium before reading Modern Languages at Durham University. She is currently developing an online training course for line managers to raise awareness of menopause symptoms and ways that employers can work to make their workplaces more inclusive.
Keith Rosser
Director , REED
Keith is a labour market expert with over 20 years’ experience. He runs Reed Screening an employment vetting business he founded in 2012 for Reed, the British family-owned recruitment business where he is also CQC responsible individual.
Welcome and introduction to the day, aims and objectives and rules of engagement
Keynote: Legal and policy context for vetting and screening
Caroline Smith
VP Deputy General Counsel, International , HireRight Ltd
Caroline Smith has been with the HireRight group for over 10 years and is Deputy General Counsel for HireRight’s International business (EMEA/APAC region). Caroline assists in the negotiation of contracts across the region and leads the International business compliance function advising on a range of issues including data protection and regulatory updates. Caroline is a UK qualified lawyer with over 18 years’ experience and prior to joining HireRight, she was with Herbert Smith LLP and Clyde & Co LLP working on a range of complex international corporate, corporate insolvency and commercial matters. Caroline earned her Master of Arts degree at the University of Saint Andrews and went on to study law at the College of Law in York earning the GDL and LPC postgraduate qualifications.
- A deep dive into the latest legal requirements for pre-employment screening in the UK, including GDPR, the new Employment Rights Bill and the AI Act
- Government's role in employment regulations
- Industry-specific compliance requirements
- Importance of vetting for national security and economic stability
- Future policies and support for organisations
Case study: Vetting and screening in the care sector: challenges and responses
Kadijia Mahabeer
Head of HR , Nightingale Hospital
Kadijia Mahabeer is a seasoned HR leader with extensive experience in employee experience, people performance, and strategic HR transformation. With a strong track record of driving impactful HR initiatives, Kadijia has successfully led talent management, employee engagement, and organisational development programs that align people strategies with business objectives.
- Hiring risks and red flags in the care sector: ensuring safe environments for staff and patients
- Case studies of vetting failures and their consequences
- Best practices for comprehensive background checks in the care industry
- Tools and techniques for effective risk assessment to maximise safety and compliance
Morning break and networking
Panel discussion: Best practices to prevent fraud during your vetting process
Keith Rosser
Director , REED
Keith is a labour market expert with over 20 years’ experience. He runs Reed Screening an employment vetting business he founded in 2012 for Reed, the British family-owned recruitment business where he is also CQC responsible individual.
- Fraudscape Report and implications for UK employers
- Auditing your vetting process to identify vulnerable and weak spots that could be exploited
- What are the current trends? Referencing houses to dual employment: tell-tale signs your organisation may be at risk
- Organised crime, modern slavery and other consequences
- Key questions and red flags to be aware of
- Consequences of AI
- Best practices for implementing identity verification processes
Panel discussion: Balancing privacy and security
Anneka Sheikh
Senior Screening & Vetting Advisor , Baringa
Anneka is a distinguished professional in the field of screening and vetting, with over a decade of experience in managing comprehensive background check processes for high-profile clients and organisations.
- Perspectives from industry experts on privacy and security
- Discussion on privacy laws and their impact on screening
- Effective security measures to protect candidate data
- Social media checks: the legal framework
- Ethical issues in balancing privacy and security
Case study: Digitising the screening process
Kev Sambor
Head of Vetting & Onboarding , Serco Group Plc
Kevin Sambor leads Vetting and Onboarding at Serco Ltd, overseeing the delivery of background and security checks across six key sectors—Defence, Justice and Immigration, Healthcare, Leisure, Corporate, and Citizen Services. As the policy and process owner, he ensures compliance with national security standards while championing a people-first approach to onboarding.
- Balancing risk versus cost: essential questions to consider
- Challenges encountered and how they were overcome
- Outcomes and benefits of a digitised screening strategy
- Minimising screening timelines - quantifying the process
- Key takeaways and lessons learned
Tech Clinic: Implementing AI in screening processes
Daniel Harrison
Artificial Intelligence & Generative AI Strategy , Amazon Web Service
Daniel is driven by cultivating strong relationships with everyone he comes across and learning from them. He adamantly believes that education, a willingness to learn, hard work, and an open mind are the key to both personal and professional growth. His energetic personality, keen listening & strategy skills, and knack for technology are the traits that he continues to promote and grow as he pursues his passions of global business, strategy and equality.
This interactive session will show delegates how to implement responsible AI in the vetting process. Examining the legal framework, essential policy considerations and advice on strategy and ownership, the aim is to give attendees a thorough understanding of how to use AI for vetting and screening. The session kicks off with a look at the benefits and applications of AI, followed by advice on where it can go wrong, and how to ensure you're using it compliantly.
All questions and quandaries, however basic, are invited live, ensuring you leave today with a plan for successfully implementing and integrating AI into your processes, and some examples of successful use of the technology.
Lunch and networking
Choosing the right screening partner to optimise candidate experience
Matt Tuckey
Sales and Marketing Director , Due Diligence Checking
- Choosing the right partner to ensure a seamless and compliant screening process
- Key areas to focus on and questions to ask so your needs are understood and met
- Making informed decisions and avoiding potential pitfalls: critical questions about experience, compliance, and data security
- Creating a positive candidate experience: ensuring transparent and effective communication, continuous feedback
- How a positive screening process can strengthen your employer brand, attracting top talent and foster a positive reputation
- Examples of successful partnerships
- Tips for negotiating contracts with vendors
Case study: Vetting and screening for the police
Raj Johal
Director of Vetting , Metropolitan Police
Raj is the director for Referencing and Vetting at the Metropolitan Police, where he is responsible for delivery of vetting, disclosure, and police national computer (PNC) services.
- Undertaking a journey of reform: key principles to inform a roadmap
- Understanding and creating vetting strategies for specific layers of clearance
- Integrating with the recruitment process and HR function: challenges and opportunities
- Embedding vetting into the culture: ongoing vetting to ensure integrity
- Lessons learned from other countries
Afternoon break and networking
Overcoming common screening challenges
Jagriti Patwari
Director , Eurocom C.I.
Jagriti graduated from University College London in 2004 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser in 2008. In 2009, she founded Maroon Accounts — a practice built not only on compliance excellence but also on pragmatic, growth focused business advice. After twelve successful years at its helm, Jagriti sold Maroon Accounts in 2021 to pursue her next entrepreneurial venture.
- Inadequate preparation and planning: developing a comprehensive vetting policy
- Obtaining proper consent to avoid potential legal challenges
- Ensuring information accuracy through reliable data verification processes
- Meeting regulatory demands and compliance with current and upcoming industry regulations
- Reducing time-to-hire through efficient screening tools: what’s coming down the pipeline?
Accreditation Initiatives for the Screening Industry: Implications for Employers
Will Hoggarth
CEO at Chexperts & Chair Elect , PBSA Europe
Co-Founder of Chexperts and Chair Elect PBSA Europe
Susie Thomson
COO at Matrix Security Watchdog & Secretary/Treasurer , PBSA Europe
Susie is a co-founder of Security Watchdog when it was formed in 1998 with her father and brother. Supported by a dynamic leadership team, she is today responsible for managing the largest employment screening organisation in Europe with over 250 employees.
- Who the PBSA is and our mission to advance excellence in the screening profession.
- An introduction to the PBSA Accreditation Program — what it involves and why it’s a valuable benchmark of excellence.
- Practical advice for attendees on what to ask screening providers
- Questions to assess quality, compliance, and transparency
- What to look for when choosing a responsible screening partner
Effective vetting strategies for non-UK employees: Ensuring your checks are robust and compliant
Ian Westwood
Immigration Consultant , The Westwood Organisation
Ian Westwood worked at the Home Office from 1993-2003. He was an operational Immigration Officer serving at Heathrow, Gatwick and Dover before being promoted to Chief Immigration Officer based in Croydon. Since then he has set up his own consultancy business, providing training and immigration advice to a variety of corporate and private clients on the subject of Immigration. He is regulated by the Office of the Immigration Service Commissioner to provide immigration advice in the UK. Ian’s training credentials include the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s Certificate of Training Practice and the Belbin Team-Role Accreditation.
- Immigration status: who can work for you? Points Based System and visa updates
- Right to Work checks: policy and practice
- Checking identity documents: an overview of security features and counterfeit examples to ensure you're confident to check to Home Office requirements
Sponsored networking reception and farewell drinks
We invite you to connect with peers and discuss the day's insights over drinks and light refreshments.
End of conference
Event sponsored by
HireRight delivers global background checks, drug testing, and employment verification services through an innovative platform. We want all of our clients to grow successfully and efficiently – no matter their size or location. We do this by offering a comprehensive screening solution that can be tailored to the unique needs of any organization, giving enterprises peace of mind about their people and processes. Our platform is easy to use and can be integrated with existing HR systems. HireRight has U.S. offices in Irvine, Calif., Tulsa, Okla., Nashville, Tenn., Chapin, S.C., and Dallas, Texas, and international offices in Australia, Canada, Estonia, , India, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Singapore, the UAE, and the UK.
Reed Screening offers you peace of mind. Outsource your employment screening to us and our team of professionals will protect your business from reputational and financial risk. We’re dedicated to implementing screening processes that save our clients time and money. Our clients have consistently saved money, reduced on-boarding times by 50%, and improved candidate experience. We are one of the UK’s largest employment screening businesses with over 170 screening specialists, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Every year, we complete over 350,000 end-to-end candidate vetting checks, over 170,000 references and over 60,000 police checks. In addition, we have 50+ years of recruitment experience to draw on, making us experts in the recruitment journey.
At Equifax we believe knowledge drives progress. At Equifax Workforce Solutions we help deliver that knowledge through differentiated data, technology and insights that can help organizations make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our award-winning Employer Services brings organizations the information, expertise, and HR solutions they need to help meet their compliance commitments and manage the changes that impact their workforce. Our Verification Services and flagship The Work NumberⓇ database help improve the speed of verifications and the accuracy of decisions that help consumers nationwide.
Event supported by
Founded as a non-profit trade association in 2003, the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) was established to represent the interest of companies offering employment and tenant background screening services. Just as importantly, however, the initial members wanted to establish and promote a high level of ethics and performance standards for the screening industry. The Association currently represents over 600 member companies engaged in employment and tenant background screening globally. Member companies range from Fortune 100 companies to small local businesses, conducting millions of employment related and tenant background checks each year as part of the hiring and leasing process. PBSA Member companies are defined as “consumer reporting agencies” pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and are regulated by both the FTC and CFPB.
The Better Hiring Institute has created the UK's first national hiring framework. Working closely with UK Government and industry the Better Hiring Institute exist to make UK Hiring Faster, Fairer, and Safer. By making UK Hiring the fastest globally, the fairest in the world, and the safest it can be this will drive increased productivity, cut waiting lists, boost the economy, and get more people into jobs. The Better Hiring Institute is supported by Peers, MPs, and an active employer community who help advise UK Government and support the creation of free-to-use best practice.
PreemploymentDirectory.com is a comprehensive listing of professional background screening companies. Founded in 2005, PreemploymentDirectory.com has grown to become the leading online directory available to organizations to use to search for a background screening firm.
PreemploymentDirectory.com helps businesses of all sizes to meet the critical need they have to know whom they are hiring and who is on their payroll. We help you to hire qualified talent and to avoid making a bad hire.
PreemploymentDirectory.com helps you meet this need by making it easy for you to quickly find a background screening firm.
