Productivity panel

Speaker profiles

PANELLIST: Michelle ClarkeCowell, Associate Director Holiday Extras Michelle has over 25 years of leadership experience across various disciplines and would describe herself as a Generalist with a passion for people experience. She currently leads on the development and implementation of Holiday Extras’ sustainability strategy. As part of this Michelle focuses on overall employee experience and how to create the right environment where everyone can unleash their potential and thrive.

Prior to this role Michelle worked in various commercial and partnership roles working with major hotel, theme park and theatre groups within the leisure and entertainment industry.

Productivity panel

CHAIR: Professor Catherine Robinson, Deputy Dean (Medway) Kent Business School, University of Kent Catherine is a Professor of Applied Economics and Business Statistics and is currently Deputy Dean for Kent Business School (Medway and Accreditations), University of Kent. Kate’s research is focussed on firm level performance and factors which influence it, ranging from foreign direct investment to social enterprises; technological change to skills and migrant workers. In her latest research collaborations, Kate has considered the impact of Covid-19 on UK skill mismatch levels in the graduate labour market and how Kent SMEs coped with the skills gap in relation to the introduction to new technologies such as AI, robotics and the use of big data. As well, Kate holds a visiting fellow position at the National Institute of Economics and Social Research, London. HEADLINE PANELLIST: Richard Pilton, Managing Director, Kayo Digital Limited Richard Pilton is Managing Director of award-winning digital agency KAYO Digital who have worked with clients spanning the NHS, Kent County Council and Berry Gardens.

Entrepreneur, public speaker, charity advisor, CEO of award winning digital agency and supporter of Science.

PANELLIST: Dr Maria Elisavet Balta, Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management Maria was previously a TEF Coordinator (2019- 2021) and a Chief Examiner for Stage 1 (20172021). She holds a PhD in Management Studies funded by Leventis Foundation and MSc in Human Resources and Employment Relations both from Brunel Business School. She is Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy and Academic Member of CIPD. Her research has received a significant amount of funding from national and international research council organisations including British Academy of Management Transition, Medway Council Strategic Recovery Fund, UKAIS, the Qatar, KTP, European Commission for the ERASMUS, Brunel Research Initiative and Enterprise Fund. She is an editorial board member of the International Journal of Information Management and the Sustainability Journal. She co-edits special issues for journals such as International Journal of Information Management and Frontiers in Sociology. She is also Associate Editor for the special issue on “The new wave of “hybrid work”: an opportunity to revise assumptions and build theory” for the Information Systems Journal.