Leading recruitment specialist Acorn by Synergie and commercial law firm Darwin Gray have hosted a well-attended session exploring the Changing Landscape of Employment Law as part of their Wales HR Network expert panel series. 

The event took place on 12 February at Cardiff Business School, bringing together HR professionals and people leaders from across Wales to hear the latest updates in employment law and explore what these changes mean for HR teams and the future of the workplace.  

Panellists on the day included Hannah Hopes, Head of HR at Football Association of Wales, Laura Montgomery, Senior HR Business Partner at Confused.com, Owen John, Employment Law Partner at Darwin Gray, and Rachel Ford-Evans, Employment Law Partner and Darwin Gray. 

The session provided practical insight into current and emerging legal developments, alongside open discussion around the challenges and opportunities facing organisations. 

The event forms part of a four-part expert panel series, which kicked off in November 2025 and aims to connect HR professionals from across Wales through engaging, informative discussions.  

Key topics including recruitment, employment law, wellbeing, and the growing impact of AI and technology in HR will be covered in the series. 

Each session features expert insights from industry specialists, interactive Q&A opportunities, and valuable networking, creating a collaborative space for learning and shared experience. 

The sessions are delivered in partnership with Beam Training, with the shared aim of providing leaders, managers and HR professionals with access to expertise across employment law, HR, recruitment, wellbeing and personal development. The initiative seeks to empower professionals working in HR and beyond. 

Commenting on the success of the latest session, Fflur Jones, Managing Partner at Darwin Gray, said: 
“It was fantastic to see so many HR professionals engaging in open and thoughtful discussion about the changing employment law landscape. The quality of conversation and questions really demonstrated how valuable these sessions are, and we’re delighted with how well this event was received. We’re looking forward to the next one.” 

Andrew Tugwell, COO at Acorn by Synergie, added: 
“The session was incredibly insightful, with practical takeaways for HR teams navigating change in an increasingly complex environment. It’s been great to see such strong engagement from across the Welsh HR community, and I’m already looking forward to the next event in the series.”