From Experience to Impact: Turn Experience into Opportunity with Neil Horner

In just 34 minutes, Neil will actively engage you in reflecting on your own experience, understanding the fundamentals that truly make a difference in project delivery, and adopting the language and mindset of modern project management. Drawing on his own career journey from engineer to Chartered Manager and trusted advisor, Neil uses storytelling and practical insight to connect experience to confidence.

The AI-Augmented Project Manager: How Future PMs can Work Smarter, Make Better Decisions, and Stand Out in the Job Market with Jiten Bhardwaj

In this session, “The AI-Augmented Project Manager”, we will explore how AI can be practically applied across the project lifecycle to help PMs work smarter, make better-informed decisions, and reduce the burden of repetitive tasks. Going beyond theory, the session will focus on real-world application, including how attendees can develop and showcase AI and automation skills to stand out in an increasingly competitive job market.

Toastmasters is an efficient, enjoyable and affordable way of gaining great communication and leadership skills. By learning to effectively formulate and express your ideas, you open an entirely new world of possibilities. You’ll be more persuasive and confident when giving presentations and you’ll improve your one-on-one dealings with others.

Projects don’t just deliver outputs, they shape outcomes for people and communities. In this session, Bronwyn Hall McLoughlin explores climate justice through project scenarios, and the GPM P5 lens, to help you design fairer project outcomes for all.

PMI UK Changemakers will give you the skills and confidence you need to effectively express yourself in any situation. Public speaking is a key project management skill and Changemakers is an efficient, enjoyable and affordable way of gaining great communication and leadership skills. By learning to effectively formulate and express your ideas, you open an entirely new world of possibilities. You’ll be more persuasive and confident when giving presentations and you’ll improve your one-on-one dealings with others.

PMI UK Toastmasters will give you the skills and confidence you need to effectively express yourself in any situation. Public speaking is a key project management skill and Toastmasters is an efficient, enjoyable and affordable way of gaining great communication and leadership skills. By learning to effectively formulate and express your ideas, you open an entirely new world of possibilities. You’ll be more persuasive and confident when giving presentations and you’ll improve your one-on-one dealings with others.

Join us at the PMI National Conference 2026 and rediscover why strong project management fundamentals are more important than ever.

In a world defined by continuous change, increasing complexity, and non-linear career paths, fundamentals act as our lighthouse – guiding decisions, enabling adaptation, and helping us move forward with clarity and confidence.

Through interactive sessions and shared experiences, we will explore the practices shaping modern project delivery, including:

• Sustainability and social impact
• Agility in complex environments and scalable delivery
• Strengthening technical, business, and power skills

Drawing on experience managing the £3M Faraday Institution LEAP Project at the University of Cambridge, Alex Kersting explains what makes research delivery different from traditional PMI contexts. Research teams are diverse, autonomous, and highly specialised, with PhDs, postdocs, and early‑career researchers working across multiple institutions. Progress is non‑linear, stage gates rarely exist, and deliverables – papers, datasets, prototypes – often evolve as discoveries unfold.

Participants will gain a practical understanding of how traditional project management differs from research project management, including how to plan under uncertainty, influence without authority, measure progress, and communicate complex science to diverse stakeholders.

In his presentation Kasim Sen will shared the results and highlights of the “Usage of KPI and OKR in PMOs” survey, conducted between July and September 2025. 92 PMOs from the world participated. The results provide data for the future of PMOs. This survey, which contains valuable insights for PMOs, has revealed some interesting results. He has obtained valuable results that will shed light on the future of PMOs.

This session explores how Agile is transforming the role of project leaders beyond traditional delivery management. It examines the critical mindset shifts required to lead in complex and rapidly changing environments, where adaptability, collaboration, and value-driven decision-making are essential.

In this May edition, we explore Business Acumen for Project Managers — a practical guide that helps project professionals understand how organisations make decisions, which numbers matter, and how to connect project outcomes to business value.

We will walk through selected chapters and examples from the book, looking at how organisations evaluate opportunities, how value drivers and indicators shape decisions, and how business acumen supports better project choices.

Whether you’ve read the book or not, you are welcome — the session is designed to spark interest, encourage learning, and help you reflect on how these concepts apply to your own projects.