RES Connect London - 2nd July 2026

In the past two decades, we've all experienced moments of failure.

It's fair to say that we've also learned a thing or two in that time.

To mark 20 years of the RES Forum, you're invited to celebrate those moments when things didn't go to plan. With the help of the Failure Institute, you'll also get to explore the things you've learned along the way.

What's more, we'll help you understand the broader context of Global Mobility. We'll debate one of the biggest challenges facing our time - humanity vs. technology. And we'll examine how bold ideas and calculated risks can elevate the mobility function, even if, sometimes, you have to fail first.

A day of debate, learning and celebration

Hosted by SilverDoor, we'll meet in Chiswick Park on July 2nd, for an afternoon of reflection and conversation.

Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park and the party's spokesperson for Business and the Cabinet Office, will open the day with a celebration of international entrepreneurs and the contribution they make to the UK economy.

Then, it's time for the big debate.

If you had £10,000 to invest in your 2027 strategy, where would you put it?

With advocates - and experts - on both sides, we're going to debate the case for human-led vs. fully automated mobility.

As the jury, you get to decide where your preference lies.

Taking the people-first approach, Global Mobility Expert, Nouran Zarroug, will be joined by Expat Valley Founder and Strategic Humanist, Karlijn Jacobs.

Graham Wyllie, Chief Growth Officer at the Cozm, will make the case for technology alongside Soren Sturup-Toft, Immigration and Global Mobility Lead EMEA & APJ at Databricks.

As Managing Director of the RES Forum, David Enser will assume a neutral position. From there, he will moderate the debate, incorporating challenges and questions from each side, as well as from you, the jury.

Learning from failure

After a brief break to catch our breath, SilverDoor will provide an update on the UK's temporary accommodation market, before we enter into a little bit of fun - and learning - with failure.

Led by the Failure Institute, this session extends an invitation to benefit from our mistakes. Using stories of things gone wrong, you'll learn how to convert failure into a tool for growth. This promises to be an engaging, interactive and cathartic session to close out a fascinating day of debate, learning and failure.

Then the celebrations begin.

The RES Forum's 20th Birthday Bash

Whatever your involvement in the RES Forum over the past 20 years, you're welcome to help us celebrate our collective achievements and failures, and all the things we've learned along the way.

More details to follow soon.

Register your interest below.

12.15 to 12.45pm - Arrival and lunch
12.45 to 1.00pm - Introductions and welcome - David Enser - Director, RES Forum
1.00 to 1.30 - Keynote - Celebrating the contribution of international entrepreneurs to the UK economy - Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park and the party's spokesperson for Business and the Cabinet Office.
1.30 to 3.15 - The Big Debate: frictionless tech vs. strategic talent architecture If you had £10,000 to invest in your 2027 strategy, would it go toward scalable automation or a more robust human support framework? Join the jury and decide the fate of the function. Our debate is steered by David Enser, Managing Director of the RES Forum. Under David’s guidance, we will navigate the clash between two distinct strategic visions. Defending the Pro-Automation camp are Soren Sturup-Toft, Immigration and Global Mobility Lead EMEA & APJ at Databricks, and Graham Wyllie, Chief Growth Officer at The Cozm, both of whom see the future in frictionless, tech-driven scalability. Challenging them from the Human-Centric Camp are Nouran Zarroug, Global Mobility Expert, and Karlijn Jacobs, Founder of Expat Valley, who argue that the true ROI of mobility lies in the complex, non-automated variables of the human experience.
Break
3.30 to 3.45 - Temporary Accommodation Market Update - Caroline Whitson, SilverDoor
3.45 to 5.15 - FuN with Failure A global movement, the Failure Institute is present in 270+ cities. Here is a place where founders, leaders and wider teams share honest stories of professional failure. Through short, vulnerable talks, FuN holds those conversations that rarely happen in most organisations. This way, they help organisations turn mistakes into learning and convert failure into a tool for growth, resilience and better decision-making. Speakers to be announced.
5.15 to 5.45 - Reflections and wrap up
5.45 to late - RES Forum's 20th Birthday Celebrations