Dawn Carter is a strategic global talent acquisition leader with over 30 years of experience driving performance through inclusive, scalable early career hiring strategies. She brings a deep understanding of global markets and a curiosity for the cultural and operational nuances that fuel talent success. She challenges the status quo by centering human connection, empathy, and the power of storytelling as tools for lasting impact.

Most recently, Dawn wrapped up her role as Uber’s Global Director of Talent Acquisition, driving the company’s early-career, university, and apprenticeship talent strategies worldwide. Appointed in 2019 as Uber’s first Global Head of University Recruiting & Programs, she built and scaled a unified global early-talent strategy, bringing consistency, innovation, and long-term workforce planning to teams and regions across the organization.

Her expertise spans industries and organizational complexity, having led high-impact university and early career programs at world-class companies including Amazon, Intuit, NetApp, Northrop Grumman, Teradyne, and Walt Disney Imagineering.

She is an active leader in her craft and has held many leadership roles in both the Mountain Pacific Association of Colleges & Employers (MPACE) and National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). In both organizations she held executive leadership volunteer roles and presided as President and Past President for each organization. She is currently an active member of NACE and is part of the NACE’s Advocacy & Employer Task Force Committees.

Dawn has served as a committed and strategic leader within the MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) community for over 20 years across both California and Washington. For the last 12 years she has sat on the Board of Directors in both states and currently contributes her expertise as a Co-Chair for CA MESA Board of Directors helping to shape statewide initiatives that expand educational access and equity in STEM.

Dawn founded New Dawn Strategy Group to partner with organizations to design inclusive, scalable, and globally impactful early-career and university recruiting strategies. Beyond her consulting work, she remains deeply committed to expanding access for students through ongoing volunteer work. She believes that when we create access, we unlock potential, empowering individuals to find their community, expand their reach, and realize what’s possible.

Simon Kho is the founder of KhoLabs, where he partners with companies and universities to design innovative talent strategies that support organizational demand and growth. With over 30 years of global experience in talent management, he has led early career and talent acquisition functions at JPMorgan, Discover Financial, Raymond James Financial, Heidrick & Struggles, WilliamsMarston, and KPMG. Simon brings trusted expertise to lead the dialogue and help influence key stakeholders in transforming for the future or work.

Simon is known for pioneering new approaches, including Discover’s Advanced Analytics Resource Center (development program for data scientist and engineers) and KPMG’s first global internship program (cross-border student engagement). He has guided major transformations at global companies such as BP and KPMG International, where he built resourcing strategies across 150 countries.

A recognized leader in university recruiting and early careers, Simon has served on the Board of NACE, chaired the Employers’ Advisory Board of ENACTUS, and presented at multiple industry conferences. He began his career in student affairs at Michigan State University and Fordham University, and holds an undergraduate degree from Boston College and a Master’s Degree from Fordham.

Cathy Sims is an experienced leader and thought-partner in talent management and early careers. She is the Founding Executive Director of the South African Graduate Employers Association (SAGEA), a professional body dedicated to advancing graduate employability and supporting talent managers, career services professionals and employers. Over more than two decades, Cathy has shaped the graduate recruitment and development landscape in South Africa through her work in both the corporate and higher-education sectors — including leadership roles in human resources and employer relations. She has a deep commitment to collaboration, insight-driven practice, and building bridges between industry and education. Cathy draws on her expertise in cultivating meaningful pathways for emerging talent and fostering sustainable talent ecosystems.

Bob is an award winning industry expert, has an undergraduate degree in Mathematical Modelling, an Executive MBA and recently completed his PhD in Social Mobility and the Graduate Labour Market. Bob began his career as Students Union President. After this he worked for companies such as Tesco, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, graduate-jobs.com, RWE npower, University of Leicester and Skyscanner. Bob is a regular International conference speaker and co-author of the first book in the UK written on Graduate Recruitment and Development.

Shalin Ledwaba stands as a pre-eminent architect of African human capital, a visionary HR executive whose career has been defined by the strategic orchestration of future-fit workforce ecosystems. With an unparalleled mastery of emerging talent and workforce transformation, she has become a definitive force in recalibrating how global and continental organisations identify, cultivate, and empower Africa’s next generation of leadership.

Her legacy is built upon the design and execution of sophisticated, large-scale talent infrastructures across the continent’s most complex markets. From pioneering pan-African graduate and management trainee frameworks to high-impact bursary and learnership initiatives, Shalin has systematically dismantled the barriers between education and employment. By forging elite institutional partnerships and creating rigorous pathways into scarce-skill domains, she has successfully transitioned thousands of young professionals into the economic mainstream, balancing hyper-local nuance with scalable, sustainable excellence.

In her current capacity as Head of Talent Acquisition, Shalin directs a comprehensive human capital portfolio that integrates the critical pillars of organisational vitality: from performance, reward, and learning to sustainability, employee experience, and structural transformation. Her leadership is characterised by a rare synthesis of data-driven workforce analytics and a profound social-purpose lens, ensuring that talent strategies serve as both a catalyst for aggressive business growth and a vehicle for systemic youth employability.

A distinguished thought leader on the frontier of the “Future of Work,” Shalin is a sought-after voice on the intersection of AI, inclusive labour markets, and evolving workforce trends. Her contributions to the profession have earned prestigious accolades, most notably her recognition as the IPM (Institute of People Management) Future HR Leader of the Year. Driven by a commitment to equitable and resilient talent ecosystems, Shalin Ledwaba continues to redefine the standards of excellence for human capital investment across the African continent.

Joan Moore brings over two decades of recruitment experience, beginning her career in agency recruiting before moving into higher education as part of the Careers and Employability Service at Kingston University, giving her a grounding in the talent landscape from both sides of the equation.

In 2011, Joan joined Accenture, progressing from Senior Recruiter to Head of Early Talent for the UK. She led an award-winning team hiring up to 750 apprentices, interns and graduates each year, driving a significant transformation in how the firm attracted the best and most diverse talent. A strong advocate for the role technology plays in recruiting innovation, Joan is equally passionate about balancing this with genuinely human experiences believing the best recruitment is frictionless, high-impact, and memorable for all the right reasons.

In September 2025, Joan joined Sage as Global Early Careers Director, taking overall accountability for the attraction, hiring, onboarding and development of early careers hires across ten global locations.

A firm believer in cross-industry collaboration, Joan joined the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) Board in January 2021, serving as Treasurer before becoming Chair in March 2024. It is this same spirit that draws her to the Global Emerging Talent Forum. With youth unemployment a growing concern, she believes this is a critical moment for the industry to come together, sharing knowledge, challenging the status quo, and creating meaningful opportunities and clear pathways into employment for all. Joan is excited to bring her experience to an international stage and help shape the future of early careers on a global scale.

Kelly Pfeffer is Graduate Talent Lead at Suncorp (Australia & New Zealand based Insurance Company) with a strong focus on early careers programs and emerging talent development.

With 20+ years’ experience supporting graduate and early career cohorts, Kelly is passionate about designing structured, engaging programs that enable individuals to successfully transition into the workforce. She partners with leaders and stakeholders to deliver end-to-end early careers initiatives, including onboarding, capability development, performance support, and employee engagement.

Kelly has worked in both domestic and global organisations across a variety of industries. Using this experience, Kelly has a deep appreciation for both the similarities and differences across each market and region.

Kelly is an elected Director of the Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) and has been a member since 2006. Kelly is also a member of the New Zealand Association of Graduate Employers (NZAGE).