SSF UK’s Customer Experience Network came together on 4th June 2026 at Royal London for a brilliant day of honest conversation, shared learning and practical insight, focused on two of the biggest topics facing organisations right now: AI and change management.
The day kicked off with a warm welcome and introductions, followed by an engaging SSF UK update and interactive icebreaker, setting the tone for a highly collaborative day.
Michelle Thorpe, Head of People Services shared a brilliant introduction to Royal London, sharing insight into the journey so far, the evolution of their people services function, and how AI is starting to play a role in shaping the experience. Thank you.
Members then moved into a lively breakout discussion exploring what organisations are really experiencing with AI — what’s delivering value, what’s proving more challenging, and how different approaches are evolving in practice. This was not about theory, but about real experiences, with members openly sharing insight, comparing journeys and learning from one another.
A highlight of the morning was a deep dive into Peli, Royal London’s AI-powered people support agent. Developed by their in-house People Tech team, Peli is transforming how colleagues access information, navigating over 500 knowledge centre pages in seconds, providing quick, reliable answers, raising tickets where needed and keeping colleagues updated through one seamless experience.
Ged Flanagan-Lloyd brought this to life, sharing the thinking behind its creation, what they set out to solve and honest insight into the journey so far, giving members a real-world perspective on what it takes to bring AI solutions to life successfully.
Following a valuable networking lunch, the focus shifted to change management, exploring how organisations can make change land effectively in today’s fast-moving environment. Through structured group discussions, Designing Change: From Scenario to Action, the topic was brought this to life, with members working through realistic change scenarios by exploring different change management models, when and how they work best, and how to adapt them to suit their own organisational context. In groups, they developed high-level change plans, considering how best to approach, structure and support implementation. Sharing back as a wider group created space to challenge thinking, compare approaches and learn from different perspectives.
The day closed with a strong sense of shared learning, practical takeaways and a renewed confidence in applying both AI and change strategies in real organisational settings.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us on the day, including those who travelled from afar and to the new members who attended, it was fantastic to have you with us.
Thank you to Michelle Thorpe, Ged Flanagan-Lloyd, and the wider Royal London team for hosting us and for sharing such open, honest and valuable insight throughout the day.
And of course, a big thank you to our network leaders Dan and Cathie for once again delivering such an engaging, interactive and impactful event. Your hard work and support never goes unnoticed and once again an excellent day!!
Safe travels home and we look forward to seeing you all again online this September for our Forward Focus session!!
