The Big Deel Summit 2026

Expect the unexpected

Surprises through the day. An after-party you won't want to leave. And a special guest we're not ready to reveal yet.

Insight you won't get anywhere else

Deel's product roadmap, direct from leadership. AI workshops you can get hands-on with. And a keynote that sets the agenda for how global work gets done in 2026 — and beyond.

The people in the room

C-suite and senior leaders from across EMEA - scaling companies and global enterprises alike. People navigating the same challengers you are, at the same level. Real conversations, not business cards.

Liz Bonelli

Chief People Officer, Arsenal F.C.

Joe Kauffman

President & CFO, Deel

Melanie C

Global Icon & Guest Speaker

Rob Mayhew

Adland's Favourite Comedian & Official Event Host

Aaron Goldsmid

Head of Product, Deel

Dan Westgarth

COO, Deel

Kondrad Hill

Chief People Officer, THG

Kristine Lipscomb

GM, Mobility, Deel

9:30 AM - 10:00 AM BST

Partners arrival

Strategic partners arrive ahead of the main doors for a private briefing with the Deel Partnerships team. A chance to align on the day ahead, explore co-sell opportunities, and connect with the people building the ecosystem alongside you.

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM BST

Partners programming session

While the rest of the room arrives, strategic partners gather for a dedicated session with Deel's new Global Head of Partnerships, Patrick Lannon. The agenda covers how Deel creates value through its partner ecosystem, white-label solutions, partner marketing, and what's ahead — with time for open questions at the end.

Registration & Welcome Breakfast

Doors open. Check in, grab your wristband (it determines your Lab track for the afternoon), and settle in with a light breakfast, coffee, or matcha. This is your moment to connect with fellow attendees before the day kicks off.

11:00 AM - 11:05 AM BST

Welcome Remarks

Eric Jorgensen, Deel's Head of EMEA Sales, opens The Big Deel Summit — setting the scene for the day, introducing the room, and sharing what you can expect from the sessions ahead.

Eric Jorgensen, Head of EMEA Sales

11:05 AM - 11:30 AM BST

The Big Deel 2026: AI Workforce Vision Keynote

Deel's leadership takes the stage for the anchor session of the day. You'll hear the state of global employment in 2026 and get a first look at Akai — Deel's new in-house AI infrastructure. This isn't AI bolted onto existing tools. It's the foundation Deel has been rebuilding from the ground up: agents that do real work, compliance that runs automatically, payroll that catches errors before you do, and a platform that spans hiring, HR, IT, and payments — all connected. If you want to understand where global workforce management is heading, this is where the story starts.

Joe Kauffman, President & CFO

11:30 AM - 12:10 PM BST

Customer Fireside: Building the Global Workforce

Deel's COO, Dan Westgarth, sits down with leaders from Arsenal and THG for an unscripted conversation about what it actually takes to build and run a global workforce in 2026. Expect candid reflections on the decisions they've navigated, how AI is changing the way they think about hiring and payroll, and what they believe the future of HR looks like for companies operating at scale.

Dan Westgarth, COO

Liz Bonelli, Chief People Officer

Kondrad Hill, Chief People Officer

12:10 PM - 12:55 PM BST

Product Innovation

The product team walk through what Deel is shipping in 2026 — AI that handles real workforce tasks end to end, analytics that answer any people question in plain language, benefits that go live in days not months, stablecoin salary payouts, a vetted talent marketplace, and a new system of record for global mobility. Everything you hear in this session, you'll get hands-on with in the Labs in the afternoon.

Aaron Goldsmid, Head of Product

Kristine Lipscomb, GM, Mobility

Nick Thomson, General Manager, Benefits

Hal Sherrington, Group, Product Operations Manager

12:55 PM - 2:00 PM BST

Lunch & Transition to Labs

Networking lunch served downstairs in the Inner Space

2:00 PM - 2:40 PM BST

Lab

Partner Roundtables

A roundtable built around one of the most common blockers in global hiring: benefits. In this session, you'll sit down with Deel partners Kota and Penfold to dig into what's holding companies back when expanding internationally — and what better benefits infrastructure actually looks like. Follow your wristband to the second floor to find your Lab.

Lab

Shape the Roadmap

This is your direct line to Deel's product team. Bring your priorities, your frustrations, and your wishlist. The session combines short case studies from companies tackling similar challenges with live polling and a structured conversation about what should be built next. Your input shapes the roadmap. Follow your wristband to the second floor to find your Lab.

Lab

AI Agent Play Lab

Your team has workflows that run on habit, not efficiency. In this 40-minute hands-on session, you'll change that. Powered by Akai, Deel's agent platform for operations, this lab takes you from manual process to working automation — live in the room. Walk through a workflow once, and Akai learns it, builds the connectors, and runs it. You review and approve before anything goes. No slides. No theory. Just a real agent, built by you, ready to deploy.

2:40 PM - 2:55 PM BST

Transition to Labs

Time to rotate. Make your way to the next Lab on the second floor — your wristband colour tells you which lab to go to.

2:55 PM - 3:35 PM BST

Lab

Partner Roundtables

A focused roundtable on the workforce management and spend challenges keeping People and Finance leaders up at night. This session brings together Deel partners Quinyx and Payhawk to explore what better looks like — and what it takes to get there. Follow your wristband to the second floor to find your Lab.

Lab

AI Agent Play Lab

Lab

Shape the Roadmap

Another chance to go deep with Deel's product team. Mini-case studies, live polling, and a genuine two-way conversation about what's missing, what's working, and where the platform should go next. Your input feeds directly into what gets built.

3:35 PM - 3:50 PM BST

Transition to Labs

One more rotation to go. Make your way to the next Lab on the second floor — follow your wristband colour.

3:50 PM - 4:30 PM BST

Lab

Shape the Roadmap

The final Shape the Roadmap session, with a spotlight on Benefits. See a live walkthrough of the Deel Benefits Marketplace — from browsing and quoting to employee enrollment and payroll sync — then join an open discussion about the benefits challenges your team faces and where you'd like to see the product go next. Your feedback goes directly to the team building it.

Lab

AI Agent Play Lab

The final rotation of the AI Agent Play Lab. Your team has workflows that run on habit, not efficiency. In this 40-minute hands-on session, you'll change that. Powered by Akai, Deel's agent platform for operations, this lab takes you from manual process to working automation — live in the room. Walk through a workflow once, and Akai learns it, builds the connectors, and runs it. You review and approve before anything goes. No slides. No theory. Just a real agent, built by you, ready to deploy.

Lab

Partner Roundtables

The last Partner Roundtable of the day focuses on talent and payments — two of the messiest areas in global operations. Join Deel partners JGA Recruitment and Pleo for a conversation about where money and people management break down, and what a better setup looks like in practice. Follow your wristband to the second floor.

4:30 PM - 5:00 PM BST

Coffee Break

Grab a coffee, step outside for a moment, and reconnect with the people you've been meaning to catch up with all day.

5:00 PM - 5:15 PM BST

Deel Academy: Learn, Grow, Get Certified

Anna Sims introduces Deel Academy — the learning and certification platform built for customers, partners, and their teams. Hear what's available now, what's coming, and how getting certified helps your organisation get the most out of the platform.

Anna Sims, Senior Manager, Enablement

5:15 PM - 5:35 PM BST

Innovation Highlights & Micro-Demos

The best moments from the afternoon Labs come back to the main stage. The Product team shares what came up most in the 'Shape the Roadmap' sessions, walks through the features your group voted for, and gives a live look at a real Akai use case. This is the afternoon, distilled.

5:35 PM - 5:45 PM BST

Customer & Partner Awards

Every year, a handful of companies do something with Deel that makes the whole team stand up and take notice. Tonight, we celebrate them. Join us for the Deel Customer Awards — recognising the customers who pushed the platform furthest, grew most ambitiously, and raised the bar for what global operations can look like.

Eric Jorgensen, Head of EMEA Sales

5:45 PM - 6:00 PM BST

Closing Remarks & What's Next

Joe Kauffman closes the day by looking ahead: what Deel is building next, the major product moments coming later this year, and why the biggest chapters of this story are still ahead. Leave inspired, stay for the reception.

Joe Kauffman, President & CFO

6:00 PM - 6:30 PM BST

Lessons from the Spotlight: A Fireside Chat with a Global Icon

Melanie C, Global Icon & Guest Speaker

Rob Mayhew, Adland's Favourite Comedian & Official Event Host

6:30 PM - 8:00 PM BST

Afternoon Reception & Special Guest

The day doesn't end here. Join us for an evening reception with drinks, great company, and a live performance from Melanie C. This is the part of the day where conversations deepen and new ones start — we hope you'll stay.

A day you'll be talking about in December

Meet the minds behind the innovation

Agenda

Our Sponsors

The Venue

Town Hall Spaces, King's Cross, London

Getting There

Train

Tube

Bus

Car

Uber

Walk

Map

Address

FAQs

The Event

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On the day

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