8:15 - 9:00 - Registration and welcome coffee

9:00 - 10:00 - Session 1: EU pay transparency: From directive to reality

With its central purpose of closing the gender pay gap, the EU’s Pay Transparency Directive will come into force on 7 June 2026. The directive’s transformative provisions represent a huge cultural shift for employers across the bloc. In this opening panel session, leading experts will provide an in-depth analysis of the directive’s key elements, examine how different member states are progressing with transposition, compare the directive’s provisions to similar legislation in other key jurisdictions worldwide, and consider the legal and political challenges for multinationals operating in Europe. 

10:00 - 10:30 - Coffee break

10:30 - 11:30 - Session 2: Number crunching: How to make the most out of your pay data

Understanding your pay data is crucial for compliance with new pay transparency rules. But knowing where to find your data, and how to use it effectively, will be a challenge for multinationals that have spread across multiple locations through mergers and acquisitions. In this panel session, leading experts will provide practical insights into how businesses should prepare for transposition by member states, including how to assess the concept of “equal pay for equal work/work of equal value”, the data and number crunching required, the importance of internal pay audits, and best practice methods for evaluating job roles.

11:30 - 12:30 - Session 3: Sink or swim: A rising tide of equal pay claims

With the EU Pay Transparency Directive focusing renewed attention on pay equity, businesses will face increasing legal risk from workers and trade unions, as well as the possibility of reputational damage with customers. This panel session will look at gender pay disputes across key European jurisdictions, as leading experts discuss the latest legal developments, pay discrimination trends, and compensation rulings and help employers to anticipate the possible litigation risks flowing from the new pay transparency requirements.

12:30 - 2:00 - Networking lunch