COMPLIANCE
HMRC’s stakeholder conference: working together for the future
Samantha O’Sullivan ChFCIPPdip, CIPP Policy and Advisory Lead, shares an overview of HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) Stakeholder Conference, which the team attended in September 2025 at the QEII Conference Centre in London
W e always ensure we mark HMRC’s Stakeholder Conference in our diaries here at the CIPP, as it’s a great opportunity for members of the policy and senior leadership teams to openly discuss challenges and opportunities with senior officials within HMRC. It also gives us the chance to catch up with external colleagues from other professional bodies, and those we sit alongside on several Government forums, which is always a pleasure. This year, Sam attended the conference alongside Jason Davenport, Chief Executive Officer, Adrian Goddard, Commercial Director and Mathew Akrigg, Policy and Research Officer. Having attended the conference for the last three years, this year’s event felt refreshed. Senior stakeholders seemed more open and honest than ever. This may be a direct reflection of HMRC’s new First Permanent Secretary
“The tone of the conference was set early by JP Marks, who underlined the organisation’s determination, not only to deliver change, but to demonstrate evidence of that delivery”
The four of us decided to divide and conquer when it came to the workshops, to ensure we could take as much information as possible away from the day. I won’t try to cover the entirety of the day’s content, as the purpose of this article is more to shed a light on the key takeaways from the event. Introductions to set the tone of the day, and HMRC’s future direction The tone of the conference was set early by JP, who underlined the organisation’s determination, not only to deliver change, but to demonstrate evidence of that delivery. As part of the opening sessions, HMRC played a short video in
which several stakeholders were interviewed and asked questions about the recently published “ HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap ”. The CIPP was one of the organisations chosen to take part, and in late August, HMRC’s media team came to visit me at the CIPP’s head office. I was asked about my interpretation of the roadmap, and the questions posed to me surrounded: l the difference I believe the roadmap will bring to our members l how I think the roadmap will help the CIPP l the CIPP’s perception of HMRC following the publication of the roadmap. The section played at the conference included my discussion of the CIPP’s
and Chief Executive, JP Marks, and his strong commitment to engaging openly with stakeholders.
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | November 2025 | Issue 115 28
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