Welcome to our branch
Welcome to the Manchester branch; I am glad you have visited our web page to learn more about us. I was delighted to be appointed branch chair of Manchester in July 2022, and it is an honour to serve in the role alongside other volunteer CIPD members who are already accomplishing incredible things.
As a people professional with nearly 20 years of global experience, I have a strong vision for the branch that reflect the CIPD core commitments and our CIPD Manchester branch's overarching vision.
Before being elected to branch chair, I was a committee member for ten years. My mission is to remain focused on raising the voices of our diverse and vibrant community and providing our members with a lasting and real sense of belonging and inclusion. As a proud black, neurodiverse mother of five children, I understand what celebrating and promoting equality, inclusion and diversity in our community means. Leading our branch in Manchester provides many opportunities to achieve this.
We strive to increase the visibility of CIPD Manchester by working closely with other external bodies, local leadership and connecting with the North region and local branches. I'm pleased that we are already one of the most diverse branches, capturing the true essence of Manchester. We are always keen to hear from local CIPD members with inputs or suggestions. Let us know what you would like to see included in our programme of activities. You can contact via our social channels or by email.
Samantha Lubanzu, Chartered MCIPD
Branch Chair
Come along to
our events
Our members rate their access to a local branch in their top three membership benefits. Come along to our branch events to discover other CIPD benefits. Explore the issues and trends impacting our profession. Network, learn and share ideas with people professionals in our area.
Get involved
We actively support the CIPD's purpose of Championing better work and working lives to benefit individuals, business, the economy, and society, at a local level.
We are proud to play our part in serving our area membership and the wider business community. Our volunteer committee members and ambassadors work hard to produce and deliver diverse activities to meet our profession's ever-evolving needs.
Our vision statement shapes everything we do and aspire to achieve over the next few years. We have many strengths, but there is much more we can do to improve and perform at the level our members and community deserve. We strive to capitalise on the work of the central CIPD, bringing it to you with a heavy dose of 'Manchesterness'.
Our vision is to be:
- your career partner
- an established voice
- innovative and creative
- a dynamic connector
Watch our vision video.
Our volunteers start with an ambassador role, the first step towards seeking election to our committee. Find out more about branch volunteering below.
You can also follow us on Instagram.
Networking and learning
With workshops, round tables, panel discussions and expert speakers, our thought-provoking events cover everything our community needs. Network, learn and stay up to date.
Volunteering
Keen to get involved, give back or raise your profile? Whatever your skills and interests, learn more about branch volunteering.
Support for student members
Just starting out on your career? Want to meet experienced people professionals and keep up to date with all the topics you cover in your studies? We’re here for you as you study for your CIPD qualification.
Student and centres engagement SIG
Careers advise, research, communication and dissertation skills
Whether you're a part or full-time student looking to start or progress your career, it's beneficial to have somewhere to share your challenges, voice your opinions and debate with fellow students. We provide students with opportunities to learn and develop the skills essential to navigating the challenges associated with studying and working in HR.
We provide advice on research methods, guidance on planning and writing your dissertation and preparing to launch your career. In a rapidly advancing online world, we facilitate the talking element of networking, and you never know who might be in the room.
Want to get involved? Got an idea for an event? We want to hear from you!
Email usEquality, diversity and inclusion
A group designed to foster a deeper awareness and understanding of the equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) agenda, supporting participants to take positive and practical steps towards encouraging and shaping EDI within their organisation. We want participants to feel equipped to create and champion cultures where everyone feels free to be their authentic self, regardless of their background, gender, race or orientation.
Our events will enable participants to share insights and best practice, debate current challenges and thought leadership pieces, and will offer inspirational talks from experts in the field, and roundtable discussions along with guidance, support, and signposted CIPD resources.
Talent acquisition and recruitment
The purpose of this group is to share knowledge, best practice, CIPD research, industry expertise and network with like-minded professionals in an engaging and informal setting.
The target audience is CIPD members and potential members with an interest in, and current or future responsibility for, talent acquisition, attraction, recruitment and resourcing. It’s also suitable if you’re aspiring to, or embarking on, a career in HR or resourcing talent and recruitment and selection. No prior knowledge of recruitment is needed.
HR engagment
Our branch special interest group, was created specifically for HR practitioners. Our HR engaement SIG provides a support and knowledge network for all HR generalists, offering various sessions relevant to HR professionals as part of a wider workplace function.
We will explore the challenges faced by HR generalists in the new world post-COVID-19, including recruitment and retention, onboarding and induction, as well as day-to-day tasks in hybrid workplaces. We offer workshops with guest speakers, development sessions, and networking opportunities to discuss the issues affecting our profession and prepare for the future.
There's no requirement to sign-up for our group. Our events will be promoted Eventbrite page, mailing and other regular channels.
Membership engagement
Routes to membership, upgrading and benefits
We are committed to supporting our members in successfully progressing their membership level and learning more about the extensive range of membership benefits. We hold monthly member benefits sessions open to all, including potential CIPD members, exploring the value and learning available.
We can provide guidance on membership upgrading, routes available and CV advice. We also run interactive workshops focused on building CVs and approaching experience assessment.
Public policy panel
Contributing to government consultations, policy-making and people management practice guides
Our public policy group offers experienced HR professionals, interested in policy issues such as employment law, skills, immigration and gender balance, the opportunity to share their frontline experience whilst learning and networking. We regularly contribute to the formation of CIPD policy. We welcome new people, and all meetings are held under the Chatham House Rule so that participants can express their views freely.
View our early contribution to the GM Good Employment Charter.
Organisational development
A creative hub for leadership, group dynamics and work design
Our OD group focuses on bringing you the knowledge to diagnose underlying issues, challenges, opportunities; and advising you on understanding and selecting the best approaches to align organisational strategy, people, processes and systems. We explore coaching, mentoring, training, group work, facilitation, action learning, business process re-engineering, performance management, reward and motivation, cultural change and transformation programmes.
Learning and development
Pioneering new ways of learning
We offer two types of events for trainers and L&D professionals:
- Building L&D skills: a series of events designed to develop new and refresh key skills for modern trainers and L&D professionals.
- Cake camps: regular themed knowledge-sharing and networking sessions for trainers and L&D and OD professionals. Facilitated by guest contributors, our cake camps enable you to learn from, share, ideas and experience with peers.
Standalone HR practitioners
Support for standalone HR professionals (private group)
Our standalone HR practitioners’ group caters for employees who provide a single source of HR expertise within an organisation, without the day-to-day support of a corporate HR department. We provide you with an opportunity to explore challenges and share solutions to common problems. Besides offering a knowledge-sharing forum, we also run practical workshops exploring key workplace issues and solutions, facilitated by expert speakers.
If you would like to join our member-only group, please drop us an email to request an expression of interest form.
Wellbeing
Facilitating discussion and practical debate around organisational wellbeing programmes
Our events enable participants to share experiences and discuss current working practices, success measures, and learnings from some of the issues created.
We also provide guidance and support to CIPD members, signposting resources and support to maximise membership benefit. We examine and critique practical tools and successful frameworks used across different sectors. We're keen to involve trade bodies, local universities and business schools interested in research in this area to contribute knowledge and learnings for all.
Employment law
In collaboration with Manchester's finest legal experts, our flagship Annual Employment Law Masterclass provides insightful sessions on new and forthcoming legislative changes together with the latest case law developments, plus focused deep-dive sessions on areas of particular interest to people professionals. We include lots of interactivity to help stimulate thinking and deepen understanding of the ever-changing legal landscape.
Our mock Employment Tribunals help you mitigate risk by enabling you to experience the full trial process (albeit staged) first-hand. From the 'public gallery', you'll learn why cases go to Tribunal, the importance of choosing witnesses, the judge and panel's role, and the necessity of presenting your case with clarity. You'll learn what it's like to give evidence, be cross-examined and re-examined with frequent pauses to ask questions and deliberate ahead of the judgement.
Fellows’ forum
Debate on strategic topics
Providing senior-level people professionals with a forum to gather and debate on a range of strategic subjects, we encourage Chartered Fellows, executives and senior level in human resources, talent management, learning and development and leadership development to join us for themed roundtable discussions.
View our navigating flexibility forum
Get in touch to find out more. And let us know your ideas for other special interest groups.
Stay connected with our community
CIPD Trust
Tackling barriers to work today whilst creating inclusive workplaces of tomorrow.