Business and Modern Slavery Conference 2026

Reimagining Labour Systems: Interdisciplinary Insights for Business and Beyond

14–15 September 2026

Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester

We are pleased to welcome you to the 5th Business and Modern Slavery Conference, to be held at Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, on 14–15 September 2026.

The conference theme, Reimagining Labour Systems: Interdisciplinary Insights for Business and Beyond, will bring together scholars to move beyond analysing existing systems and towards reimagining the future of work, governance, and corporate responsibility.

A distinctive feature of this year’s conference is a keynote address delivered by a speaker with lived experience, offering valuable perspectives and contributing to academic and policy discussions on modern slavery.

The conference will foreground interdisciplinary perspectives from across management, law, sociology, politics, development studies, and related disciplines, alongside practice‑based insights that bridge academia, policy, and industry. Guided by the conference theme, discussions will engage with a range of pressing issues, including (but not limited to):

• Future‑focused labour governance and shifting trade dynamics
• AI, automation, and technological disruption as drivers of risk and resilience
• Climate change, displacement, and emerging forms of labour vulnerability
• Innovative business models for human rights due diligence
• Interdisciplinary approaches to structural inequalities
• Worker agency and lived experience in shaping policy and corporate practices

Conference Dinner

The conference will also include a dinner at Manchester Museum, winner of European Museum of the Year, offering an opportunity for informal networking in a unique cultural setting.

Further information

Abstract submission is now closed; please refer to the following for further information:

• Full paper submission guidelines (Paper Development Workshop)
• Travel and accommodation information
• Tentative conference schedule

Registration fees

• Early Bird: £150 (until 31st July 2026)
• PhD student: £60 (until 31st July 2026)
• Standard: £200 (until 14th August 2026)

To register, please follow the link below to complete your payment:

Register here (All registration fees include the conference dinner at the Manchester Museum).