An evening at The Table: People Leaders, good food and honest HR talk in Belfast

Last night I pulled up a chair at The Table, an intimate supper club run by the team at Kota for People Leaders here in Belfast.

If you haven’t come across it, The Table is a series of supper clubs for People and HR leaders, designed to bring us together in a relaxed setting over good food, good wine, and, as the invite promised, hopefully even better conversation. It delivered on all three.

A room worth being in

We gathered in The Wee Room, the private dining space at Waterman House, a small group of People Leaders from all sorts of companies and stages. No panels. No pitches. No agenda beyond good company and honest conversation. In a role where we’re so often the ones holding space for everyone else, an evening like this felt like a proper breath of fresh air.

Over dinner we did what People Leaders rarely get to do together. We swapped ideas, compared notes on what’s keeping us up at night, traded a few stories, and yes, had a good vent among friends. We talked about hiring in a tighter market, protecting culture while teams change shape, and the very human side of scaling a business. The kind of HR conversation that only happens when you get the right people around one table.

Why it mattered

What struck me most was how generous everyone was with their thinking. People Leadership can be a lonely seat, and there’s something quietly powerful about being reminded you’re not the only one wrestling with a particular problem. I left with new ideas, a few new friends, and a longer list of things I want to try.

A big thank you to Katie, Henry and the whole team at Kota for creating the space, and for the warm Belfast welcome. If you’re a People or HR leader looking for genuine connection rather than another networking event, keep an eye on what Kota are doing. I’ll certainly be back.

Enjoyed reading this article? What would you like to see next? Leave a comment below.