Culture change as an enabler for financial sustainability

Overview

University executive teams are attempting to balance delivering financial sustainability whilst protecting their institutional mission, performance and sustaining trust. While many institutions have ambitious transformation programmes in place, experience shows that outcomes are often determined not by strategy alone, but by organisational culture throughout periods of change.

In partnership with UUK's Transformation and Efficiency Programme, Moorhouse Consulting is hosting an online workshop, drawing on their work on culture change with university executive teams and comparable organisations facing complex, system-wide change.

The session will introduce the Moorhouse Culture Change Framework for Higher Education and explore how culture influences leadership behaviours, decision-making, pace of change and the realisation of benefits during periods of financial constraint.

Using the framework, participants will reflect on their institution’s current and desired culture in the context of financial sustainability and transformation. The workshop will create space for shared discussion on the cultural shifts required to deliver, and how leaders can actively shape, role-model and reinforce those shifts to support sustained, organisation-wide change.

Objectives:

Understand how culture can be an enabler, drawing on lessons from the HE sector and beyond
Explore frameworks for tackling culture change
Explore how to develop an action plan for tackling culture change

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Amatey Doku

Manager, Higher Education Team

Moorhouse Consulting

Kieran Cooke

Principal and Higher Education Lead

Moorhouse

Kieran leads Moorhouse’s work across the higher education sector, supporting universities to deliver sustained change and improved outcomes. He has worked alongside Executive teams at a range of universities in their transformation journey and worked with UUK to lead a review of regulatory burden across the sector. Before joining Moorhouse, Kieran spent a decade working on education reform both in the UK and internationally, including working with UK government, universities and industry to improve STEM education outcomes. Kieran holds a Masters in Education Leadership.

Kieron Broadhead

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Operations)

University of Southampton

Kieron Broadhead is a senior higher education leader recognised for driving operational excellence, advancing student experience, and strengthening global engagement across complex university environments. As Deputy Vice-President (Operations) at the University of Southampton -a globally ranked, research-intensive institution - he leads Professional Services functions that underpin the University’s academic mission, ensuring that students, staff, and partners benefit from high-performing, future-focused support services.

Kieron’s leadership spans strategic transformation, international partnerships, and large-scale organisational development. He has been instrumental in reshaping Southampton’s global recruitment strategy, deepening the University’s presence in key markets including China and India, and enhancing pathways for international student success. His work champions evidence-based decision-making, user‑centred design, and integrated service models that deliver measurable impact for global learners.

With a long-standing commitment to student experience, Kieron works closely with academic and professional colleagues to enhance education quality, strengthen belonging and wellbeing, and evolve services in response to diverse and changing needs. His approach blends strategic insight with operational delivery, aligning people, processes, and technology to create more agile and resilient systems.

Alongside his institutional leadership, Kieron contributes to sector-wide initiatives, governance roles, and school leadership, bringing a people-first ethos to community and organisational development. Known for his collaborative style and commitment to innovation, he is passionate about building international partnerships, fostering inclusive cultures, and shaping the next generation of globally connected universities.