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Overview
Universities are nothing without their students. Our annual student experience conference addresses the most pertinent issues and challenges our students face. With the cost-of-living at the forefront of everyone’s minds, how can we support our students to get decent and affordable housing? How can we support their mental health and anxiety induced by rising costs?
We will also delve into topics such as transitioning out of university; the climate crisis; inclusive learning environments; student welfare and much more.
We’re delighted to announce that the conference will be chaired by Professor Karen Cox, Vice-Chancellor, University of Kent.
Join us in-person on 25 May in London to meet colleagues and discuss all things student experience. If you are unable to join in person, you can register for access to a livestream of the plenary sessions (breakout sessions will not be streamed).
Why should you attend?
Alongside informative, timely content from the most pertinent speakers on the topic, we will also be providing a wide range of opportunities to network, discuss, and make connections with colleagues within the sector.
Testimonials from last year's conference:
- "A really engaging day with like-minded colleagues and students passionate about the student experience. Some real food for thought and actions to take away."
- "Brilliant conference with a range of engaging and thought provoking speakers. One of the best events I have attended!"
- "A varied but appropriate programme of events with engaging speakers. Really a fabulous opportunity to learn about good practice."
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If you have any questions about this or any other of our events, please contact us at events@universitiesuk.ac.uk or +44 (0) 20 7419 5459.
We allow delegates to cancel their bookings up to one month before the event and receive a refund. If this applies to you, please contact us at the email or phone number above.
If national rail strikes are called for the date of this event, we will be in touch with all registered delegates to advise of changes to the event, which may include rescheduling or moving the event fully online. If you are unable to make the rescheduled date, or are unhappy with the alternative format, you will be able to cancel your place and request a full refund instead.
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Agenda
Speakers
Abby Whiteley (she/her)
Policy Analyst
Universities UK
Abby develops analysis and research to inform Universities UK's policy approach, using data to provide evidence in our funding and climate workstreams. She has worked in higher education since 2019, both in policy and in widening participation. She currently works on all things sustainability, both environmental and financial.
Anna Jackson (she/her)
Head of Customer Insights
Pearson
Anna is Head of Customer Insights for Pearson’s Higher Education International business, responsible for teaching and learning communities (both student and academic), learner research, education trend analysis and sector partnerships. Before leading the Customer Insights team, she held several positions at Pearson across marketing and service development.
Aranee Manoharan (she/her/hers)
Director of Student Success
Kings College London
With experience across the student lifecycle, including teaching, student engagement, educational development, and Board-level governance, Aranee is a Senior Fellow of the HEA, specialising in strategic approaches to inclusive curriculum design that prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to effectively navigate their lives and careers in a VUCA 21st century.
Currently Director of Student Success at King's College London, she is also a committed advocate for inclusion and has her own consultancy focused on equitable and inclusive practices in HE, particularly in leadership & management development, curriculum & service design, and widening participation in postgraduate research.
Blessing Okoroafor (she/her)
MA Design Management student and Student Ambassador
Blessing Chioma Okoroafor, professionally known as Blessing is a British based Entrepreneur, Student Ambassador/Mentor for International Students.
In 2018, she officially founded her Art and Craft business, Belladonald Designs, which is based in the metropolitan city of Lagos and London. Her brand has gained visibility and various recognitions in Lagos and across various states in Nigeria. Due to the success of her brand, in July 2022, she was selected as one of the brands in the UK to receive a stall to exhibit her products at the Joobii Events, and this opened up more opportunities for the three exhibitions she’s had so far in the UK.
Blessing has a good work-life balance which she has graciously created for herself by exploring the world, minding her Art and Craft business, running a Masters program in Design Management at one of the high ranking institutions in the UK whilst gaining experience in volunteering and improving her skill sets.
Dana Rock (they/them)
Director of Experience Design
Pickle Jar Communication
An experienced leader within the sector, Dana is passionate about helping the education sector to create compelling experiences for their students and stakeholders.
A professionally trained and experienced content designer, Dana helps schools, colleges and universities to harness data and insight to create smarter, more impactful communications and experiences. They have a track record in developing award-winning campaigns, nurturing high-performing content teams, and delivering integrated marketing and communications strategies to meet business goals.
Prior to joining Pickle Jar, Dana was Director of Marketing and Communications at the University of Derby. They have wide-ranging experience across marketing, communications and recruitment, having also previously worked at Oxford Brookes University, University of Exeter and University of Nottingham.
When they are not leading teams and campaigns, they love running training courses and sharing their love of data, insight and content design with others. A popular and sought-after speaker and have presented at UUK, ContentEd and Confab conferences, and are regularly invited to deliver in-house workshops for organisations.
David Gilani (he/him/his)
Head of Student Engagement and Advocacy
Middlesex University
David started his career at the University of Southampton where he was a Students' Union sabbatical officer, before moving over to the University to establish their Student Communications function. He now works at Middlesex University as their Head of Student Engagement and Advocacy leading on their efforts to engage both current students and alumni.
He is a passionate advocate of the student voice and in 2012 he founded the Student Publication Association, which supports student journalists across the UK and Ireland. He believes strongly in universities working together to support student engagement efforts, and so co-chairs the CASE Student Communications conference and the AUA’s Student Experience and Engagement Network.
He is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of York on the topic of student belonging.
Derrick Mensah
Student Experience Officer (Community & Engagement), King’s Business School
King’s College London
Derrick Mensah is the Student Experience Officer at the King's Business School. Responsible for student engagement, community and belonging as well as the student mentoring programme, his primary mission is to help students connect, develop their skills, and find their ideal pathway to success. Passionate about student experience and student engagement, he has been working in the sector over the last 6 years, aiming to develop and evidence robust and accessible systems that increase student engagement and subsequently maximises student experience.
He believes it is imperative to ensure each student has a fulfilling authentic experience through positive engagement and adds that students need community but more importantly, they need connections within that community which subsequently helps develop belonging, further enabling more engagement and consequently good outcomes.
Elizabeth Newall (she/her)
Senior Consultant for the digital transformation of learning, teaching and assessment
Jisc
Elizabeth Newall has recently joined Jisc as a senior consultant in the digital transformation of teaching, learning and assessment in HE. She brings expertise in evidence-based educational enhancement, having led on institutional strategy to transform digital skills provision. In her previous role as an associate director for teaching and learning at the University of Nottingham, she supported institution-wide programmes of work including curriculum transformation, access and participation, and the TEF. At Jisc, she is leading work to explore international students' digital experience and is supporting research into how universities can design a digitally- enabled curriculum.
Emelie Helsen (she/her)
EdD Education and Social Justice student
University of Birmingham
Emelie is a part time professional doctorate student in Education and Social Justice at the University of Birmingham and works full time in Higher Education- having worked in a variety of student centred and experience roles for 20+ years at different institutional types in the UK and USA. Her experiences of working with and for students in her job often intertwine with her own student identity where she actively draws from to improve experiences and environments particularly for traditionally excluded and marginalised students.
Emma Berwick
Student International Business with French
University of Birmingham
Emma is a penultimate International Business with French student who has just completed a study abroad placement in France. Emma is a junior trustee at the LEAF society and on the youth advisory board for Brightside (chairing June onwards). Emma was a finalist for the GROW mentoring/ Travers Smith outstanding commitment to pro-bono work (2022/2023). In addition, Emma is the podcast coordinator for Sustainable Recruitment Alliance as well as being on the student panel for the uniguide podcast. When not studying, Emma enjoys reading, hiking and learning languages (just French at the moment!). Emma is hoping to apply for jobs in product management and law tech once she's graduated.
Eric Huang
Strategic Planning Manager
University of East London (UEL)
Eric Huang is a Strategic Planning Manager at the University of East London. He leads on Graduate Outcomes Survey analysis and the team’s lead support for the university’s Careers & Enterprise Portfolio. Eric has worked for various organisations in the public, private, and HE sectors, with extensive experience in industry engagement, academic partnerships, and in supporting both inward and outward student mobility. After completing a Master’s Degree in international business, he also founded his own company to provide overseas internships to UK students. Eric is also a member of the British Council’s Study UK HEI Advisory Group.
Ifza Shakoor (she/her)
Second Year PhD Student
EDI Associate
Ifza Shakoor is a highly motivated PhD student who is actively researching and exploring the topic of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) within the career development sector in England. Her research interests are specifically focused on ethnically diversifying the workforce to meet the needs of a diverse society. Ifza holds a PGCE in Primary Education and a Master's Degree in Education, with a specialisation in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
With a keen passion for social justice and equitable change, Ifza is also deeply invested in decolonising research and supporting underrepresented voices. In addition to her PhD studies, Ifza runs her own EDI consultancy and is currently serving as the first EDI Associate for a professional body in the career development sector. Furthermore, she is an esteemed Board Member of YMCA Derbyshire.
Isabelle Bristow
Managing Director UK and Europe
Studiosity
Isabelle has over 19 years’ experience in the education sector; prior to Studiosity as Regional Director for Study Group where she led both the UK/Europe and Russia/Central Asia teams. Before this, Isabelle held key roles at Cambridge Education Group and Kaplan International, moving into the private sector in 2005 after beginning her career as a secondary school teacher.
Jack Medlin (he/him)
Education Officer and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees
Keele University
Jack Medlin is the Education Officer at Keele University Students’ Union. He is passionate about embedding meaningful student engagement at the core of universities, across academic and professional services. He has overseen institution-wide changes in representation at Keele, addressing barriers to engagement and empowering a wider group of students to become changemakers. Jack is also a member of several national panels, including being a member of the QAA’s Student Strategic Advisory Committee, and as a member of the TEF 2023 Panel. Jack has delivered talks around quality assurance, enhancement, and student engagement for the QAA, Advance HE, and now UUK.
Joanna Romanowicz (she/her)
Director of Engagement
Students Organising for Sustainability
Joanna is SOS-UK’s director of engagement with 15 year professional expertise in behaviour change with a focus on awareness and interventions in energy efficiency and conservation, successfully coordinating multiple national and pan- European projects centred around student fuel poverty. She currently has oversight of SOS-UK’s Homes fit For Study project which aims to decrease student exposure to fuel poverty and support their wellbeing. Joanna holds an MSc in Environment, Science and Society from UCL, a BA in Human Sciences from the University of Oxford, and is a Chartered Environmentalist.
Julia Serafinska (she/her)
Psychology BSc / Student Ambassador
De Montfort University
Julia Serafinska is a second-year Psychology student and a Student Ambassador at De Montfort University. She decided to leave Poland and study in the UK in pursuit of her dreams of intense self-exploration and personal, academic and professional development.
She managed to benefit significantly from the transition. Being actively engaged in her education and developmental opportunities offered to her as a student, she has expanded her interest in Psychology, has participated in academic trips abroad multiple times, and has gained practical experience in many fields, including psychological research.
As an aspiring positive psychologist and current student ambassador, her main goal is to demonstrate the ways and the long-term advantages of making the most of the university experience.
Professor Karen Cox (she/her)
Vice Chancellor
University of Kent
Professor Cox joined the University of Kent in August 2017 as Vice-Chancellor and President. Prior to this, she was Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Nottingham. As a professor of cancer and palliative care and a registered nurse, she has a background in healthcare delivery, regulation, research and education. She is also a board member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the UK regulator of over 700,000 Nurses, Midwives and Nursing Associates, an Associate Non-Executive Director of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, and a Director of the SE Local Enterprise Partnership.
Karen Best
Director
PwC
Karen is the director of PwC where their purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. PwC is a network of firms in 152 countries with over 327,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services.
Kate Lister (she/her)
Professor in Education, Arden University
Co-Lead for Advance HE's Building Belonging Programme
Kate Lister is a Professor of Education, Head of Academic Professional Development at Arden University, and an expert Associate at Advance HE. Kate's research focuses on diversity, accessibility, equity, inclusion and mental wellbeing in higher education, particularly in digital or technologyenhanced learning. Her research encompasses academic development in learning and teaching; student-facing systems and processes such as disability disclosure; innovative practice in inclusive pedagogy, curricula and assessment; and leadership to facilitate inclusivity and positive change in higher education.
Kerry Kellaway
Head of Library
Plymouth Marjon University
Kerry is Head of Library at Plymouth Marjon, a small university in the South West with a reputation for delivering teaching and sporting excellence and widening participation. Kerry’s background is Library Management including the creation and enhancement of academic skills support services and as the first in her family to go to University, uses her own experiences to enhance services for students.
Lily Margaroli
President
Exeter Guild
Lily studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and is in her second term as President of the University of Exeter Students’ Guild. Her role is three-fold: she is Chair of the Board; an elected student representative; and full-time employee working with the CEO to drive forward our strategy. Lily is an advocate for students, working to improve the student experience at Exeter. She is passionate about effective partnership working, and specific policy areas such as harm reduction and gender safety policy. This year she is elevating the voice of Exeter students through involvement in national discussions around the Cost of Living.
Louise Bena
Chief Marketing Officer
StudentCrowd
Louise is the CMO for StudentCrowd. She lives in Portsmouth, which is handy because she paddle boards at lunchtime (if it's a good day). Would talk to anyone… but specifically enjoys talking about opportunities to partner with StudentCrowd.
Maia Jarvis (she/her)
President
Royal Holloway Students' Union
Maia is President at Royal Holloway Students' Union and is in her second term as a sabbatical officer, after one year as Vice President Education. Maia is extremely passionate about climate action and recently led a university-wide ethical investment campaign in collaboration with students and staff. As an elected representative, she ensures that students are at the heart of change and has spearheaded student consultation in partnership with the university on topics such as personal tutoring and the structure of the academic year. Maia also plays a key role in RHSU’s governance and strategy as Chair of the Trustee Board.
Meg Haskins (she/her)
Policy and Research Coordinator
UCL Students’ Union
Meg (she/her) is a Policy and Research Coordinator at Students' Union UCL. Here she works on improving the student experience, building inclusive communities, and engaging the student voice. Outside of work, Meg is a Trustee at the student mental health charity, Nightline Association. She is passionate about student mental health, tackling unacceptable behaviours, and EDI.
Prior to Students' Union UCL, Meg was employed as Coordinator of London Nightline, and held the role of Welfare and Liberation Officer at Durham Students' Union.
Nashwa Alsakka (she/her)
President
University of Essex Students’ Union
Nashwa is a Law with Human Rights graduate of the University of Essex and the Current Students’ Union President. She started her time as a sabbatical officer in 2021 as VP International. As an international student herself she is passionate about making a difference in the student experience whilst they are studying here in the UK. Within her role she has had a busy year, this has included being involved in a strategic review of the Union as Chair of the Trustee Board and working with her team to ensure students receive the best possible support through the Cost-of-Living Crisis.
Nyomi Rose (she/her)
Trustee, Unite Foundation
Social Media Consultant
Nyomi Rose is a Social Media Consultant, Digital Events Professional, Data Management Consultant, Keynote Speaker, Researcher in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics and an advocate for estranged and vulnerable young people and is currently on the Board of Trustees for the Unite Foundation. In April 2022, Nyomi began her social impact work with the Unite Foundation on the Board of Trustees, to support the next generation of estranged young people in having access to higher education through scholarships that support their housing funding and much more. Nyomi uses her social media platform to raise awareness on estrangement.
Alongside this Nyomi has spoken at over 18 events ranging from various online conversations, panel discussions and keynotes in the UK and globally.
Philip Connolly
Founder
Disability Resilience Network
Philip J Connolly is the founder and President of the Disability Resilience Network (DRN). He has worked professionally as an advocate in the disability sector since 2000, specialising in employment. He is qualified in teaching, construction and environmental management. He has worked in policy and campaigns for Living Streets, RNIB, Disability Rights UK and Leonard Cheshire Disability. He is partially sighted and also has Parkinsons Disease.
Philip has a vision of disabled people and those with a long-term health condition being both resourceful and a resource to each other. He recognises that many disabled people wish to use their energy and time to communicate the coping strategies and adaptation techniques learnt in response to the challenges of their condition and offers the network as the place to do this. He is motivated to establish a community with the power to resolve its own challenges or where and when it cannot, the power to influence decision makers to act in disabled people's interests.
Ruqia Osman (she/her)
Inclusive Communities Coordinator
London Metropolitan University
Ruqia is a researcher, writer, poet, and activist. In her work, she aims to bring people together to build socially-just communities by facilitating radical change and eradicating systemic barriers. Over her career, she has worked across a variety of sectors, focusing on tackling racialised disparities, and working with marginalised communities. At the moment, Ruqia is based at the Centre for Equity and Inclusion at London Metropolitan University as the Inclusive Communities Coordinator.
Sarah Fry
Product Success Director
TechnologyOne
Sarah has almost 25 years’ experience in the Higher Education industry. Sarah has worked on a variety of system implementation projects and product developments across the UK and Australia, initiating digital and business transformational changes. In the U.K., Sarah leads TechnologyOne’s product development team focused on meeting the needs of UK Higher Education, whilst working with our University and College customers to provide solutions that are aligned to emerging industry and market trends.
One key project that Sarah has led is the development of TechnologyOne’s Student Management System for the University of Lincoln. In Australia, Sarah worked with a variety of software vendors and multiple Universities and Colleges, such as James Cook University, Swinburne University, University of Tasmania, Curtin University and Victoria TAFE ICT.
Dr Sarah Gowers-Cromie
Chief Community Officer
StudentCrowd
Sarah is the CCO for StudentCrowd where she has been since June 2021. Prior to this Sarah was an associate professor at Queen’s University Belfast. She lives in Loughborough and enjoys walking her dog, Paddy. Is enthusiastic 98.5% of the time. Loves conversations about student decision-making.
Dr Seun Osituyo (she/her)
Deputy Director of Student Experience & Lecturer in Accounting
University of Sussex
Dr Seun Osituyo is the Deputy Director of Student Experience at University of Sussex Business School. She is also a Lecturer in Accounting. Her main teaching interests are broadly in the areas of management accounting, auditing and data analytics. Her teaching and research approach focuses on inclusivity, innovation, and active learning. In her role as Deputy Director of Student Experience, she works closely with the senior management on matters relating to the academic experience of students within the Business School. Her role includes promoting the creation of learning communities amongst students and academic staff within the Business School.
Steve Hope
Senior Director - Education
TechnologyOne
Steve is a business development leader with over 25 years of supplying Management Information Systems (MIS) to Universities and Colleges across the world with SITS Ltd, Tribal Group Plc, Jenzabar Inc and now TechnologyOne corp.
During his tenure Steve has been responsible for business transformations of on-premise to SaaS for both company and customers alike, as well as now involved in the digital transformation of the student experience for TechnologyOne’s University and College customers.
Steve was one of the founders of SITS Ltd which went on to become the market leading Student Information System (SIS) across Higher Education in the UK with nearly 70% market share. Following the acquisition of SITS Ltd by Tribal Group plc, Steve went onto to become the International Sales Director for all their Educational products and services, gaining market share in Universities and Colleges across Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Canada.
Sunday Blake (she/her)
Associate Editor
Wonkhe
Sunday Blake is associate editor at Wonkhe. Sunday is coming from the University of Exeter where she works in strategic development and delivery with a specific focus on belonging and inclusion. Previously, she was President of the University of Exeter Students’ Guild, where she worked for two years after completing a postgraduate degree. She has carried out policy change work both locally and nationally in areas such as sexual misconduct, drug and alcohol use, student sex work, freedom of speech and no-detriment policies. She has worked alongside a diverse range of partners, from AdvanceHE to the Department for Education, and is interested in widening participation, access and retention, and graduate outcomes.
Dr Susan Kenyon SFHEA
Principal Lecturer in Politics
Canterbury Christ Church University, UK
Dr Susan Kenyon is a Principal Lecturer in Politics at Canterbury Christ Church University. She is committed to widening participation and works tirelessly to deliver curricula, pedagogies and outreach that appeal to all students.
Susan is passionate about creating a learning and working environment in which people feel they belong, in the classroom and the wider culture, policies and processes of the academy. Through her teaching and leadership, Susan has transformed pedagogy, policy and practice, resulting in increased fairness and equality of opportunity for staff and students in Higher Education (HE), at CCCU and across the UK.
Vivi Friedgut
Founder & CEO
Blackbullion
Vivi Friedgut is the founder and CEO of Blackbullion, the financial wellbeing platform that’s equipping young people with money skills for life and improving access to funds.
Blackbullion’s award-winning platform can be accessed for free by over 1 million students at partner universities, colleges and other organisations, worldwide. Embedded into student support departments to help with funds distribution and provide financial education, Blackbullion gives students the skills and confidence they need to create a money-smart future.
As a tech leader, Vivi was recently named as FinTech Magazine’s Top 100 Women.
Her second book, Stay Financially Healthy, was published in 2022.
Who should attend?
This conference is open to all with an interest in this topic, however will be particularly useful for staff who have responsibility for or play a part in any aspect of the student experience. Relevant job titles include:
- Director/Head of Student Services
- Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience)
- Pro Vice-Chancellor for Learning & Teaching
- Director/Head of Student Experience/Engagement
- Director/Head of Education
- Director/Head of Student Wellbeing and Support
- Student Experience Manager/Officer
- Student Welfare Manager/Officer
- Student Support Manager/Officer
- Students' Union staff
Sponsorship
We have a range of sponsorship opportunities available at our events, which can be viewed here. Please contact Jess Jackson, Marketing and Sponsorships Officer, for more information: jess.jackson@universitiesuk.ac.uk