These are past events
They are unavailable to book
Overview
There is increasingly better awareness and understanding of how the student experience differs for students who come to university through different routes or combine studies with work or caring responsibilities. How can universities ensure that all students benefit from the opportunity to gain the skills, experiences and connections to reach their potential as graduates?
From mental health to accommodation shortages, cost-of-living to AI, and an unpredictable digital world, universities must be able to support students through upcoming challenges and offer guidance.
Join us on Thursday 20 March 2025, either in London or online, to meet colleagues and discuss how to enhance the student experience, and ensure it works for all students.
Why should you attend?
Our annual conference that explores the ways that universities can positively influence the student journey will help you and your teams find innovative ways to cultivate an inclusive environment.
With a focus on interactive sessions and networking opportunities, expect plentiful opportunities to bring your current questions and challenges to the table and gain valuable strategic insights, tips, and advice from leading experts in the field as well as peers within the higher education sector.
Read the testimonials of our past attendees…
- “It was a pleasure to attend the "Enhancing the student experience 2024" by Universities UK conference. This is the first time I've been to a Universities UK conference, and definitely not the last.”
- “It was amazing to be part of such an important topic and conversation and to hear and see the great work already happening on the ground. This event confirmed we are moving in the right direction.”
If you are unable to join in person, you can register for access to a livestream of the plenary sessions (interactive sessions will not be streamed).
Have any questions? Please contact us at [email protected] or 020 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 you want to stay up to date with our events, news and publications, you can sign up for our newsletters.
Agenda
Speakers

Professor Lisa Roberts
President and Vice-Chancellor
Professor Lisa Roberts has been President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter since 2020.
Prior to this role, Lisa was Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation at the University of Leeds, and before this was Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey. Lisa worked for Procter & Gamble in the UK and Belgium.
Lisa is a Professor of Virology. In addition to her role as a board member of UUK and UUK policy lead for Student Experience, Education and Skills, she is a board member of the Russell Group and Jisc and chairs the IDP Connect UK Strategic Advisory Board.

Dr Paul Redmond
Director of Student Experience and Enhancement
Dr Paul Redmond is a leading expert on generational trends, the future of work, and employability in the AI age. As Director of Student Experience and Enhancement at the University of Liverpool, he researches Generation Z, inter-generational communication, and the impact of technology on careers. A sought-after keynote speaker, media commentator, and author of the recently published, ‘Graduate’s Guide to Future-Proofing Your Career: Strategies for Career Success in the AI Age,’ Paul advises businesses, educators, and policymakers on how to engage and develop emerging talent.

Mary Curnock Cook CBE
Chair
Mary Curnock Cook is an independent education expert serving in a non-executive capacity on a number of Boards.
From 2010-2017, Mary was Chief Executive of UCAS. Earlier in her career she held executive and non-executive positions in the education, hospitality, food and biotech sectors.
As a NED with Pearson Education, Mary chairs its Qualifications Committee and also chairs the governing body of the Dyson Institute. She is a lay Council member at the University of Leicester, non-exec Director at the London Interdisciplinary School, the Student Room and Education Cubed, and a Trustee at the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and the River Learning Trust. She recently served as a non-exec on the Student Loans Company Board.
She has the role of Network Chair for Emerge Education, the leading edtech investor in Europe and holds a number of advisory roles with education technology companies. She is a regular speaker and commentator on education issues and edtech and is a recognised champion of the student interest.
Mary has an MSc from London Business School and was awarded an OBE in 2000, and a CBE in 2020 for services to further and higher education. She is an honorary Fellow of Birkbeck and Goldsmiths and has an honorary doctorate from the University of Gloucestershire.

Alaya Holloway
CEO
Alaya Amadi-Holloway is the Founder and CEO of FirstGens. Nearly dropping out of university herself, her first hand experience led to her founding FirstGens, and has since become a champion for systems change that increases equality of opportunity.
FirstGens is an award-winning innovative engagement and progression solution dedicated to empowering students who are the first-generation in their family to navigate university. The FirstGens pilot in 23-24 saw students from across 28 UK Universities apply. Their community engagement is testament to their inclusive design approach.
Through a multi-award-winning edtech platform, FirstGens has cultivated space for students to build confidence, belonging and bridge the existing generational knowledge and emotional/cultural support gaps. These Insights shape FirstGens’ staff learning and development training.
Alaya is regularly invited to speak and write about building a more inclusive education system that truly fosters participation. Alaya's feature on Wonkhe and appearances at University of Bristol, BBC, Innovate UK Women In Business, as well as former Education Secretary’s podcast, casts a light on her growing influence as a trusted voice in education.

Joanna MacDonnell
Director of Education and Students
Joanna (Jo) MacDonnell PFHEA NTF FSEDA is the Director of Education and Students at the University of Brighton, leading strategic initiatives to enhance student achievement and engagement. Passionate about widening participation, she drives institution-wide action plans focused on student transition, retention, success, and progression, with a particular emphasis on narrowing differential student outcomes.
Jo is a member of the TASO (Transforming Access and Student Outcomes) working group member which focuses on Gaps In Student Experience and is also a member of the Advance HE Race Equality Charter (REC) Governance Committee and is a chair of REC assessment panels.
Jo is a Principal Fellow of Advance HE, a National Teaching Fellow and a Fellow of SEDA (Staff Education and Development Association), she is also a Trustee of the Performing Arts institution ArtsEd.

Grace Barker
Loyola Study Abroad Center Manager
Grace has managed the Loyola Study Abroad Center at Newcastle University for the last ten years. She previously supported the rollout of Peer Mentoring across the university, as well as working as Student Engagement coordinator in Combined Honours. She supports international students to make the most of their short-term experiences in UK Higher Education through cultural visits, pastoral support and academic guidance.

Dan Tasker
Director of Student Success
Dan has undertaken a thorough tour of duty in student services taking in Yorkshire, Leicestershire, London, Gloucestershire, and the West Midlands. He started out working in financial support before diversions to housing and wellbeing and latterly has enjoyed several leadership roles. He is currently the Director of Student Success at Birmingham Newman University. His motivation to work in student services came from a checkered study history and the wonderful support he received during his degree at Keele, which enabled him to remain in Higher Education. He hasn’t missed a welcome week since 2001.
Sally Lambah
Head of Student Support and Wellbeing
Sally Lambah, Head of Student Support and Well being at Wrexham University, since May 2019. Prior to this role Sally worked in Further Education, 20 years teaching Sport Studies and then moved into a Student Services Role’s.
Sally has always been passionate about the student experience from first enquiry to graduation and beyond. In Sally’s current role Wrexham University, the Student and campus life team have developed process and systems to ensure that students experience is positive, welcoming, and supportive.
Sally, In addition is a staff governor at Wrexham University and A Executive Member of AMOSSHE.

Nicola Brown
Assistant Chief Executive
Nicola Brown, is a member of the senior leadership team at the national student housing charity, Unipol Student Homes and has responsibility for leading, developing and delivering an efficient and consumer friendly service in Unipol's Housing Hubs – virtual and physical. This involves liaising with many organisations across the sector, universities and other stakeholders to encourage and support continued improvements in the services offered; ensuring the best possible advice is available to their students when it comes to choosing and living in their accommodation. Nicola works alongside the accreditation team, promoting best practice and training opportunities to accommodation providers, raising awareness of new legislative changes that will impact the services they provide and the students they accommodate.

Jess Carrier
National Codes Coordinator
Jess joined Unipol in 2018 as the National Codes Coordinator after spending two years as the Welfare and Community Officer at Leeds Beckett Students’ Union. Her role includes administering the ANUK/Unipol National Codes and undertaking project work on various issues across the student accommodation sector. Having held a key Higher Education role during the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she is experienced in student engagement and advocacy.

Elisha Crane
Mature Students’ Officer
Elisha is an MSci Biology student at the University of Nottingham and the Mature Students’ Officer for the Mature Students' Network. Passionate about the natural world and the sciences, she particularly interested in ecology and plant science. In her role as Officer, she is committed to building a supportive and inclusive community for mature students, helping them feel connected and valued within the university. Combining her love for learning with a drive to support others, She aims to create opportunities for mature students to engage, thrive, and make the most of their university experience.

Vivi Friedgut
Founder & CEO
Vivi Friedgut is is the founder and CEO of Blackbullion, serving over 60 universities and 350,000 it is the multi-award-winning student finance platform, leveraging behavioural and financial data to drive better decision-making for students and deliver critical insights to education institutions.

Professor David Webster
Director of Education, Quality and Enhancement
Professor David Webster is a British philosopher and educator, who is Director of Education, Quality, and Enhancement at the University of Liverpool. Previously, he has held academic roles at SOAS, University of London, and the University of Gloucestershire. Dave specializes in pedagogy and the student experience, with a recent focus on the role of Generative Artificial Intelligence in education. He has a background in Buddhist philosophy, particularly early Buddhist texts, his academic work also explores the nature of belief, its formation, and how these insights inform approaches to teaching and learning.

Jennie Blake
Head of Teaching and Learning Development, Academic Theme Lead for Student Success
Jennie Blake is the Head of Teaching and Learning Development at the University of Manchester Library. There she looks after all Library teaching, both credit bearing and extracurricular, including the award-winning My Learning Essentials. She also holds a substantive role as the Academic Theme Lead for Student Success at the University of Manchester. Her remit includes academic advising, student support and belonging, staff/student partnership, transition and a variety of university-wide initiatives and policy. She researches on areas including inclusive practice, student co-creation of learning and models for student support. She holds her Principal Fellowship of the HEA and was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2018 and a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) in 2024; all three awards recognise her sector-leading practice and expertise in student support and partnership.

Professor Timothy Drysdale
Chair of Technology Enhanced Science Education and Director of Strategic Digital Education
Professor Timothy Drysdale is the Chair of Technology Enhanced Science Education and Director of Strategic Digital Education in the School of Engineering. He is also seconded part-time to the University’s Curriculum Transformation Project focusing on digital innovation for experiential learning. His main research activity is in Engineering Education (Key Research Area 10 for the School), where he leads the Remote Laboratories group. He and his team have developed an entirely new infrastructure and approach for operating online remote laboratories on traditional campuses (practable.io), winning international awards from the Global Online Laboratories Consortium (Remote Experiment Award 2024) and the Association for Learning Technology / Jisc Award for Digital Transformation in 2023.

Dr Amy Eberlin
Nations Enhancement Manager
Dr Amy Eberlin is the Nations Enhancement Manager at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the UK (QAA), providing strategic direction and operational leadership for their enhancement work in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since joining QAA in 2020, she has led the strategic and operational delivery of Scotland's previous programme of national enhancement activity, the Enhancement Themes.
Prior to QAA, Amy worked as Academic Quality Coordinator at the University of Stirling and as Democracy and Research Coordinator at the University of Stirling Students' Union. Amy received her PhD in Late Medieval Scottish History from the University of St Andrews in 2016. She is passionate about the student learning experience, cooking and boardgames.

Dr Jagjeet Jutley-Neilson
Director of Student Experience
Dr Jagjeet Jutley-Neilson is a Director of Student Experience and Progression (DSEP) for Psychology and associate professor at the University of Warwick. She is the RAISE SIG lead for engaging assessment and Senior Fellow of the HEA, as well as being a fellow of the Warwick Institute Higher Education Academy, where she leads the Neurodiversity Network. She leads on several projects on Neurodiversity and the student experience such as neurodiversity pedagogical toolkit, code of practice to support disabled students, online neurodiversity training for staff and students, face-to-face neurodiversity staff training staff, and neurodivergent PGR student experiences.

Dr Gemma Gray
Director of Student Experience
Dr Gemma Gray is an Associate Professor and Disability Champion in the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick. She co-leads the Warwick Institute Higher Education Academy (WIHEA) Compassionate Pedagogies learning circle and work on projects focused on disability, neurodiversity and student experience.

Harriet Cannon
Disability Advisory Team Manager
Harriet has been working with disabled students in Higher Education for 25 years. She has worked in Disability Services at the University of Leeds since 2007, first as a Disability Coordinator, and now as the Disability Team Manager, having previously led on disability support for the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education. Harriet is a Director of the National Association of Disability Practitioners, as well as a Senior Accredited Member. She sits on the Office of the Independent Adjudicator’s Disability Experts Panel, the AdvanceHE Disabled Student Commitment Partnership Group, the Department for Education’s HE Autism Advisory Group, and she founded the Association of Autism Practitioners in HE. Harriet has lived experience of neurodivergence and a particular interest in supporting neurodivergent students, and in transitions to university.

Dr Elliott Spaeth
Senior Consultant in EDI
Dr Elliott Spaeth is a visionary leader in the field of Inclusive Practice in Higher Education, with a particular focus on disability and neurodivergence. He works across the sector as a Senior Consultant for Advance HE.
With a PhD in Clinical Psychology and extensive experience in pedagogy within Higher Education, Elliott has dedicated his career to equipping staff with the tools and knowledge to create authentically inclusive learning and teaching environments that are tailored to their students.
Elliott is neurodivergent, disabled, and queer, and he shares his lived experiences with powerful vulnerability. His authentic style of practice enables him to establish genuine, open relationships with people who are committed to facilitating learning environments that enable students to thrive.

Dr Jummy Okoya
Dean of Office for Institutional Equity
Dr. Jummy Okoya is a dedicated advocate for student success with over 20 years of experience supporting academic and professional growth. As Dean at the University of East London's Office of Institutional Equity, she has led strategic EDI initiatives, secured charter marks, and developed inclusive practices. Jummy’s roles at Oxford’s Said Business School and Cambridge Judge Business School focus on leadership coaching and EDI consultancy. Recognized as a Top 10 Diversity Ally in education (2022) and among the Top 50 Inspirational Black Women (2019), she is committed to fostering equity, student achievement, and empowering Black female leaders in academia.

Professor Karen Burland
Professor of Applied Music Psychology & Academic Lead for Student Opportunities and Futures
Karen Burland is Professor of Applied Music Psychology at the University of Leeds and is currently the faculty and university academic lead for work relating to employability and student futures. Karen researches musical identities and their role in musical participation in a variety of contexts. She is currently involved in projects investigating the ways in which undergraduate and postgraduate students engage with, and perceive, employability activities during university and beyond and is interested in exploring the ways in which musicians create and support their work in music, as well as in the role of music for wellbeing. Her book Coughing and Clapping: Investigating Audience Experience, edited with Stephanie Pitts, was published in December 2014. Karen was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2022 for her work as a music psychology educator and her approaches to supporting the employability of students in Higher Education.
Reggie Nelson
Vice President
Reggie Nelson is a Vice President at a global private equity firm and the author of the memoir Opening Doors: How Daring to Ask for Help Changed My Life (And Will Change Yours Too). He serves on the advisory board of upReach, a charity dedicated to enhancing social mobility for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds, helping them access and thrive in top graduate jobs. Additionally, Reggie has collaborated with former Prime Minister Theresa May on the Race Disparity Audit, furthering his commitment to social equity.

Graeme Kirk
Partnership Development Lead
Graeme has over 25 year’s partnership management and development experience across a wide range of industries, working for the BBC, NHS, national planning & building (SaaS), national specialist press, international tech events, and most recently was head of the commercial team at University Business and Education Technology industry news websites.

Kerry Kellaway
Head of Library
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.
Kerry has a professional passion for enhancing the student experience through innovative, tailored Library services and collaborative approaches to service delivery.

Alice Speller
Chief Executive Officer
Alice became the CEO in March 2024 following her role as Executive Director from January 2023 and having previously served as an elected Director for four years.
The role of Executive Director is a strategic role concerned with the growth of NADP as an organisation, the support of its membership and the representation of the members’ interests across the sector. Alice represents NADP in many ways including the OIA Disability Experts Panel, the LINK network and on the Disabled Students Commitment Sector Groups.
Before joining the NADP staff team, Alice was the Operations Manager at Bournemouth University where she managed the disability service and in house NMH provision. Prior to that, she was the Head of Student Support at Goldsmiths University, overseeing the Disability, Wellbeing, Chaplaincy and Counselling Service. Alice also has extensive experience across the sector working for providers and in the delivery of study skills and assistive technology training.
Prior to working in the field of disability in Higher Education she worked for an MP as a Senior Caseworker with a specialist interest in disability and immigration. Alice also worked as a Family Law Caseworker and undertook pro bono work at a London Law Centre including cases regarding disability discrimination and housing. Alice has also worked in the NGO sector with a passion for training students in Non-Violent Direct Action and working with refugee communities internationally on human rights issues.
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 for Student Experience/Learning & Teaching
Director/Head/Officer of Student Experience/Engagement
Director/Head/Officer of Education
Director/Head/Officer of Student Wellbeing/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. Please contact Magda Graszka, Senior Events Manager, for more information: [email protected]