Student experience: mental health and wellbeing conference 2026

Suzanne Carrie is the Head of Student Equality and Welfare at the Office for Students, leading a portfolio that includes Mental Health and Disability as well as Access and Participation. She helped set up and is the deputy chair of the Office for Student's Disability in Higher Education Advisory Panel and is a member of the Disabled Student Commitment Advisory Group and the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce.

Géraldine Dufour is a leading expert in matters related to university wellbeing, counselling and mental health with over 20 years of HE experience. She is Chair of the European Association for International Education (EAIE) Student and Alumni Services Committee, and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Essex, former Head of Counselling at the University of Cambridge, chair of national committees and founding member of research groups in student mental health and wellbeing. She offers specialist consultancy, supervision and training to HEIs. More information can be found on her website: https://www.geraldinedufour.com/universities

Ged is chief executive of PAPYRUS, the national charity dedicated to suicide prevention among young people. He has been an active member of HM Government’s national advisory group on suicide prevention strategy since 2011. Ged was instrumental in the production and dissemination of the first national guide for schools on suicide prevention and then partnered with Universities UK on the same for universities across the UK. Ged is a keen advocate for children and young people and for enabling them to learn skills for life. He firmly believes that suicide is preventable and is passionate to share ideas about how we call all play out part in making that believe a usable toolkit for every community.

Vivi Friedgut is Founder of Blackbullion: the award-winning Home of Student Money - driving social impact through financial empowerment. By partnering with almost 100 HE institutions and companies Blackbullion has helped over 415,000 students develop better money skills. Blackbullion is a widely adopted solution and platform leveraging behavioural and financial data to drive better institutional decision-making to mitigate non continuation and support the student experience. Vivi, a former wealth manager and one of FinTech Magazine’s Standout 45 Women is a sought-after speaker and  media commentator. Her third book “Financial Adulting” was released in September ’25.

Abigail Hamer is a Legal Principal for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, specialising in matters concerning children and young people. She works across areas including education law, higher education law and children’s public law,  conducting the Commission’s intervention in the University of Bristol v Dr Robert Abrahart, and being main author of the EHRC's Advice Note for Higher Education Providers. She has previously worked as a children and family solicitor in private practice, in a regulatory capacity for the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, and has also worked in the Academic Services department of a university.

Jane is Co-Director of Student Welfare and Support Services and Head of Counselling at the University of Oxford, prior to this she was the Head of Student Counselling and Wellbeing at the University of Leeds. Jane is a UKCP accredited psychotherapeutic counsellor (Mst, University of Oxford) and an organisational Reflective Practice group convenor (Diploma, IGA). Jane is the Outgoing Chair elect of HUCS (Heads of University Counselling Services), Co-chair of the Mental Wellbeing in Higher Education Group, hosted by Advance HE, a member of the Department for Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce and the Governance Group for Student Space.

Rafael is a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Toxicology and Pharmacology whose career spans research, teaching, and consultancy. With over eight years of forensic experience, including work on hundreds of toxicology cases, he lectures at the University of Glasgow and consults in health technology assessment. He also serves as EDI Lead for the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing (University of Glasgow). Shortlisted for the THE Awards 2025 for Outstanding Contribution to EDI and a recipient of the MVLS Teaching Excellence Award, his interests include education, clinical pharmacology, health economics, and forensic and clinical toxicology.

Siân is a principal associate at Mills & Reeve, specialising in education, public law and regulatory matters. She has extensive experience of providing legal, regulatory, governance and strategic advice to clients in the higher and further education sectors. She advises on student-related issues, including contracts, consumer law, complaints, court claims, misconduct, fitness to practise, procedural fairness, student mental health, safeguarding, and harassment and sexual misconduct. She reviews student regulations, policies and procedures and advises on their fair implementation. Siân speaks regularly at education sector events and delivers training to clients. She is recognised in Legal 500 as a leading associate.

Dr Omar Khan joined TASO in June 2020.

Omar has led TASO’s transition into an independent charity, developing its team and strategy to widen participation in higher education and eliminate equality gaps between students. His research and professional background has focused on equality and social mobility, particularly in education and the labour market, and he regularly speaks on these topics in the UK and globally.

Omar holds several board advisory positions, including chair of the board of trustees of Trust for London, trustee of the Political Studies Association. Omar has previously been a board or advisory group member at the University of East London, the Barrow Cadbury Trust, the Financial Inclusion Commission, the Department for Work and Pensions, the 2021 REF and 2014 REF assessments, and a 2012 Clore Social Leadership Fellow.

Omar joined TASO from race equality think tank the Runnymede Trust, where he had been Director since 2014, growing the organisation and increasing its profile. He completed a doctorate in political science from the University of Oxford in 2008.

Sally Lambah is Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at Wrexham University, where she has served since 2019, and is an Executive Member of AMOSSHE: The Student Services Organisation. With over 25 years in education, Sally leads comprehensive student services including counselling and mental health support, funding and financial advice, chaplaincy, and wellbeing guidance. She also serves as designated safeguarding lead and Prevent coordinator. Throughout her career in further and higher education, Sally has progressed through roles including lecturing, programme management, and quality development. She is deeply committed to ensuring all students receive the support they need to thrive academically and personally throughout their university experience.

Dr Sammy Li is Assistant Director of Student Affairs at the University of Birmingham, leading institutional work on student equality and postgraduate experience across the University’s UK and international campuses. He oversees initiatives that promote campus cohesion, inclusive policy, and support for nearly 44,000 students, including enhancing the educational journey of postgraduate taught and research students and coordinating the Birmingham Scholar programme. A thrice‑elected Executive Member of AMOSSHE, he provides sector-wide leadership on student experience and regulation, and has recently advised Advance HE on freedom of speech. With a multinational background and global career, he brings a broad perspective to complex challenges in higher education

Martin Lowe is Head of Policy at the University of Lancashire. Martin is co‑author of the Student Working Lives research project, examining how rising living costs and insufficient maintenance support have made paid work essential for most students, with significant effects on wellbeing, engagement and academic outcomes. 

Faye Mitcham is Head of Student Accessibility Services at the London College of Contemporary Arts and a transformational leader with over 10 years’ experience across education, mental health, and social care. Holding an MSc in Mental Health and recognised as a Senior Fellow of Advance HE, she leads multi-campus wellbeing, disability, and safeguarding services. Passionate about inclusion and whole-person support, Faye focuses on building equitable, student-centred systems that help individuals and communities thrive.

Jessica Parker is a Training & Engagement Manager for the University & Student Engagement Programme at Ygam, the UK's leading charity dedicated to preventing gaming and gambling harms among young people through education, awareness raising, and research. Jessica works with universities across the UK to provide evidence-based educational workshops for professionals and directly to students. These aim to raise awareness of how gaming and gambling can impact on the student experience alongside how to spot the signs of harm and to improve early intervention and access to support. You can read more about Ygam’s work on our website at www.ygam.org.

Holly Parrott is Senior Manager of Accessibility at The Open University and a PhD researcher specialising in accessibility and inclusion. Her work focuses on institutional strategy, policy, and practice, with a particular interest in how accessibility operates in real settings. She focuses on moving beyond compliance towards workable, embedded approaches that are beneficial for students, staff, and organisations alike. Holly regularly speaks at sector events on accessibility in higher education, drawing on professional practice and research to connect evidence, policy, and practice.

Professor Helen Payne, PhD is a full tenured Professor of Psychotherapy at the University of Hertfordshire, School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Psychology, Sport and Geography where she examines, teaches and supervises doctoral students. Her research interests include student anxiety and The BodyMind Approach (Payne & Brooks, 2026), staff/student mental wellbeing, and neurodiversity. She is a pathway founder in embodied, enactive approaches to psychotherapy, delivering courses and keynotes globally and has interests in reflective models including personal development and coaching. She has a private practice in psychotherapy and clinical supervision.

Stephanie is the CEO and founder of LimeCulture, a specialist sexual violence and safeguarding organisation. She is responsible for overseeing the full range of work and services delivered by LimeCulture, which includes training, consultancy and accreditaion services across multiple sectors.Before establishing LimeCulture in 2011, Stephanie held various challenging posts in central government. Between 2009 and 2011, she was the Delivery Manager for the Department of Health’s National Support Team for Response to Sexual Violence, where she supported all 39 Police Force Areas and their partners as part of a national programme to increase the network of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) across England and improve the provision of specialist services for victims of sexual violence.Stephanie was also the National Delivery Manager for the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Programme at the Department of Health (2007-2009), where she co-ordinated the delivery of new psychological therapies services across the NHS as part of £173million national programme. Between 2004-2007, Stephanie was the National Programme Manager for the Department of Health and Home Office’s Violence and Abuse Prevention Programme ‐a complex policy and research programme focusing on the effects of domestic and sexual violence and abuse. Stephanie was seconded to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre between 2007-8.

Professor Rigby’s role as Principal and Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University began in January 2025, after seven years as Vice Chancellor at Bath Spa University.A geologist with expertise in palaeobiology and interests in higher education, cultural compacts, and how strategic oversight of culture is changing in England, Sue has been involved in various Learning & Teaching projects.Sue currently chairs Student Minds and the An Tobar and Mull Theatre, is a board member of the Trustee of the Arts and Humanities Research Council, an Honorary Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Alex is a partner in Mills & Reeve’s employment education team who specialises in advising educational institutions. His experience includes advising on strategic people issues, complex employment tribunal claims, restructures and senior severances, international collaborations, mergers and the transfer of staff, and amendments to constitutional documents. Alex also leads our national immigration team and supports institutions in recruiting talent from the global labour market and managing related compliance obligations. He regularly conducts immigration audits, drafts policies and procedures, and delivers training on immigration and staff mobility issues.

Leigh Spanner is Programmes Lead at Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity, where she leads the University Mental Health Charter Programme and Award, supporting universities to adopt a whole-university approach to mental health and well-being. Leigh co-authored the University Mental Health Charter and has supported organisations across diverse sectors and countries to improve approaches to education, mental health and intersectional inclusion. She has worked with the NHS, the United Nations and at the University of British Columbia, and is a Trustee for the McPin Foundation, a mental health charity.

Natalie is Senior Manager, Student Health and Wellbeing at the University of London, supporting its global community of online, distance, and flexible learners. With a background in youth work, she brings extensive frontline experience alongside specialist training through a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychosynthesis Counselling. Natalie developed Wellbeing Champion networks to embed a whole-university approach aligned with the University Mental Health Charter. Her work centres on prevention, early intervention, safeguarding, and promoting wellbeing in transnational education. In 2024, she received the Immediate Impact Award at the UOL Employee Awards for Excellence in recognition of her contributions to student wellbeing.

Dr Sarah Sweeney is Chair of AMOSSHE, the national organisation for Student Services, and Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at Lancaster University. She leads the strategic delivery of student wellbeing and support services, including safeguarding, counselling and mental health, disability, inclusive practice, student transitions, advice and engagement. With over 20 years’ experience across the higher education sector, Sarah is passionate about driving positive, sector-wide change to improve equality of opportunity and advance diversity and inclusion. She is a strong advocate for high-quality, compassionate support for all student communities and for the use of digital innovation to enhance both the student and staff experience.

Dr Dominique Thompson is a multi-award winning former GP, young people's mental health expert, TEDx speaker, author and educator, with over two decades of NHS clinical experience. Dom now works as an international independent mental health consultant and speaker, whilst holding roles including most recently; President of the Student Health Association, membership of the UK government’s Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce, and Clinical Advisor to NICE and Student Minds.She is author of The Student Wellbeing Series for young people, and co-author of How to Grow a Grown Up (PenguinRandomHouse) for parents.

Asini Wijewardane serves as Managing Director, UK for Uwill, the leading global mental health and wellness solution supporting more than 4 million students at over 500 institutions. A Boston Business Journal's 40 Under 40 honoree, Asini Wijewardane also served as Uwill's Director of Counsellor Success, creating, developing, and managing Uwill’s global counsellor community with over 2000 counsellors worldwide. With broad leadership and operational experience across three continents, her career includes roles in social enterprise, consultancy, business development, and project management, in addition to non profit organisations such as Cancer Research UK. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Middlesex University, UK, an LLB from University of London, UK, an MBA from the Olin Graduate School at Babson College, USA, and an MSc in Analytics from Harrisburg University, USA.