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Overview
Please note that In-Person tickets for this event have sold out. You may still book an online place via the booking link.
Universities are vital to society, driving skills development, regional growth, social mobility, and ground-breaking innovation. Yet, the sector faces a pivotal challenge: in 2023-24, 40% of higher education providers are thought to be in deficit, underscoring the urgency of financial sustainability.
While we continue to advocate for sustainable higher education funding, we must also look inward. Harnessing the innovation, creativity, and business expertise within and beyond the sector is essential to addressing these challenges head-on.
Join us on Thursday 1 May, for The University Transformation and Efficiency Summit, where we’ll explore how universities can transform to survive and thrive, realising the opportunity of a financially sustainable future.
This conference will cover topics such as:
- Introduction to the work of the Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce
- National collaboration and shared services
- Cultural leadership: Steering through transformation
- When might a merger be the right choice?
- Transforming a university’s digital estate
If you have any questions about this or any other of our events, please contact us at [email protected].
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.
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This event is open to university staff who are involved in the planning, strategy and leadership of their university.
Agenda
Speakers
Vivienne Stern MBE
Chief Executive Officer
Universities UK
Vivienne Stern took up the role of UUK Chief Executive in September 2022. She was previously the Director of Universities UK International (UUKi) which represents UK universities around the world and works to enable them to flourish internationally.
Vivienne has over 20 years’ experience of working in higher education policy and politics at national and international level. She is a member of the GREAT Private Sector Council; a Trustee of the Council for At Risk Academics; and is a member of the Soft Power Council. She was awarded an MBE for Services to International Education in the New Years’ Honours List 2022. In 2021 Vivienne received the European Association of International Educators’ “Vision and Leadership” award and the PIEoneer “Outstanding Contribution to the Industry” award.
Vivienne is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, where she studied English Literature.
The Rt Hon. Lord Vallance KCB
Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation
Lord Vallance KCB FRS FMedSci FRCP HonFREng was appointed Minister of State (Minister for Science) on 5 July 2024.
He was previously Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA) from April 2018 to April 2023. He was also National Technology Adviser (NTA) and Head of the Government Science and Engineering (GSE) Profession.
Lord Vallance was President, R&D at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) from 2012 until 2017. Prior to this, he was Senior Vice President, Medicines Discovery and Development. He joined the company in May 2006 as Head of Drug Discovery. He was a member of the GSK Board and the Corporate Executive Team. During his period as head of R&D, many new medicines were approved for use worldwide, for diseases ranging from cancer and rare diseases in children, to asthma and HIV.
Prior to joining GSK, he was a clinical academic, Professor of Medicine and led the Division of Medicine at UCL. He has many years’ experience of basic science and clinical research, and was a consultant physician in the NHS. His research spanned from work on medicinal chemistry and structural biology, through to cellular work, studies in humans and use of large electronic health record databases.
He was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1999 and to the Royal Society in 2017. He was on the Board of the UK Office for Strategic Co-ordination of Health Research (OSCHR) from 2009 to 2016. He is an Honorary Fellow at UCL and holds honorary degrees from Imperial College London, Glasgow University, University of York and St George’s, University of London. He was a non-executive director and board member for UK Biobank and a non-executive board member for Genome Research Limited but stepped down in taking up the GCSA role.
Sir Nigel Carrington
Chair of the Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce
Universities UK
Sir Nigel spent 27 years in the private sector before becoming Vice Chancellor of University of the Arts London (UAL) in 2008. He brings together high level commercial and restructuring experience with a deep understanding of HE.
In his first career, Nigel was an international Mergers and Acquisitions lawyer and, in 1994, became the youngest London Managing Partner of a major corporate law firm. He went on to become a member of the Firm's International Executive Committee and Chairman of its European and Middle East Regional Council. He left to become the Managing Director of McLaren Group, where his role included bringing its six operating companies together into a single new £250m Technology Centre.
When he joined UAL, he took over responsibility for the integration of its six distinctive and fiercely independent Colleges. Over the 13-year period of his tenure, the University was restructured, reducing its operating costs by increasing efficiencies and became recognised as one of the two globally leading universities of art and design.
Nigel was a member of the UUK Board from 2015-2020 and led on behalf of UUK the tripartite merger of the three sector agencies which became Advance HE. Nigel became the inaugural Chair of the Board of Advance HE.
Professor Dame Sally Mapstone
President, Universities UK and Principle and Vice-Chancellor
University of St Andrews
Before her appointment as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews in 2016, Dame Sally completed her education, lectured and held several leadership roles at the University of Oxford, including Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Personnel and Equality and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education. She has served as President of Universities UK since 2023, being on the board since 2016.
Dr David Langley
Chief Transformation Officer
Cardiff University
Dr David Langley is Chief Transformation Officer at Cardiff University where he leads an organisational wide change programme aimed at delivering a new and ambitious strategy. He is a member of the University Executive Board.
His career has been varied and David has held leadership positions at University College of Osteopathy, New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE), Bristol University, Imperial College London and previously at Cardiff University as a Professor of Practice. He has also been Deputy Chief Scientific Advisor for the Welsh Government and has held roles in the private sector. He has a PhD in neuropharmacology.
Ada Burns
Chair of Governors
Teesside University
Ada has been Chair of the Board of Governors at Teesside University since 2021. Until 2018 she was Chief Executive of Darlington Borough Council and prior to that held senior roles in London Councils. With a passion for place making and transformation, Ada played a leadership role in the creation of the Tees Valley Combined Authority and as a non-Executive Director in the NHS is supporting the development of a Group model for two large Trusts.
Heidi Fraser-Krauss
Chief Executive
Jisc
Heidi Fraser-Krauss is the CEO of Jisc, a role she has held for the last 3 years. Jisc is a not-for-profit, membership organisation that provides UK universities and colleges with shared data, digital and infrastructure services
Before her role at Jisc Heidi held a variety of executive board positions at the universities of Sheffield and York
She is a governor at York College and a board member of Géant, the organisation that develops the pan-European digital infrastructure to support research and education.
Rita Akushie
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Finance & Operations)
University of London
Rita Akushie is PVC (Finance & Operations) at the University of London where she leads the Finance, Technology, Human Resources, Property & Estates teams and Cosector.
After her accountancy training in public practice, Rita spent the 24 years of her career in the Housing Association sector as Finance Director, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer.
Prior to joining the University of London, Rita was CFO & Executive Director of Corporate Resources at Cancer Research UK.
Rita is also Non- Executive Director and Audit Chair of HICL Infrastructure Plc - a £3bn FTSE 250 listed Infrastructure Investment company.
Ryan Keyworth
Chief Finance Officer
Sheffield Hallam University
As Chief Finance Officer at Sheffield Hallam University, Ryan has primary responsibility for the University's financial strategy, ensuring continued financial sustainability and the delivery of investment priorities to support the University's vision.
Ryan read Economics at Loughborough, is a Chartered Management Accountant and has held a variety of financial leadership roles at The Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Nottingham, and Pearl Assurance. Prior to joining Sheffield Hallam, he was the Director of Finance and Commercial Services at Sheffield City Council.
Ryan is a member of the British Universities Finance Directors’ Group (BUFDG) Executive Group and is Co-Chair of BUFDG’s Larger Higher Education Institutions’ Group which provides a platform for finance leaders to work through common challenges and opportunities, exchange ideas, and build a collective voice to influence positive change within the sector.
Erica Conway
Chief Financial Officer
University of Birmingham
Erica trained as a chartered accountant with a small firm in Chester and worked for C&L and then PwC for 15 years, in audit and advisory roles across a variety of sectors and jurisdictions. She joined the University of Birmingham in 2010 and in 2018 was appointed as Finance Director and member of Executive board. Now CFO, she has led on a number of University wide initiatives and is involved in much beyond Finance. She is currently Chair of BUFDG and engages within and across the sector on Finance and related matters, promoting the opportunities and risks of its members.
Adam Clarke
Managing Director
The Energy Consortium (TEC)
Starting his career in commodity trading and asset optimisation, Adam has over 20-years of UK Trading and Energy Management experience. Adam made the switch from Wholesale trading to Energy Retail in 2012, developing energy trading and risk management products for the I&C sector.
Through the last 6-years of his career with EDF, Adam has established the largest renewable offtake portfolio in the UK – including a number of notable Corporate PPAs.
In March 2022, Adam joined The Energy Consortium (TEC) as MD to lead the team in the development of a range of products and services which will enable the Higher Education and UK Museums sectors to achieve ambitious Net Zero targets.
Scott Barton
Managing Director, Corporate and Institutional Banking
Lloyds Banking Group
Scott joined Lloyds Bank in 2017, leading the Mid Markets and Corporate Coverage business.
With a strong focus on driving strategic initiatives, Scott plays a pivotal role in advancing the bank’s regional regeneration and Sustainability/Transition propositions, which are critical to supporting the evolving needs of our clients and the communities we serve. Prior to joining Lloyds Bank, Scott was Head of Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB), Europe for Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), which he joined in 2013. At SCB, Scott was responsible for wholesale banking across Europe, and was Chairman of SCB Turkey and a member of the global CIB management team. Prior to SCB, Scott spent 20 years at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), where he was a member of the Group Management Committee, and Co-CEO of International Banking. Previous roles at RBS included CEO Global Transaction Services, Head of Corporate Coverage UK and CEO Middle East & Africa. Prior to RBS, Scott worked for Accenture, after joining from university. Scott is a Board Trustee of In Kind Direct, a charity that specialises in product giving for social good, ensuring that people have access to life’s essentials and that no useable product goes to waste.
Professor Dan Charman
Senior Vice-President and Provost
University of Exeter
Professor Dan Charman has held the role of Provost and Senior Vice-President at the University of Exeter since August 2023. He was previously the inaugural Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the new Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy and before that was the Dean, and then Pro-Vice-Chancellor, of the College of Life and Environmental Sciences. He undertook his undergraduate degree in Agricultural and Environmental Science at the University of Newcastle and completed his PhD in physical geography at the University of Southampton, subsequently working at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and the University of Plymouth before coming to Exeter in 2009. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and is an Earth system scientist researching long-term ecosystem and climate change, with a focus on peat-forming wetlands and the global carbon cycle.
As Provost, he is deputy to the President and Vice-Chancellor and represents the University externally through Universities UK, Russell Group and other networks. Dan leads the academic community, working with the Pro-Vice Chancellors of the University’s three faculties and the Deputy Vice-Chancellors across research and impact, education and student experience and business engagement and innovation. His primary responsibility is to lead the delivery of the University’s Strategy 2030, through the development and implementation of the major academic strategies, and the University academic planning, resourcing and budgeting process.
Poppy Short
Partner
Mills & Reeve LLP
Poppy has over 20 years’ experience supporting numerous national and international universities on a full range of commercial and corporate matters, including partnerships and collaborations, academic arrangements, service contracts, template terms and conditions, mergers and business transfers; as well as governance matters from constitutional reviews, charity advice on powers, trading subsidiary issues, structuring, OfS requirements and applying for DAPs and university title. Poppy has advised on the most significant and complex mergers in the higher education sector for decades. Her role was crucial in navigating the complex regulatory, governance, and contractual issues involved, and her strategic and commercial outlook meant she became a key member of the University team. One client stated: “Her attention to detail, expertise in higher education law, and solution-focused advice were invaluable without which our merger would not have been possible.”
Professor Roderick Watkins
Vice-Chancellor
Anglia Ruskin University
Professor Roderick Watkins has been Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) since 2019. Since that time the university has grown strongly and now has over 40,000 students studying at its campuses in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough, Writtle and London as well as overseas. ARU has recently won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its research and a Gold TEF rating for its education. In 2023 ARU was named the Times Higher Education University of the Year and University of the Year at the UK Social Mobility Awards, in recognition of the role played by ARU Peterborough in advancing social mobility across the city and the wider region.”
Professor Elisabeth Hill
Deputy President and Provost
City St George's, University of London
Professor Elisabeth Hill joined City, University of London as Deputy President in September 2022 and is now Deputy President & Provost at City St George’s, University of London.
As Provost, Elisabeth holds responsibility for academic operations across the University. She leads the City St George’s Programme – the merger of St George’s University of London into City, University of London to create a powerful combined joint institution. Elisabeth has responsibility for shaping and delivering the Strategic Transformation Programme which will enable the realisation of City St George’s vision and strategic plan. Prior to joining City, Elisabeth held various leadership roles at Goldsmiths, University of London including Deputy Warden, ProWarden Academic, Head of the School of Arts & Humanities, and Head of the Department of Psychology.
As Professor of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Elisabeth’s research focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders, and particularly developmental co-ordination disorder (sometimes referred to as dyspraxia or DCD) and autism, as well as the relationship between cognitive, social, and motor development in typical and atypical populations, and their broader impacts on mental health, academic and employment outcomes. Further strands of research within this sphere consider the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on these developmental relationships, and their impact on children and their parents within daily life, educational experience, and outcomes. Professor Elisabeth Hill joined City, University of London as Deputy President in September 2022 and is now Deputy President & Provost at City St George’s, University of London.
Professor Jackie Dunne
Vice-Chancellor
Birmingham Newman University
Professor Jackie Dunne has been Vice-Chancellor of Birmingham Newman University since March 2020.
Previously Professor Dunne was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton, where she held responsibility for a number of strategic areas including: widening participation and outreach; regional engagement and lifelong learning; digital strategy; equality and diversity; degree apprenticeships; and the development of the flagship Springfield Campus.
Jackie is Chair of the Cathedrals Group of Universities, Chair of the GuildHE Teacher Education Advisory Group, Chair of the Universities West Midlands consortium, and a Trustee of the Children’s University. She also sits on the GuildHE Executive Board.
Jackie graduated in Hispanic Studies from Liverpool University and has an MA in Education and Industry from the University of Warwick, as well as being a Professor of Lifelong Learning and Skills. Jackie has over 25 years of experience of higher education and has held several senior management positions, having previously worked at the University of Leicester and Coventry University.
Pamela Agar
Europe Director
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)
Pamela Agar leads the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Europe as Co-Executive Director alongside her job-share partner, Caroline Davis. Prior to joining CASE in November 2022, Pamela and Caroline served as Co-Directors of External Relations, Communications and Marketing at St George’s, University of London for three years, overseeing a team of professionals responsible for communications, marketing, digital, design, development and alumni relations.
Pamela has over two decades of experience in the education sector, heaving held senior roles in communications and marketing at institutions including Imperial College London and The Francis Crick Institute. In addition, she was the Managing Director of content strategy agency Pickle Jar Communications and has worked with a range of schools and universities as a freelance digital strategy and brand consultant.
Professor Georgina Andrews
Vice-Chancellor
Bath Spa University
Professor Georgina Andrews was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University from 1st January 2025. She has a background in law and led two distinctive and successful Business Schools before being appointed as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost of BSU. Georgina’s student-centered approach and academic credentials were recognised when she became one of the first Professors of Business Education in the UK. Georgina is passionate about breaking down barriers to higher education, and the role of universities as anchor institutions in their communities and catalysts for inclusive growth.
Before joining the university sector, Georgina was a solicitor in private practice specialising in company and commercial law. Georgina also has a track record of external engagement / Non Executive Director service including as an elected member of the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) Council, Chair of the CABS Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Committee and as an Assessor and Assessment Panel Chair for the Small Business Charter.
Pam Flynn
Chief People Officer
Manchester Metropolitan University
Pam is the Chief People Officer at Manchester Metropolitan University, driving the University’s mission to transform lives through an exceptional student experience and impactful research. A member of the University's Executive Group, she oversees key people strategies, including talent attraction, organisational change and transformation, performance leadership, reward, engagement, wellbeing, and equality, diversity and inclusion. With a strong track record in organisational change, Pam has designed and implemented structural change, new operating models and achieved significant improvements in employee engagement and talent development.
Having transitioned initially from financial services to higher education, Pam has held various HR and professional services leadership roles at universities across the North and Northwest and chairs the Northwest Universities HR (UHR) group and is a member of the UHR Executive Group.
She is a graduate of the University of Liverpool where she studied English Literature and Language. She also later completed an MBA. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and an Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) accredited Coach and Mentor.
Raj Jethwa
Chief Executive Officer
Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA)
Raj Jethwa was appointed Chief Executive of UCEA (the Universities and Colleges Employers Association) in February 2020, where he leads the association’s work representing the UK higher education sector in all employment matters and in the collective negotiations on pay and related issues.
Raj was previously the Director of Policy at the BMA (British Medical Association) where he led its professional activities, policy development and collective bargaining functions. Raj has also worked as Head of Research for the Police Federation of England and Wales and as a policy advisor at the TUC (Trades Union Congress). He is a graduate of the London School of Economics, where he was a member of the Court of Governors. Raj is a Visiting Fellow at Kingston University and a member of the Prison Service Pay Review Body.
James Clay
Head of Higher Education and Student Experience
Jisc
As Head of Higher Education and Student Experience, my role is to ensure Jisc’s HE strategy meets the needs of our higher education members and UK wide funders. I have worked in the education sector since 1993 and have extensive experience in the use of technology to enhance and enrich learning. I have been a CIO, a teacher, a project director, TEL manager, libraries manager, an IT director, and a senior manager. I have contributed and managed a range of projects over the years in various roles. I have managed a shared service, procured shared services, and worked across many different kinds of collaborations.
Kim Ansell
Senior Consultant Governance and Leadership
Advance HE
Kim is Senior Consultant Governance and Leadership at Advance HE. She has worked across higher and professional education providing support to organisations at all levels, including senior leadership teams and Boards, to facilitate transformation and performance improvement: reviewing and helping shape organisations’ future direction, facilitating holistic working, improving stakeholder engagement, and embedding new practices.
She is co-director for Governance Professionals in HE and Transformative Conversations programmes and her governance and leadership work focusses on the interface between the Board and Executive. She leads Advance HE work ‘Measuring What Matters’ in collaboration with AHUA, CUC, Guild HE and UUK and led Advance HE’s 2021 work ‘Transforming Organisations from student to board’. Kim is a former Board member at the University of West London. She recently completed her CGI Diploma in ESG and is working to evolve the concept for the sector.
Aaron Porter
Associate Director Governance
Advance HE
Aaron Porter has a portfolio of roles including as Chair of BPP University, Deputy Chair of Goldsmiths University, a non-executive director of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and on the board of a statutory healthcare regulator. In higher education, he has led Advance HE's governor development since 2014 and has also undertaken governance effectiveness reviews for over 60 universities and other higher education institutions across the UK, Ireland and Australia. Previously, Aaron was President of the National Union of Students in 2010-11 and has served on the boards of UCAS, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator and the HEA.
Dr Ben Calvert
Vice-Chancellor
University of South Wales
Ben started his academic career as an undergraduate studying Social Sciences and later a PhD focusing on British tabloid press coverage of share ownership and privatisation during the 1980s. He started his career as a lecturer at the University of Central England, teaching Media and Cultural Studies. Later, he was a Senior Lecturer at the University of St. Mark and St. John, Plymouth and in 2002 moved to the University of Gloucestershire where he would eventually become Dean of the Faculty of Media, Arts and Technology. Ben published in the fields of pedagogy and the study of television and as a Head of Department and later Dean was involved in the bidding team that secured Skillset Media Academy status. He oversaw a significant development of the portfolio and growth of student numbers. He was also University lead on the successful development of a University Technical College at Berkeley Green, in partnership with South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. Ben also trained as a QAA reviewer for their Review of Educational Oversight method and was an external examiner in various institutions.
Ben joined the University of South Wales in 2015 as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Learning, Teaching and Student Experience implementing a new Student Experience Plan and overseeing significant improvement in student metrics across the University. He became Vice-Chancellor in 2021. Ben has played important external roles within Wales and the U.K. including as a member of the U.K. Teaching Excellence Awards Panel, of the Advance HE Steering Group on External Examining, HEFCW’s Student Opportunity and Achievement Committee and the U.K. Standing Committee for Quality Assessment. He was Chair of Universities Wales Learning and Teaching Advisory Group for several years, helping to facilitate sector wide work on learning and teaching, retention, and learner analytics. He is currently Chair of Global Wales, a partnership that promotes a strategic approach to international education in Wales. During the pandemic he was Chair of the Welsh Government COVID Guidance Group working with government, public health officials and other stakeholders in developing frameworks for the continuation of learning through the pandemic. He has been a member of the Board of Governors at Bridgend College, at his local primary school and in his role as Vice-Chancellor, on the Boards of Merthyr Tydfil College and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees at UCAS.
Ben is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.
Sam Sanders
Head of Education, Skills and Productivity
KPMG (UK)
Sam is Head of Education, Skills & Productivity at KPMG (UK). He has over 20 years’ experience of working with public sectors clients both in the UK and Australia, delivering major digital strategy, technology, organisational improvement and change management projects. In addition to his day-to-day operational and digital improvement work, Sam also leads the firm's HE sector ERP implementation capability (KPMG Powered Enterprise) and represents the UK on KPMG’s Global Education Centre of Excellence.
Justine Andrew
Partner, Education
KPMG (UK)
Based in Leeds, Justine was (until April 25) Head of Education and Skills at KPMG and she is also Head of the University Partnership Team.
She leads KPMG’s work with some of the largest Education providers nationally as well as being at the forefront of our work in the skills space. In her University Partnership role she is thinking differently about how providers and employers can work together across a range of areas. She has a particular interest in the economic development of ‘place’ and the role of collaboration to achieve that. At KPMG she is a member of the regional leadership team.
Justine was, until Summer 22, Senior Independent Governor at Leeds Trinity University, Chair of RemCo and a member of the Audit Committee. She is currently a Trustee of York Museums Trust. In 2024 she was a National Commissioner for the National Commission for Oracy and is currently a Commissioner for Wakefield Futures.
Justine studied English Literature and Language at New College, University of Oxford and has a Masters from the University of Essex in the Study of Contemporary Japan.
Karen Best
Head of Education & Student Accommodation Lead Advisory
PwC UK
Karen has over 19 years’ experience of working with and advising Universities and private sector Education and Student Accommodation providers, operators, developers and investors. Specifically in relation to Student Accommodation, Karen and her team: Advise Universities on Student Accommodation strategy, financial feasibility, financing, commercial structuring and private partnerships as well as private sector Student Accommodation operators, developers and investors on partnering with Universities. She and her team also provide sell and buy side advice in relation to Student Accommodation M&A transactions and capital raise - equity and / or debt for Education and Student Accommodation providers, including programmatic joint ventures.
Sheena Owen
Director, Education Team
PwC
Sheena is a Director in PwC’s Education team with extensive experience delivering financial, operational, strategic and transformational change across the sector. She was one of the co-authors of PwC’s report; ‘Financial Sustainability of the UK Higher Education sector’, published in January 2024. She is also a qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA).
Sheena has over 12 years experience at PwC, leading teams to deliver large and complex programmes, manage internal and external stakeholders and support her clients to identify and implement more efficient and cost effective operational, commercial, and financial processes and implementing alternative delivery models.
Dr Sally Howes OBE
Chair of Council
University of East Anglia
With a PhD in hydrology and an early career in software engineering and international satellite programmes, Sally has worked in aerospace, defence, digital, cyber, government and higher education, most often at the boundaries between technology, research, and commercial business. She currently divides her time between non-executive positions and supporting those leading major and programmes in the public sector, helping them to address complex digital transformation, commercial and governance challenges.
Her executive career has included member of leadership team in the National Audit Office, Commercial Director in MOD, CEO of the national trade association for aerospace, founder, commercial then managing director of a start-up technology and consulting company in the space sector.
She was awarded an OBE for services to the UK space industry in 2004 and an Honorary Fellowship for the Institute for Project Management in 2019.
Sarah Beavon
Chief Information Officer
Canterbury Christ Church University
With over 20 years of experience in the higher education sector, Sarah has worked across a diverse range of institutions—from Russell Group universities to Post-92s, both large and small. She has a strong track record of operational delivery and extensive experience in establishing and managing global operations teams. Sarah has spent the majority of her career leading large-scale transformation programmes, driving service redesign and organisational change across people, processes, policies, systems, and data. Her expertise spans the full breadth of university operations, including academic services, registry, student support, and corporate functions.
A passionate advocate for Women in IT, Sarah is committed to increasing awareness of and access to technology-based career paths for women. She is equally dedicated to education for all and actively contributes to the education sector through her work as a school governor.
Helen Scott
Executive Director
Universities HR
As Executive Director, Helen has led UHR, the HE sector’s association for people management professionals, since 2004 and works closely with other associations within and beyond HE, and with the CIPD, of which she is a Chartered Fellow. She’s passionate about good people management, inclusion, collaboration and helping people share, learn and develop together, not re-inventing wheels and improving working lives in HE, and fascinated by how organisations function (or don’t), the impact of good leadership, and how to enable individuals, teams and organisations to thrive. Helen has worked for over 35 years in a range of HR roles in HE and beyond, including on HR consultancy projects and as a university HR Director. She is committed to cross-sector working and learning, having also worked in the NHS and the private and not for profit sectors. Helen has a History degree from Cambridge and outside work, is a magistrate.
Professor Luke Georghiou
Associate Vice-Chancellor
The University of Manchester
Professor Luke Georghiou is the University’s Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, providing strategic leadership and operational management across the full-range of University functions.
From 2010 to 2017 as Vice-President for Research and Innovation, Luke was responsible for the University’s research strategy and its implementation and doctoral training, prior to this he held the post of Deputy Dean and Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Humanities.
He continues in his current role to be responsible for business engagement and commercialisation activities. He is active in research and policy advice to governments and business with work on innovation management, public procurement and innovation and foresight.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of Manchester Science Partnerships, the UK’s largest science park company, the Northern Gritstone investment company and the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
Mark Reddy
Global Director of Growth, Finance, Spend & Governance
OneAdvanced
As the Global Director of Growth, Finance, Spend & Governance at OneAdvanced, Mark Reddy is a leader dedicated to fostering innovation and growth. His primary goal is to assist Finance, Procurement and Governance Leaders worldwide in realising their strategic potential through market-aligned, fit-for-purpose technology solutions.
Mark achieved significant recognition in the industry during his tenure at Portt, where he expanded the company's reach into four new industry verticals and played a pivotal role in earning accolades such as the AIIA NSW 2019 "Innovation of the Year" Award. Since, he has been instrumental in expanding their global reach, which led him to his current role with OneAdvanced. With over 15 years of experience in strategic growth, Mark's career has been characterised by an unwavering drive, determination, and a laser focus on innovation and improvement. He is not just a corporate powerhouse but also a dedicated startup mentor.
Astrid Bowser
Senior Product Manager Data/AI
OneAdvanced
Astrid Bowser is a highly experienced professional with a 15-year track record of successfully addressing business challenges through software solutions, backed by a solid educational foundation in Computer Science and an MBA. As the Senior Product Manager for Data and AI in the OneAdvanced Platform, Astrid is committed to harnessing the power of data and AI to drive organisational success, while prioritising the importance of privacy, security, and responsible AI practices. In her role as Co-Chair of the OneAdvanced AI Steering Committee, Astrid is committed to ensuring that AI is developed and deployed in a safe and trustworthy manner, empowering humans and organisations to leverage its full potential.
Charlie Richards-Gladstone
Enterprise Account Director and HiEd Lead
Multiverse
Who should attend?
Open to all, recommended but not limited to the following roles:
- Vice Chancellor/Principal
- Deputy Vice Chancellor
- Pro Vice Chancellor
- Provost
- Dean
- Chief Operating Officer
- Chief People Officer
- Chief Information Officer
- Chief Transformation Officer
- Registrar
- Director of Strategic Planning
- Director of Finance
- Director of Communications
- Director of Estates
- Strategic Advisor to the Vice Chancellor
- Chair/Member of Board of Governors
Sponsorship
We have a range of sponsorship opportunities available at our events. Please contact Magda Graszka, Senior Events Manager, for more information:
