Agenda

Woburn Hall

• Chair: Tania Rhodes-Taylor, Executive Director, Communications and External Relations, King's College London

• Seb Gordon, Director of Communications, Universities UK
• Andrea Slowey, PR and Media Manager, Northumbria University

This opening keynote explores how the UUK Reputation Strategy is beginning to translate into practice across the sector. It will highlight early insights from the execution of the strategy, engagement with institutions, what’s proving most challenging, and where marketing and communications teams are playing a critical role. The session will focus on what this means for professional services staff delivering reputation work day to day.

• Nick McDermott, Director of Communications, Imperial College London 
• Shaun Wooller, Health Editor, Daily Mail
• Jane Hamilton, Recruitment Editor, The Times, and Senior Journalist, The Sun

This session brings together communications professionals and national media perspectives to explore how stories about higher education are assessed, framed and received beyond the sector’s usual audiences. It will examine how comms teams can move past speaking primarily to existing champions, avoid common pitfalls, and confidently shape stories that resonate with vocationally focused and more sceptical publics.

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Foster and Bloomsbury Room

• Chair: Andy Simmons, Head of University Marketing, The University of Manchester
• Zeenat Fayaz, Founder, Director of Brand Strategy, The Brand Education
• Catherine Frankpitt, Director, Strike Communications

Strong reputations are often built close to home. This session explores how universities are using local and regional campaigns to strengthen national reputation, support recruitment and build trust with communities. Speakers will share practical examples of place-based activity and how local impact can be communicated effectively at scale.

Woburn Hall

• Chair: Hannah Berry, Deputy Director of Communications and Campaigns, Universities UK 
• Sabina Frediani, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, University of Liverpool
• Phil Groves, Head of Communications Response Team, NHS England
• Chris Thundow, Press and PR Manager, and Annie Goss, Interim Deputy Director of Communications and Engagement, De Montfort University

Universities face increasing scrutiny and reputational risk, often from multiple directions at once. This session looks ahead to the challenges communications teams are likely to encounter over the next year and how they can support senior leaders with clear, confident advice. The discussion will focus on preparation, decision-making and maintaining trust during periods of pressure.

Content Warning: This session will include discussion themes of violence, death and dying.

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Woburn Hall

• Chair: Hannah Berry, Deputy Director of Communications and Campaigns, Universities UK
• Amelia Gilmore, Social Media Manager, and Isha Rai, Student Social Media Ambassador, University of Westminster
• Dane Vincent, Senior Creative, Loughborough University

Digital content plays a growing role in how universities communicate, recruit and build reputation - but not every team has the same resources. This session explores what effective digital content looks like right now, across platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. The focus will be on practical production, prioritisation and aligning video activity with wider communications goals.

Foster and Bloomsbury Room

• Chair: Seb Gordon, Director of Communications, Universities UK

The launch of Future Universities sets out a clear ambition: universities must play their fullest part in driving national renewal and future prosperity. This breakout session will explore how institutions are responding to the Future Universities agenda at a practical level. Through peer discussion, delegates will share examples of how universities are strengthening their contribution to growth, skills, civic engagement and public trust, identifying what meaningful delivery looks like beyond the headline commitment.

Woburn Hall

• Chair: Tania Rhodes-Taylor, Executive Director, Communications and External Relations, King's College London

• Dave Penney, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, UCAS

• Deon-Nadine Butler, Director of Marketing and Communications, London Metropolitan University

• Harry Anderson, Deputy Director (Policy and Global Engagement), Universities UK International
• Zoe Paxton, Interim Executive Director for Communications, Marketing and Student Recruitment, University of Manchester

As the higher education landscape evolves, with shifting expectations around employability, value for money and global opportunity, institutions must align storytelling with institutional strategy, recruitment priorities and national skills needs. This session will translate the day’s insight into clear strategic takeaways for higher education marketing and communications teams.

• Chair: Tania Rhodes-Taylor, Executive Director, Communications and External Relations, King's College London