HE Transformation Digital | 19 November
09:20 am - 10:10 am
The Digital Capabilities of 2030 and Beyond: The Underpinnings of a Resilient Operating Model
The core components of a digitally agile institution in 2030: What’s required?
Making decisions on the technologies that will be the bedrock for future operating models
Understanding operational outcomes and the tools required to drive improved decision making and service delivery
Leading digital investment planning for the long term amid financial restraint
Liam Earney
Managing Director HE and Research
Jisc
Sarah Beavon
Chief Information Officer
Canterbury Christ Church University
Professor Judy Williams
Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education and Students
Queen's University Belfast
10:20 am - 10:50 am
Out of Survival Mode: Thinking Strategically about Technology Lifecycle Management
A joined-up approach to digital procurement rooted in full lifecycle management
Fresh thinking on financing strategic investments for next 5 years and beyond
Breaking the cycle of asset sweating, fragmented planning and cliff edge digital purchases
Extracting value from legacy assets and driving improving sustainability outcomes through impactful refresh cycles
Benji Rogers
Head of Higher Education
Sync
Nick Sharp
Public Sector BDM
Apple Financial Services
11:00 am - 11:40 am
A Portfolio for Growth? The Design Fundamentals for a Next Generation Digital Experience
The strategic shift in portfolio development
The moves needed to meet the expectations of new student audiences
Placing digital design and delivery at the heart of new portfolio growth and strategic success
Dr Alison Purvis
Associate Dean Learning, Teaching and Student Success
Sheffield Hallam University
Professor Helen King
Director of Learning Innovation, Development and Skills
Bath Spa University
Professor Baba Sheba
Professor of Digital Education and Transformation
City St George's, University of London
Professor Jo-Anne Murray
Vice-Principal (Pro-Vice Chancellor) Education
University of Aberdeen
11:50 am - 12:20 pm
The Digital Campus Revolution: Delivering More with Lenovo DaaS
Key IT Challenges Facing Higher Education in 2025
How Lenovo can take the strain from your IT team freeing them to focus on what truly matters
Discover the power and flexibility of lifecycle services
Inside Coventry University’s success: leveraging DaaS to optimise their IT estate
Simon Kirkland
Client Manager
Lenovo
Sean O’Neill
Education Financing
Lenovo Financial Services
Gary Brook
Solutions & Services Lead
Lenovo
Steve Rogers
Chief Technology Officer
Coventry University
12:30 pm - 1:10 pm
Unlocking Value: Shared Services as a Solution for HE’s Financial Challenges
As financial pressures intensify across the Higher Education sector, institutions are seeking innovative ways to deliver essential services while maintaining quality and resilience. This fireside chat brings together an HE CIO, the CEO of a leading shared service, and a senior commercial provider to explore how shared services—spanning IT, cyber security, procurement, and more—are helping universities adapt to new realities.
Drawing on real-world examples from the UK and beyond, the panel will discuss:
The spectrum of shared service models and their proven benefits
Risks around the creation and sustainability of shared services
Lessons learned from successful collaborations and sector-wide initiatives
How shared services can drive both efficiency and innovation
The evolving role of commercial partners in supporting HE institutions
Join this session to gain practical insights and actionable ideas for leveraging shared services to support your institution’s strategic goals in challenging times.
Brian Henderson
CEO
Hefestis
Spencer Misstear
Education Director
AcumenCyber
Nathalie Czechowski
Chief Information Officer
University of South Wales
1:20 pm - 1:50 pm
The 2025 HEPI Minimum Income Standards report offers a sobering benchmark: the financial threshold required for students to participate fully in university life has risen sharply, with implications that reach far beyond student support services. For institutional leaders, this is a strategic inflection point.
This session explores how student financial wellbeing must be embedded into the core of academic operations — not as a peripheral concern, but as a driver of digital transformation and operational integration. We’ll examine how institutions can respond to HEPI’s findings by aligning curriculum delivery, timetabling, digital infrastructure, and student engagement systems to reduce hidden costs, improve access, and support retention.
Minimum Income, Maximum Impact: Embedding Student Financial Realities into Digitally Integrated Academic Operations
Charlotte Armstrong
Policy Manager
HEPI
Reza Mosavian
Senior Account Manager
TechnologyOne
Olivia Roberts
General Manager - Student Management
TechnologyOne
Julie Rogers
Transformation Director
University of Hertfordshire
2:10 pm - 3:00 pm
The AI Agility Test: Is Your Tech Stack Ready?
The known (and unknowns) on institution-wide AI preparedness
What AI agile tech stack auditing looks like
Testing AI capabilities and exploring future AI deployment needs
Building cultural and skills readiness for embedded AI at every touchpoint
Austin Earl
Programme Manager, Education and EdTech
techUK
Dr Asieh Hosseini Tabaghdehi
Senior Lecturer in Strategy & Business Economy
Brunel University of London
Tim Cockle
Director Consulting Expert
CGI
Professor Ashley Braganza
Director, Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Professor of Business Transformation
Brunel Business School
Professor Antony Moss
Pro Vice-Chancellor Education & Student Experience
London South Bank University
3:05 pm - 3:45 pm
Approaches to benchmarking data maturity across the sector
Improving data quality and maintenance within an institution
The capabilities ahead in harnessing performance data to drive improved decision making
Democratising data: Improving visibility and accessibility at every level
Action on analytics and AI: Where we need to be in using live data to support real time decisions on services
Benchmarking Data Maturity: Unlocking the Power of Analytics to Optimise Service Performance
Dr Clare Walsh
Director of Education
Institute of Analytics
Andy Ramsden
Director of Distance Learning
Arden University
Felicity Bingham
Senior Business Intelligence Consultant
Jisc
Ed Foster
Head of Student Engagement and Analytics
Nottingham Trent University
*Agenda subject to change
