Main Stage | 20 November
9:20 am - 9:30 am
Chair’s Introduction: The Non-Negotiables for Strategic Success
Leadership and cultural change
Business model design and development
Reimagining collaboration in higher education
Professor Jackie Dunne
Member, UUK Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce
Vice Chancellor, Birmingham Newman University
9:30 am - 10:00 am
Opening Keynote: Why Transform?
The forces converging to reshape higher education
How these will change the university of 2035
Improving our chances of getting there
Mark Corver
Leading Expert in university strategy and data insight
10:10 am - 11:00 am
The leadership and governance essentials to supporting a robust strategic positioning
The vital decisions needed now on business change and service delivery
Rethinking our operating models: What does a resilient institution look like in 2035 and beyond?
Breaking the deadlock: What is needed to support radical long-term transformation agendas?
Really Moving the Dial? The Fundamentals for Organisational Transformation
Rachel Brealey
Chief Operating Officer
University of Leeds
Professor Niamh Downing
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost
Bournemouth University
Professor Janice Kay CBE
Director
Higher Futures
Professor Neal Juster
Vice Chancellor
University of Lincoln
Joel Arber
Chief Executive Officer
SUMS Group
11:10 am - 11:40 am
Reimagining the University with AI: A Strategic Blueprint for Digital Transformation
The future of higher education requires more than incremental change—it demands a strategic, AI-powered transformation. Discover how to translate AI potential into tangible, measurable benefits for your institution using Google's secure and comprehensive platform and tools.
This session provides university leaders with a blueprint to empower faculty, radically engage students, and streamline operations, positioning your institution for competitive advantage and sustained innovation. Prepare your university to inspire learning, unify operations, and secure its future in a world that never stands still.
Djenna Rowling
Head of Higher Education UK & Ireland
Google for Education
Simon Hool
Google Business Development Manager
Getech
11:50 am - 12:30 pm
From Financial Distress to Long Term Resilience: The Mechanics of the Turnaround
Is our turnaround compelling and believable?
The priority decision areas needed for turnaround success
What do creditors expect from a business plan capable of driving financial sustainability?
Understanding performance: How do we know if we are on track?
Diversifying income stream and unlocking new business opportunities
Kate Manku
Head of Higher Education and Charities
Lloyds Banking Group
Mehjabeen Patrick
Chief Finance and Operations Officer
Arts University Bournemouth
Professor David Maguire
Vice Chancellor and President
University of East Anglia
Matthew Tait
Partner - Business Restructuring
BDO LLP
12:40 pm - 1:20 pm
Making it Happen: Shared Services, Cost Sharing and Structural Collaboration
Overcoming the barriers to collaboration: What needs to change?
Opening the dialogue: how do we support institutions with mechanisms to actively engage?
Where are the real untapped opportunities on cost sharing?
The road to implementation: What are the legal, regulatory and structural factors in supporting successful collaboration?
Professor Shân Wareing
Vice Chancellor
Middlesex University
Matthew Howling
Principal Associate
Mills and Reeve
Dan Rawling
Director, Competition Enforcement Team
Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Dr Giles Carden
Chief Strategy Officer & Chief Of Staff
University of Southampton
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Meeting Ambition with Capability: Supporting Higher Education Transformation via Shared Services and AI Enabled Outsourcing
More with less? The capabilities necessary to transform operations, enhance student experiences and deliver long-term value
How shared services and AI-enabled business process outsourcing can streamline back-office functions
What it takes to foster organisational agility and free up resources for core academic priorities
Designing operations fit to thrive in a competitive landscape: The next steps on cost efficiency, driving resilience and supporting innovation at scale
Caitlin Bell
Head of Market Development – Education
Capita
2:10 pm - 2:50 pm
Outside the Bubble: What Can We Learn from International HE Operating Models and Beyond?
How can we fundamentally rethink higher education operating models in the UK?
Leading the pack: What can we learn from impactful operating models internationally?
What’s needed to drive radical change in the way an institution is structured and services delivered?
New approaches to cost base and business design
Rethinking our product: Embarking on system design with new value propositions for new audiences
Bill Flanagan
President and Vice Chancellor
University of Alberta
Professor Karen Stanton
Vice Chancellor
University of the Arts London
Professor Melanie Gray
Vice Chancellor (Interim)
University for the Creative Arts
Professor Ian Pickup
Pro-Vice-Chancellor Students
The Open University
3:00 pm - 3:40 pm
Radical Thinking on Service Design: From Systems and Processes to People and Culture
The transformative decisions needed to deliver systems capable of enhancing operational outcomes
Where are our processes holding us back? Designing truly institution-wide operating models
Placing people at the heart of transformation: What are the cultural drivers needed to support impactful services in 2030 and beyond?
The end goal? Developing a strategic vision for system change that goes beyond efficiency savings
Dr Fola Ikpehai
Principal Consultant
SUMS Consulting
Tracey Jessup
Chief Transformation and Resources Officer
De Montfort University
Anila DeHart
Future of Work Strategist
3:40 pm - 4:00 pm
Closing Thought: Reshaping the Way We Work in Higher Education
A new agile leadership culture
Embedding commercial thinking
Are we ready for next generation operating models?
Professor Amanda Broderick
Vice Chancellor and President
University of East London
*Agenda subject to change
