Aaron Tyler is Co-Founder and Director of Pact Solutions. In this episode, Aaron reflects upon some of the themes I recorded with 4 different Vice-Chancellors in the Leading Differently mini-series, including how those topics inform practice at Pact Solutions. We also consider the institutional leadership qualities he looks for when working with an institution - and later on in the episode we look to the future in relation to the role of the student record system, the potential of AI and models of shared services.

This mini-series is kindly sponsored by PACT Solutions, which helps universities achieve their ambitions through digital transformation — specialising in the student journey, student records, data & reporting, AI and change management.

Professor Evelyn Welch is the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Bristol. Evelyn has a notable career path in research intensive institutions,and took up the Vice-Chancellor post at Bristol in 2022. In this episode, we explore a number of current regional, national and international initiatives under her leadership. We also discuss a wide range of other topics including the student experience, university finances, the importance of modern languages in HE, collaboration between institutions - and we also touch upon Evelyn’s own research.

This mini-series is kindly sponsored by PACT Solutions, which helps universities achieve their ambitions through digital transformation — specialising in the student journey, student records, data & reporting, AI and change management.

Professor David Mba is Vice-Chancellor of Birmingham City University, and in this episode he talks about developing the vision for the University as being an exemplar anchor institution and how its work is intertwined with the city of Birmingham. He shares more about the innovative way in which science, technology, engineering, mathematics - and the arts - come together at the University, including what goes on in the unique Steamhouse, and we also discuss cultural change to reduce the degree attainment gap and to ensure high levels of student satisfaction.

This mini-series is kindly sponsored by PACT Solutions, which helps universities achieve their ambitions through digital transformation — specialising in the student journey, student records, data & reporting, AI and change management.

My guest in this episode is Professor Damien Page, Vice-Chancellor at Buckinghamshire New University.

Damien has progressed significant change at the University in his first few months in role and he talks in this episode about how things are being done differently at BNU to make a greater impact for students and staff, and to increase organisational efficiency. He reflects upon why operational understanding for a leader is just as important as strategic direction, and he also takes a reality check on the purpose of strategic plans. We also hear more about the Working Class Leaders in Higher Education sector network he set up in 2023 and the motivation behind it.

This mini-series is kindly sponsored by PACT Solutions, which helps universities achieve their ambitions through digital transformation — specialising in the student journey, student records, data & reporting, AI and change management.

Clare Marchant DBE is Vice-Chancellor at the University of Gloucestershire. She holds what currently looks like to be a unique position in UK Higher Education being a female Vice-Chancellor who has also come from a non-academic route, and one of the topics we discuss in the episode is the opening up of the Vice-Chancellor role to a more diverse community, and why this is important in leading the sector into the future.

Clare also talks about the vital role of connectivity in leading an institution – with students, with staff and with the surrounding regional community – as well as the role of digital. We also discuss how she balances drive and ambition for the University with the practical reality of prioritisation, and she additionally reflects upon the changing shape of the Higher Education sector, and the potential for greater collaboration and partnership.

This mini-series is kindly sponsored by PACT Solutions, which helps universities achieve their ambitions through digital transformation — specialising in the student journey, student records, data & reporting, AI and change management.

Guests:

Andy Winter, Interim Director of Student Life at the University of Kent;

Helene Usherwood, Senior Partner at Anderson Quigley;

Jeremy Shute, Fortune 500 Leader and Co-Founder Ignition Strategy.

The Higher Education sector is adapting to the changing strategic and financial environment, and a particularly visible part of this adaptation is restructuring within many institutions. In this episode, 3 guests from inside and outside HE reflect broadly upon restructure and redundancy – how we talk about it in day-to-day working life, the impact it can have, how it is led, and the type of support that can be valuable in helping colleagues and institutions transition to a new phase.

We also delve into the topic of who owns a career path, and whether we need to change our approach to better embed career conversations into overall professional life. While we will not have captured every angle of a redundancy and restructuring experience, the episode aims to provide an important space for some reflections and advice.

Joe Cooper is Director of People and Culture at the University of East London. In this episode we discuss how the University has evolved during recent years and where his focus has been as the executive HR lead.

Joe also talks about his unique career path from Students’ Union Chief Executive into University HR, and the importance of remembering that students are always at the heart of university life.

This episode is kindly sponsored by Anderson Quigley which builds better leaders for a better society. They are industry experts with decades of experience in public sector executive search, interim management and advisory.

Simon Goldsmith is Head of Sustainability at the University of Greenwich. He works with colleagues across and outside the institution to help embed environmental sustainability into all aspects of university life, and to support the strategic goal of the University of Greenwich being a recognised leader in this field by 2030.

Simon explores various strategic initiatives that the University is progressing, discusses the different opportunities at the 3 different campuses, and reflects upon the importance of partnerships. He also shares how each of us can make a difference to creating a more sustainable society, and why working in sustainability can be such a positive career choice.

This episode is kindly sponsored by SEAtS One. SEAtS One is a unified platform that helps universities make data-driven decisions to improve student success, retention, and compliance. From monitoring attendance to streamlining workflows and reducing operational costs, SEAtS offer a single, easy-to-use solution for managing student engagement, wellbeing, and institutional efficiency.