We have a fantastic line-up of headline speakers for UHR24.
Professor Marianna Fotaki
'Creating Impactful Work and Workplaces'
Drawing on her extensive UKRI funded research into the world of work, Marianna's session will focus on how changes in the public services landscape are shaping the way we work, the concept of 'affective labour' and importance of relationality in co-producing services and how the marketisation of public services has affected the nature of our working relationships. Marianna's research centres on ethics and power imbalances in the workplace, shaped by her personal emphasis on creating impactful work which empowers staff and users of services.
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE
The Perfect University HR for an Imperfect Future?
In her closing session, Anne-Marie will draw on work across Industry, Academia and Entrepreneurship to inspire and uplift the audience. As creator of social enterprise Stemettes and Co-Chair of the Institute for the Future of Work, she'll provide tactical pointers on futureproofing the profession and share insights on how we might build for an uncertain and imperfect future full of students, academics and educational institutions. Finally, she'll explore the role equitable practice has to play in a future fit for society.
Sathnam Sanghera
'Opposite Things Can Be True at Once'
Sathnam’s opening plenary to the Conference will allow us the privilege of hearing his own story, his focus on history and its catalysing impact for greater inclusivity in society. In Sathnam’s own words: 'I'll talk about how my life was transformed through education. My prospects weren't great as someone with severe mental illness in my family, growing up on benefits, and working as a child labourer in Wolverhampton. But books and teachers saved me - grammar school, and then university. The skills I learned there led me into journalism and enabled me to explore the history of British empire through my work. This history made me aware of how racial diversity is linked to the history of British empire in Britain - it's the key to both understanding it and improving it. In turn, this history has opened my mind to a transformative idea that could revolutionise society and the universities it encompasses - the idea that opposite things can be true at the same time. It's the key to diversity, tolerance, intellectual freedom and a lot more.'
Panel session
This Plenary Panel session is an opportunity for delegates to engage with all things AI and digital. Our expert panel members will bring academic and practitioner expertise in outlining the world of work in the future and in engaging with your questions on a range of issues from the skills we need as HR professionals to new roles and career paths for our staff and the learning required to enable enhanced delivery models of learning for our students. AI is already shaping working lives, and the ways in which HR teams can shape the adoption and use of AI technologies to ensure the human is always at the centre of the process will be key to the acceptance of these technologies. We will be announcing further information on this topic shortly including the make-up of our expert panel.
Arif Ahmed MBE
'Freedom of speech and academic freedom and culture on campus'
