Speaker Directory

Kim is a former Chair of UHR and was for 15 years the HR Director and latterly University Secretary at the University of London.

He semi-retired in 2018 and is now Vice-Chair of the Royal Agricultural University, a Board member of AECC University College, Bournemouth, and on the Professional HE Services (PHES) Board.

He also works as a HR consultant for various universities and colleges on workplace investigations and other HR projects.

Well informed about the sector, and all things UHR conference (he’s a past quizmaster!), as compere he’ll provide continuity, help delegates pick up the many threads running through the week, and identify challenging questions and takeaways for us all.

Pam Parkes FCIPD is an innovative and experienced local government professional. Specialising in Human Resources and Organisational Development has made her a sought-after leader and advisor within the sector with over 40 years of experience.

Pam is currently serving as the HR, OD and Equal Pay Commissioner at Birmingham City Council, alongside serving as a Ministerial Envoy for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets supporting their continuous journey of improvement. Alongside her professional commitments in Birmingham and London, Pam serves as the current president of the Public Sector People Management Association (PPMA) until 2026. Before her current roles, Pam was the former Executive Director of Organisational Development and People at Essex County Council for over 8 years where she was responsible for a 140-strong HR team and a workforce of 6700. 

Professor Sloan currently serves as the Chair of Guild HE and on the Board of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) where he is also Chair of Finance and Audit Committee. He sits on the Telford Town Fund Board for Levelling Up, and is Chair of the Steering Group for Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.

Amy is an award-winning Mental Health, Health & Wellbeing and Women’s Health consultant with more than 20 years of unparalleled experience. She coaches organisations of all sizes, putting into place evidence-based, measurable and sustainable strategies which are as innovative as they are effective. She has created and implemented strategies in organisations of all sizes from big 4 accountancy firms (she wrote and implemented EY’s UK health, mental health and wellbeing strategy) and global strategies for FTSE 100s, to SMEs and start-ups. She was also a Non-Executive Director of Mental Health First Aid England.

Barbara is a senior consultant and programme director at Advance HE and works across the higher education sector in the UK and worldwide.

She holds a broad remit of responsibility and a diverse portfolio of projects, working with senior and aspiring university leaders on a wide range of national and bespoke programmes, driving strategic development, effective team collaborations and culture change. She cares deeply about people and revolutionises leadership and team working by using holistic approaches and fuelling creativity and innovation. She builds creative cultures, based on accountability, innovation, effective conversations, and true equality embedded in social justice.

Since joining Advance HE in 2019 she has been working closely with the sector to address ever increasing levels of complexity and volatility. She has worked with over 200 universities. She directs a number of national programmes such as Aurora, Senior Women’s Leadership Development, Transforming Leadership Programme (working in depth with six universities on a bespoke programme for their senior leaders) and Organisational Wellbeing programmes. She is instrumental in bringing new leadership thinking to global higher education institutions – for example, lately developing a new leadership programme for Ireland. She runs consultancy programmes in organisations to support leaders directly, for example leading on culture change programme in one of the departments at Cambridge University, providing coaching sessions to senior leaders. She contributes to organisational resilience, working with talent pools to set clear intention and direction. She promotes mental and emotional wellbeing at work. She uses models of holistic development to readdress existing imbalances. She champions culture change within higher education, encouraging all organisational levels to embrace and welcome transformation, to empower others, to develop collaborative ways of working and to align personal and business goals towards a common purpose. This led to a collaboration with a diverse team of the sector’s thought leaders and researchers to write ‘Perspectives on Leadership in Higher Education’, published in 2022 by Emerald Publishing. She is passionate about delivering global change that affects wider society. Her recent work for the United Nations’ UK Women’s delegation resulted in setting policies and global standards related to the acceleration of gender equality and the empowerment of women by addressing poverty and strengthening financing with a gender perspective. She has deep knowledge and understanding of individual and organisational needs, enabling tailored approaches to deliver outcomes. Having worked across various sectors internationally (education, finance, IT, FMCG, aviation etc), she brings versatile perspectives and cross-cultural expertise, which often challenges traditional approaches. She is an active member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council which promotes change and innovation in coaching approaches to mobilise and realise human potential.

Barbara is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and an accredited Fierce Conversations and 360 feedback facilitator. She holds a master’s degree in business from The University of Gdansk (Poland), an MSc in Organisational Development (Coaching and Mentoring) from Sheffield Business School, and postgraduate diplomas in Social Communication and Human Resource Management.

Her specialties include:

✹ Global Leadership Development ✹ Women’s Leadership ✹ Innovative Team Working ✹Effective Communication ✹ Stakeholder Engagement ✹ Transformation and Inclusion ✹Organisational Wellbeing and Resilience ✹ Programme Direction ✹ Executive Coaching ✹ Talent Development ✹ Strategic Development ✹ Innovation ✹ Culture Change

Dr Amanda Mwale is a clinical psychologist with 15 years experience working within the field of mental health within the NHS, private organisations and the charitable sector. She currently specialises in staff wellbeing and leads on staff support within a large hospital department in the NHS. She is committed to working systemically, alongside senior leaders, managers and teams as well as responding to individual wellbeing needs and requirements.

Heather has acted as a Senior Advisor to a number of financial services, as well as a Trustee on the Board of Enfield Enterprise and until recently (following a 7-year tenure) was a Trustee on the Board for the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). She now sits on the committee for Companions and has recently been elected to join the Everyone Economy Committee.

Dr Vincent Bryce FCIPD is an HR practitioner with 20 years' HR experience spanning systems, projects, strategy, policy, and EDI. He has recently moved from a HR Continuous Improvement role which included evaluation and development of AI technologies at the University of Nottingham, to a new role at the University of Oxford.

He completed his PhD in Information Systems exploring responsible innovation in HR technologies in 2023, in association with the Horizon Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Nottingham, the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility at De Montfort University, guest lectures on the Future of Work, and is a named contributor to the CIPD's Responsible Technology guidance. LinkedIn: @vincebryce1

Zahara is EDI Business Partner at Buckinghamshire New University. She has over a decade’s experience in education, leading across curriculum, wellbeing and inclusion in mainstream and now higher education. She is also a DiverseEd Associate and Bloomsbury Literary Advisor and frequently delivers diversity and inclusion training across the education sector.

Vicky is a seasoned HR Director with over 27 years of experience and a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD. She is a dedicated advocate for women’s empowerment in the workplace, pioneering awareness around women’s health, particularly menopause. Vicky was an early adopter of “menopause cafés” to encourage open dialogue. She also established the role of Organisational Wellbeing Manager within her HR team and is committed to developing an inclusive, strategic approach to wellbeing across diverse demographics.

Corryn is the Organisational Wellbeing Manager at Edge Hill University and holds an MSc in Workplace Health and Wellbeing. Recently, Corryn conducted research with staff who had returned from maternity leave to gain insights into their experiences and enhance the university’s approach to re-onboarding new parents. With a strong passion for improving the employee experience, Corryn is particularly interested in Women’s Health and its impact at work. Corryn has been the strategic lead for the development of a Women’s Health Strategy at Edge Hill focused on reducing the gender gap in absenteeism.

Hannah is a Lecturer in Education with research interests in employee retention and women's health in the workplace. Her research explores menopause, endometriosis, fertility and maternity in the workplace. She has presented her work at academic conferences centred around Human Resource Management and Health and delivers seminars to workplaces to increase understanding and support around menopause at work. She has a specialist interest in inclusive research methods and including marginalised voices within workplace research.

Based in the Global Engagement Team, James provides project and change management support to a range of activities. He has worked with both HR and Legal Services colleagues but looks forward to learning more about the services through the conversation.

Matt is the Director of Human Resources for Loughborough University and leads a team that delivers a service across the organisation. He joined Loughborough in 2024 after spending 15 years working in HR and OD in the NHS. As a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, Matt leads his teams in a way that ensures people are always at the forefront of organisational priorities. He is passionate about working in partnership and bringing colleagues together to make organisations the best place they can be to work.

Sam is the Director of Legal Services and General Counsel for Loughborough University and leads the in-house legal function. He joined Loughborough in 2017 and established the first legal team in 2019. He is also an Executive Committee member of the Association of University Legal Practitioners and passionate about the benefit to practitioners of community and networking, especially for in-house lawyers.

Jo Booth is a dedicated Learning and Development Specialist, qualified coach, and experienced facilitator with over 15 years in HR across the UK, Australia and New Zealand. She earned her Master’s in HR Management in Melbourne and spent six years at RMIT University, honing her HR skills and leading a team to provide tailored HR solutions. After returning to the UK in 2015, Jo joined the Open University, where she supported HR operations and later focused on talent management and leadership development, supporting the development of senior leaders during the very significant leadership challenges created by the pandemic.

Currently, Jo leads a team in Organisational Learning, delivering an impactful organisation wide learning offer. Her diverse background in HR and learning development drives her commitment to fostering continuous learning and positive change. In 2024, Jo led the campaign that received an award for innovation in Learning and Development from the Campaign for Learning.

Paul Hillan is an accomplished organisational learning specialist and senior leader with extensive global experience across various sectors, including education, retail, healthcare, and technology. Currently, he is the Head of Organisational Learning at The Open University, where he leads strategic capability initiatives. Paul is a co-founder of Strength 2 Strength, offering executive coaching and leadership development. His previous roles include senior positions at Staffline Plc, London Business School, and Tesco PLC. Paul is a certified organisational development practitioner and a sought-after speaker, known for his innovative approaches to leadership and talent development.

Victoria Martin is a passionate and creative HR professional with extensive experience in both commercial and public sectors. She excels in complex organisations, partnering with all levels of leadership to build inclusive, high-performing cultures.  Proactively, pragmatically and with a solutions-focused approach Victoria champions equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and sustainability in all her work.  Currently, Victoria leads strategic talent development for Professional Services at the Open University, focusing on leadership and management capabilities, team effectiveness and designing impactful development solutions that foster a sustainable learning culture and drive the institution’s vision.

Sheila specialises in Reward Management and has worked at the University of Edinburgh for almost 5 years joining in March 2020. She manages Reward policy and annual pay processes for the university such as the Contribution Reward pay review and Academic Promotions across the university. As secretariat to the Remuneration Committee and in playing a lead role in a variety of HR projects her work activities vary day to day. Prior to joining the University she spent 8 years managing Reward for a global airline in the middle east and before that 20 years working in Reward in the financial services sector.

Jo Roger joined the University of Edinburgh (and the HE Sector) in 2018 as an Interim Head of HR, leading Partnering teams in Professional Services areas. In 2020 Jo left consulting behind to take on the permanent position of Director of HR Partnering for all 5500 Professional Services staff, and then in 2022 also took over as the University’s lead for Reward, Policy and Employee Relations. Prior to joining the University, Jo worked for 15 years in HR in the Financial Services, Retail and Consulting sectors, leading teams on HR change, shared services and organisational effectiveness. Jo also sits on a number of charity boards and advisory committees.

Sonya Clarkson FCIPD is a senior HR and OD professional with over 20 years’ experience of working across two distinct sectors – national health service and higher education. Currently Executive Director of People and Culture at Leeds Trinity University, Sonya’s curiosity in the potential technological solutions can bring to adding value to the HR profession spans her whole career, from leading early adopters for online recruitment management systems in the NHS back in 2008 to exploring the possibility of AI in improving processes present day.

Professor Dr. Yanguo Jing is the Dean of the Faculty of Business, Computing, and Digital Industries at Leeds Trinity University and a Professor of Artificial Intelligence. He brings over 25 years of academic and research experience in the UK and China, with previous roles at Coventry University in AI and faculty leadership across multiple disciplines. Dr. Jing’s research specializes in applied AI, focusing on machine learning for user behavior modeling in applications like healthcare, business analytics, and assisted living. He has led major research and industry projects, securing significant fundings in executive education contracts, including high-profile initiatives like OfS, the Royal Academic of Engineering, the UK Cabinet Office’s Future Leaders Scheme and the Institute of Coding. Passionate about bridging education with industry, he pioneered a work-related learning framework, enabling students to gain real-world experience. His contributions to teaching, enterprise, and digital skills have earned him several university awards for excellence.

Nicholas is Chief Executive of ECC, the leading provider of job evaluation and reward expertise to the HE sector. He has direct experience of many aspects of HR and has led ECC through a period of significant growth, expansion and innovation over the last 12 years. Nicholas brings 25 years’ of experience of developing and delivering practical and successful strategies and business plans in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Before joining ECC he spent a number of years in senior strategic roles with RNIB, a £120m UK membership charity with 3,000 staff across 40 sites and has been a non-executive director on several Boards in the health and voluntary sectors.

Lizzie is the Assistant Director of Equity and Inclusion at the University of the West of England, Bristol. She has extensive experience in equality, diversity, inclusivity (EDI), health and wellbeing with a focus on students, staff, local communities and partnerships. Lizzie leads initiatives that promote equity, challenge systemic inequalities, and drive strategic inclusion efforts. Known for their work in anti-racism, policy development, and capacity-building, she brings expertise in creating frameworks that support diverse communities to be heard and helps organisations embed systemic change. Over the last few years Lizzie has developed a Mental Wealth Strategy for the university and has just launched an Anti-Racism Strategy which has involved engaging with diverse networks, community groups, student societies and stakeholders at all levels of the organisation.

Jane is Northumbria University’s Chief People Officer. She has a career of over 30 years in HR roles in the HE Sector. Jane is a member of the university’s executive team and is responsible for all aspects of the university’s people agenda. This has included: a major programme over many years to transform the university’s academic staff base; innovative approaches to improving the university’s employment conditions and working environment, and the development of university-wide Values and Behaviours. She is ‘can-do’ in her own work and hugely positive about the role high quality HR can provide in enabling change in universities. Jane is passionate about colleagues feeling proud of the roles they play at work, encouraging clear, informative and regular internal communications and involvement as a means of demonstrating to colleagues that they are trusted and valued, and that they belong.

Louise is a key member of the HR Senior Leadership Team and a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. As Director of HR, she leads the HR Management Team in supporting Faculties, Services, and Projects across the organisation. She also oversees teams responsible for recruitment and selection, onboarding, contract changes, leavers, payroll, pensions, and management information. In addition to her operational leadership, Louise plays a pivotal role in fostering relationships with academic and professional support staff trade unions, including UCU and UNISON. She also manages external contracts related to recruitment, occupational health services, and pensions, ensuring seamless and effective service delivery.

Carol has operated at a senior strategic level at the University of Winchester for several years, leading on equality issues and the strategic and operational approach of the University to staff and student harassment and sexual misconduct. With a background teaching equality and employment law at undergraduate level, combined with day-to-day practical application across all levels of casework informs Carol’s insights and approach.

Having spent 25 years building a HR career in roles across manufacturing, public sector, parcel delivery and higher education, Louise Abrahams now specialises in reward and recognition. She has extensive experience of designing and implementing effective reward strategies, managing compensation and benefits programmes and driving employee engagement through recognition schemes. As a wife and mum to three children, Louise is well versed in the challenges of juggling work and home life. With two pet rabbits, a cat and a kitten as well, things can get busy but Louise makes time for her own interests which includes trying a range of craft hobbies.

Helen Selvidge is the Assistant Director of Human Resources at the University of York where she is currently responsible for HR Operations; Reward; Executive Search; HR Services and Compliance.  Helen has worked in the HE sector for 13 years, prior to that she enjoyed HR roles in the NHS. When not at work she enjoys walking her labradoodle Doug. 

Amanda Bailey’s career has spanned 30 years in human resources. Amanda Bailey joined Boston University as the Vice President for HR in August 2021 and previously served as the Vice President of HR at Brown University and held the roles of Associate Vice President of HR and Acting Chief of Staff at Morehouse College. Amanda is the Chair-Elect to the Board of the College and University Professional Association for HR (CUPA-HR) and currently serves on the board for the Society for Higher Education HR Executives (SHEHRE), Board member of the American Research Universities’ HR Institute, the New England HR Association, Operation ABLE, and Evanta (a Gartner company).

Amanda is also a member of the councils for the CNBC Workforce and Boston HR, and is an advisory member of the Harvard Business Review. She has been profiled in 2025 as Leading HR with Vision and Innovation, as Influencer in HR in 2024 by CIO Today, in 2023 by Who’s Who in America for Top Executives, INC Magazine for Top HR Business Leaders in 2023, Making Boston University Resemble Boston in 2023 by Vision Magazine, The Ambitious Women to Follow in Business in 2023 in FORTUNES Crown Magazine, and Top 10 Influential Business Leaders in 2022 by CIOViews. Amanda is a frequent panelist or podcast guest to address workforce trends. When possible, Amanda enjoys visiting museums, art exhibits, and serve as a mentor. Amanda earned a bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University, a master’s degree in Human Resources Management and Labor Relations from the University of Rhode Island, and has an additional certification in labor relations in education.

Helena A. Rodrigues, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, is Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at the University of Arizona. As CHRO, she serves the university and the senior leadership team as a strategic advisor on a diverse set of strategic and operational HR issues for its community of over 18,000 employees. She leads the university's Division of Human Resources, which oversees all HR functions across the R1 (highest levels of research activity) institution. Helena has held leadership roles in higher education and the private sector and currently serves on the national board of directors for both CUPA-HR and the American Research Universities Human Resource Institute. In addition to her administrative role at the University of Arizona, Helena has an appointment as a Professor of Practice in the School of Government and Public Policy in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Vik Brown is Chair of the LGBTQ+ Focus Group and Lifestyle Student Advisor at Teesside University. Vik has been recognised on a regional and national level for her commitment to inclusivity and advocacy work, most recently being awarded the IWFM Impact Award for Social Value for her work in Period Dignity alongside TOTM.

Emily leads a team of academic skills-focussed Student Success tutors at Teesside University, where she is also Co-Chair of the LGBTQ+ Staff Network ('Focus Group'). Throughout her career in HE, Emily has worked to create an intersectional, accessible university community. She has co-produced a wide range of LGBTQ+ events and initiatives. Emily has been interviewed on BBC Tees and published on Times Higher Education Campus regarding LGBTQ+-inclusive practices in higher education.

Saliah is the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion manager at Teesside University. She has over 20 years of experience of working in the EDI field and is responsible for spearheading staff focused EDI initiatives and projects. Saliah has played a central role in the university winning a number of EDI awards. This has included Teesside University being ranked 8th in the Stonewall WEI in 2024.

Naheed Nazir (she/her), is the Director of EDI at MMU, following a successful 20 year career working in EDI across Health and Social Care.

Prior to joining the University of Birmingham, I had experience within the private sector working in both the UK and in the USA, in a variety of specialist and HR generalist roles. One of these moves took me to be the Operational lead for an HR Shared Service Centre, which provided support to over 20,000 members of staff. It was here that I was able to combine my loves of problem solving and continuous improvement. I have been with the University of Birmingham for six years, initially leading the HR Operations, Recruitment and Immigration teams, prior to the formation of the Central Staff Hub (CSH) in 2021. The CSH further incorporated Payroll, Pensions and Global Mobility. It has been a hugely challenging yet exciting time over the past 4 years as we have focused on reviewing our service offering, streamlining processes, putting metrics in place to measure performance both for efficiency but also quality – and at the heart of this change has been our use of technology and developing the digital skills within our teams.

Gary is a father of four and a husband of one, running a successful business, EPIC, in his spare time. He’s an expert on work and workplace performance, with extensive experience leading and directing HR, OD and L&D functions across all sectors. His clients like working with him as he is authentic, honest, knowledgeable, communicative and people focused, with a broad and deep range of skills and experience. Gary is a leading expert in the design and delivery of leadership, management and HR/L&D programmes, as well as an inspiring and entertaining keynote speaker.

He has been recognised in the HR Most Influential awards, written for publications worldwide and spoken at global events. His first book, HR for Hybrid Working, was published in June 2022. His second book, Making Hybrid Working Work, is published January 2025. He is one of the worlds’ leading thinkers on hybrid working, and the modern world of work and in regular demand with clients and conference organisers worldwide as a result, speaking on these topics plus leadership, management and various HR/L&D issues.

Gareth is the lead for international partnerships, recruitment, strategy for the School of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University. He has held school-wide roles in resource and planning, governance, and commercial and external engagement. An Associate Professor, he has a significant academic track record in leadership, teaching, research, and scholarship.

Alastair is an expert in organisational transformation and change. Prior to joining NTU, his career encompassed broadcasting, central government, commercial organisations, the charity sector and NHS. Over the last two years, he has built a new style of Organisational Development service at NTU - one with a strong focus on business partnering, cross-functional collaboration and pragmatism.

Andrew Cooper is the Development Director for the HPMA’s Avoiding Harm programme. He is also the Head of the Avoidable Employee Harm Programme in Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and leads the ‘Improving employee investigations’ work across NHS Wales with Health Education and Improvement Wales. He is currently leading research exploring the impact of the disciplinary process on individuals and organisations.

A chartered fellow of the CIPD, Julie has worked in the public sector for over four decades in a wide range of social policy, OD and HR roles. Prior to joining HPMA last July, Julie was the Deputy CEO and Director of Workforce & OD at Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), NHS Wales. Whilst in Government, Julie was instrumental in campaigning for a single workforce, education and training body for Wales. Having established ‘HEIW’ in 2018 she joined the organisation and went on to lead the development of the first ‘Health and Care Workforce Strategy for Wales 2020-30’. During covid she supported the national roll-out of the vaccination programme and workforce deployment. One of her proudest achievements is the development of multi award-winning resources and programmes to support executive talent pipelines, professional development and to embed compassionate leadership across NHS Wales.

Lisa Hughes FCIPD, PGDIP Management Education Lisa has worked with over 100 companies and brands in her career, in various industries and brings a wealth of academic and practitioner skill to People Insight. Lisa has developed Human Resource strategies for Start-ups, SMEs, and large organisations, utilising organisational psychology and outcome focused project management philosophy. Lisa recognises that the delivering of a strategy is never a straight line and should have enough flex to move with the business strategy (agile).

Lisa has executed various OD initiative’s and recognises the importance of enabling leaders to evolve businesses in line with their purpose and strategy at distinct stages of the organisational life cycle. Lisa has encouraged organisation to utilise data and people evidence to drive change, improve performance and support Well-being. Improving evidence led decisions which has had a direct influence on ED&I. A passion for human psychology and technology has enabled Lisa to deliver large complex projects, with teams, creating a collaborative approach and demonstrating value to all stakeholders.

Gareth Phillips is the Chief Product and Technology Officer at People Insight, overseeing product strategy, client experience, and technological development. With over 20 years in the tech industry, he has held several executive roles and contributed his expertise to leading firms such as WPP, Ogilvy, DDB, Dentsu, and Digital Marketing Group Plc. Gareth holds a BSc in Economics and completed the High Performance Leadership program at IMD Switzerland.

Jane Tidswell, HE Director, People Insight. Jane regularly interacts through presentations, workshops and conversations with a range of HR audiences from across the HE sector both face to face and more recently virtually. She runs regular HE Learn and Share sessions with HR professionals from the HE sector throughout the year. Jane leads the HE team at People Insight. She has over 15 years’ experience working with organisations including the Higher Education sector, the Public Sector and the Private sector on employee research. Her focus for the last 5 years have been on the HE sector and she has set up and developed a team who support the HE sector to listen to staff and to take action.

Jane has been instrumental in designing and implementing employee listening strategies including employee engagement surveys, listening conversations with staff to support with strategic objectives, pulse surveys, ad-hoc projects around involving staff during times of change and transformation. Jane is currently working with over 50 HEIs on their staff listening programmes including Glasgow, Oxford, Imperial, LSE, Liverpool, King’s, Manchester Met, Liverpool John Moores University, Surrey, Edinburgh Napier University, Cardiff University.

Mark is Managing Director of TalentEdu and has lead searches with leading universities in the UK, US, Asia Pacific and Europe. Alongside his executive search experience, Mark spent a decade working at the University of Warwick.

Sophie leads Isio’s work for the Higher Education sector nationally, supporting universities to optimise all aspects of their pensions and wider reward arrangements. One of Isio’s core values is to Stay curious. Curiosity opens us to new ideas, ways of working, and diverse perspectives. We believe a better way is always out there, and that we can harness it to advance our society. This approach is integral to the support we provide in the Higher Education sector.

Jon is a pensions professional with over 27 years’ experience and supports organisations evolve and manage their reward and benefit programmes. As part of this Jon helps employers with their strategic reviews of their Defined Contribution (DC) pension schemes to ensure it is fit for purpose and is delivering the best retirement outcomes for employees. Linked to this, Jon supports employers with the implementation of flexible benefits programmes, and identifying the right technology. Jon leads Isio’s DC services for the Higher Education sector and is fully aware of the pension landscape the sector operates in and UCEA’s initiative in relation to a sector wide DC scheme.

Kirsty Adamson, Senior Account Executive, NTT DATA Business Solutions With over a decade of experience in the technology sector, Kirsty's expertise has been honed in various sectors and products across the SAP portfolio, before finding her passion in the intersection of technology and education. As a Senior Account Executive, Kirsty’s role involves working closely with universities to understand their unique challenges and objectives, and to identify innovative approaches to integrating SAP solutions in higher education institutions.

James Shipway Practice Director, Human Capital Management, NTT DATA Business Solutions. Leveraging over 25 years of experience in HCM solutions implementation, James has been guiding clients on projects through the entire implementation cycle, from system selection to end-user support. He has successfully delivered SAP HCM solutions on both cloud and on-premise environments, with a focus more recently on SAP SuccessFactors. Partnering with clients across diverse industries, James has helped to optimise their HR processes by utilising technology as an enabler for HR transformation projects.

Samantha has over 11 years’ experience in business development within the public sector industry, supporting within Education/NHS/Local Authorities and wider public social bodies. 

With over 20 years’ experience in benefits, rewards, and incentives, Colin is passionate about the power of appreciation to drive meaningful impact—whether that’s within organisations or in communities across the UK.
As Commercial Director for the Public Sector at Reward Gateway | Edenred, Colin leads strategies that connect employee engagement with better outcomes for public services—in the form of improved employee attraction, retention, and productivity.

He has also successfully delivered the nationwide Free School Meal scheme and other public social programmes that support some of the UK’s most vulnerable people, bringing together innovation and empathy to create real change.

Colin thrives on building trusted partnerships, navigating complexity, and making appreciation feel real—not just a policy.

Outside of work, you’ll find him on the Welsh coast in his caravan with two kids and two dogs, or staying active wherever he can—preferably outdoors!

For over 15 years, Hamish Laing has led successful leadership searches across the global education sector. His approach combines innovative thinking with proven strategies, building on a powerful and carefully nurtured international network. Known for his strategic insight, clarity, and momentum, Hamish is trusted by educational leaders and organisations for his considered advice and discretion.

Patrick is the IT Systems Trainer at Leeds Trinity University, responsible for all staff training in various IT systems, platforms and digital tools. He has 15 years’ experience within Further and Higher Education, focussing on empowering staff to develop their digital skills, enhancing learning and teaching practices as well as making the workplace more collaborative and innovative. Patrick recently designed and implemented a progressive digital skills programme, guiding staff through a learning pathway that instils confidence about using technology within their roles. Patrick’s aim is to create a culture of digital literacy at the institution that results in individuals, and the organisation, reaching their full potential, enhances learning experiences, and achieves continued and sustainable growth. 

Becki is a Higher Education Senior Consultant with Jisc supporting the Building Digital Capabilities Service for Higher Education. She comes from an extensive background of over 19 years working within Higher Education in a digital education capability. Her PhD in technology enhanced learning encapsulates the processes and barriers of implementing digital tools and capabilities within Engineering Education, which is where the passion for digital capabilities and confidences really began. She supports over 75 Higher Education institutions across the UK on embedding digital skills initiative working across a variety of senior strategic stakeholders.

Since graduating from the University of Leeds with an MA in Human Resources Management in 2002, Chris has worked exclusively in Reward roles. He has worked in a range of Public Sector organisations such as Police Forces, Local Authorities and the Civil Service. Chris also spent 5 years in the Private Care sector for BUPA. He has previously worked for the University of York and in 2022 was proud to return to the University of Leeds as the Head of Reward.

Benjamin Ellis is the CEO and co-founder of SocialOptic, using data science and AI-driven tools to improve organisational culture. With a background in engineering and psychology, Benjamin has been at the forefront of technology innovation since the 1980s. His work spans leadership roles at major tech firms, including Cisco and Juniper Networks, and pioneering applications of AI and machine learning in technology start-ups.

At SocialOptic, he has led the development of solutions that are used across government, education, and healthcare to improve decision-making. A passionate advocate for technology, his expertise lies in exploring the intersection of technology and culture. He has been featured in over 15 books, and in the media from the UK to Australia. He is committed to helping organisations to harness the transformative potential of technology to create inclusive, innovative, and effective workplaces and a better environment.

Jay has been with USS for five years.  Prior to joining USS Jay spent the previous 17 years in the contact centre industry, with the latter five years focused on Continuous Improvement and Member Experience for the National Trust.  Jay has a distinction in Business Leadership and Management.  

Joining USS with no pensions background has enabled Jay to bring fresh eyes to the way in which member needs are identified and quantified to prioritise the delivery of improvements. Through member journey mapping, Jay and the team draw out all member touchpoints and use gathered insight to recommend changes that aim to enhance the member and employer experience.  

Jay is a proud family man with three children. In his spare time, he spent as many hours as possible playing football but is now transitioning to the frustrations of the golf course!

Stuart joined USS in October 2024, bringing with him over 25 years of pensions experience. Prior to joining USS, Stuart was the Director of Pensions running the open Defined Benefits scheme for the Medical Research Council and before that spent five years at Universities UK as Director of Pensions representing universities on USS matters. 

Stuart has HE sector experience as Director of Pensions, Benefits and Reward at London Business School, as Pensions Programme Manager at SAUL, and was previously a Pensions Operations Manager at USS. Stuart has an MBA from the University of Liverpool, studied executive leadership at London Business School, and is a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute. 

Away from work Stuart likes to spend time with his family and tries to relax on the golf course – which isn’t always successful!

Joanna has over 20 years’ experience in the pensions industry and has worked for USS for almost eight years. Joanna started in the Technical Policy team before moving over to Proposition and Member Experience. One of the key elements of her role is to review the experience a member may have in a particular journey (for example – when first joining the scheme), identify opportunities to improve this experience and put forward a case for changes. Joanna has also worked on developing the member webinars USS offer, providing a way for members to learn about many different aspects of their USS benefits. 

Apart from pensions (of course!), the most important thing in Joanna’s life is her puppy Mowgli. He’s very handsome and recently won a USS pet competition for cutest name!

Tom is a key employment law advisor to a number of the firm’s largest education sector clients, as well as advising clients in the private and third sectors, and has been recommended for both employment and education work in Legal 500 for a number of years.

Tom’s employment law experience in the education sector includes handling and resolving high profile employee disputes and exits. Tom’s experience also includes advising on issues of performance management, disciplinary and grievance investigations. Tom advises on actual and potential industrial action disputes, often with national media interest, including High Court applications for injunctive relief. He has also advised HE institutions on revisions to their collective bargaining arrangements.

He has also advised on restructuring and redundancy schemes, including individual and collective consultation obligations. Additionally, he has assisted a number of universities to conclude significant faculty and department restructures.

Rachel Murphy is a HR professional with more than 25 years’ experience, the last seven years being in the education sector. She is Head of Human Resources (Employment and Resourcing) at the University of Leeds and as such is responsible for recruitment, international HR and contracts.  Her previous roles have included setting up and leading their HR case management function, Head of HR (Professional Services) and Head of HR (Faculty of Medicine and Health and Biological Sciences).
 
Rachel has a keen interest in all things employment law related and its practical application in the workplace, especially in the complex and dynamic world of HEIs!

Melanie Steed is a principal associate in the employment, pensions and immigration team, based in the Leeds office.

She has acted for all kinds of employers during her career, from large PLCs and household name employers through to owner managed businesses and senior execs.

She has particular expertise in the education sector, having joined Weightmans from her most recent role as a senior in-house lawyer at The University of Leeds where she worked hand in hand with her senior management, human resources and governance colleagues to manage a whole range of staff and institutional related issues.

Melanie deals with all contentious and non-contentious employment matters, including employment tribunals, employee relations and transactional work.

She has a strong reputation amongst her clients and peers for giving pragmatic and commercial advice in a way which is direct and accessible as well as for being easy to work alongside.

Trish heads our Employment Law + (award winning) training team. She is a member of our national HE employment team and has delivered training to a large number of University and Higher Education organisations. Trish has worked on significant training projects for university sector clients including performance management programmes, working with management teams to help develop their knowledge, confidence and communication skills to tackle underperformance fairly and proactively. Representative feedback from participants on these courses includes "… easily the most professional and worthwhile course that I have attended" and "Very good presentation style. Clear delivery focused on the University's business."

Rebecca co-leads the firm’s national HE employment team and spends the majority of her time advising clients in the sector. She regularly defends large complex claims with particular experience and interest in whistleblowing, disability discrimination and philosophical belief and has had many successes in the Employment Tribunal. She advises, and works collaboratively with, senior stakeholders to agree and implement the strategy to bring sensitive matters to a satisfactory outcome.

Rebecca also regularly advises on the application of TUPE; industrial relations, status issues regarding atypical employment relationships and all manner of day-to-day queries, being at the end of a telephone to advise and be a sounding board to help clients agree a way forward through complex issues. Rebecca is seen as a go to person in the sector due to her in depth knowledge of the sector issues and the commercial and pragmatic advice that she provides.

Nicola Bennison - Sector Group at Eversheds Sutherland. Nicola has a dual specialism in student and employment matters and advises the Universities on student and staff matters and the overlap between the two. Her work also includes employment law matters, contentious and non-contentious, including claims for unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal, whistle blowing and equality and diversity issues, particularly dealing with the management of internal grievances, and strategic HR matters including restructuring and TUPE.

Chris is a partner and key member of our Education Sector Group at Eversheds Sutherland. Chris is an expert in employment law for the Higher Education sector. Chris has specialised in employment advice to Universities for over 24 years. His formidable experience in the sector makes him ideally placed to assist on complex, strategic and business critical work. His employment work in the sector has a particular focus on industrial relations issues and delivering strategic and organisational change.

Kathleen works with universities on complex employment matters such as senior management team terms and conditions, high value employment tribunals claims, restructures and international ventures. She also advises universities on how to set up protocols and structures to safeguard students and vulnerable adults and works with the university when a safeguarding incident occurs.

Alice has an extensive practice in the higher education sector. She has recently spent three years on part-time secondment to Imperial College London, giving her a deep understanding of the key issues for university HR professionals. She has considerable experience of university Employment Tribunal litigation and investigations. She has built expertise across a wide range of other specialist issues affecting universities, such as updating University Statutes (alongside colleagues in our Charities team specialising in university governance), responding to trade union challenges, advising on student fitness to practice and academic research misconduct processes, providing employment law input for international collaborations (alongside colleagues in our IP & Commercial team), and advising on the handling of alleged sexual misconduct (including specific cases and strategic policy issues). Alice frequently speaks at internal and external events on matters affecting the sector.

Kate is the head of the Higher Education team, having been General Counsel at the University of Nottingham for 18 years, where she established and led a full-service in-house legal team.

She has significant experience as a senior leader in Higher Education and in advising on the wide range of legal, regulatory and governance issues arising in the Higher Education sphere. She is an experienced employment, public and regulatory lawyer and has a special interest in free speech, whistleblowing and social media in the workplace, including policy writing and development.

Kate also has extensive experience in complex staff and student dispute and advisory work, in dealing with cross-border legal issues and matters connected to reputation management and incident response.

Anna leads on the operational delivery of the staff wellbeing agenda at Bangor University. With a background in legal advocacy, community education and peer support facilitation, she trains colleagues across the University on mental health, stress management and menopause awareness. Since starting at Bangor in 2022 she has collaborated with colleagues across academic and professional domains at Bangor to gain accreditation for Bangor as a Henpicked “Menopause-Friendly Workplace” – the first University in the UK to achieve this recognition.

Bettina is a partner in the education team and a member of our Higher Education Leadership Group. She is recognised by the legal directories as a leader in her field. She has been advising higher education institutions for 20+ years on Human Resources matters. She is particularly known for advising on equality, diversity and inclusion and discrimination claims. As a member of the Council of the University of Exeter for nine years Bettina was the independent member lead on HR and ED & I. Bettina advises universities on complex tribunal claims including disability discrimination and whistleblowing, on employee relations processes and supporting managers/panels in investigating and hearing matters and appeals. She has delivered workshops and legal sessions at many UHR conferences.

Keeley qualified as a solicitor in 2025, having worked as a paralegal since 2018. Her passion for law started early, inspired by her A-level studies, university experience, and—of course—watching Legally Blonde. During her training, Keeley particularly enjoyed her employment law seat, which reinforced her enthusiasm for helping businesses and individuals navigate workplace challenges. Approachable and detail-oriented, she is committed to providing clear, pragmatic advice. Outside of work, Keeley is an avid diver, loves sushi, and enjoys travelling.

Simon qualified as a solicitor in 1998, initially as a criminal lawyer, and has now been practicing employment law for over 20 years. He has worked at both local and national firms before setting up Robinson Ralph. His clients are mostly employers.

Siobhan is an experienced employment lawyer who is known for delivering pragmatic and expert advice to a variety of employers in the Education sector including Higher Education Institutions. Siobhan advises on all areas of contentious and non-contentious employment and HR matters including ‘business as usual’ employment matters such as absence management and consideration of reasonable adjustments for disabled employees, disciplinary and grievances, pay disputes, redundancies, and contract and policy drafting.

However, Siobhan specialises in more complex settlement negotiations, board level disputes, trade union recognition and negotiations and strategic advice on large-scale redundancies and restructures. Specific projects undertaken include reports at Board level on key strategic issues or risks, including employment status and holiday pay cases. Siobhan advises clients on complex discrimination claims, TUPE matters, holiday pay/working time claims, whistleblowing claims and claims for unfair dismissal, including representing clients in Employment Tribunals.

Ashley is an employment and immigration law specialist. He is also co-lead of our Higher Education practice and the client relationship partner for a number of our University clients. His experience ranges from internal disciplinary and grievance levels, right up to representing matters in the Court of Appeal.

Anne is a legal director in our Employment, and Immigration team. She deals with all aspects of the employment relationship including contracts and service agreements; policies and procedures; recruitment; reorganisations and redundancies; disciplinary, performance and grievance matters; discrimination and handling employment tribunal cases.

Anne also undertakes investigations on behalf of clients into workplace disputes. In particular, Anne regularly advises on employee transfer issues, including TUPE, secondment and shared employment arrangements, as well as drafting and negotiating employment documentation. She is also involved in dispute resolution, dealing with the commercial terms on which the employment of senior employees is brought to an end.

Pili is an employment lawyer and has been advising on the full spectrum of employment law issues for over 15 years, covering contentious and non-contentious matters, including complex sickness absence, grievances, misconduct and capability and performance issues, as well as advice on the drafting and implementation of policies and procedures, industrial relations, restructures and redundancy and TUPE matters. She is an experienced advocate in the employment tribunal and regularly carries out multi-day final hearings on behalf of clients in relation to complex tribunal claims including those with a discrimination and whistleblowing element, as well as advocacy preliminary hearings including case management and substantive preliminary hearings.  Pili has particular experience dealing with serial litigants. Pili also regularly delivers training including the employment slot at the Universities Human Resources Connects North event, and deals with a wide variety of clients in a number of sectors including the education, public and charity sectors. 

Judy is an extremely experienced employment lawyer who is known for delivering pragmatic and expert advice to universities and higher education colleges. Her work covers the full range of contentious and non-contentious employment law, including contractual matters; disciplinary cases; performance management; equality and discrimination; complex settlement agreements and TUPE. Judy also has substantial experience advising universities on the HR aspects of their international activities and collaborations. She spends a significant proportion of her time defending our clients in complex claims in the Employment Tribunal and in the Employment Appeal Tribunal / Courts. She has also enjoyed a secondment to a university’s HR department. Judy regularly delivers training for clients and at sector events including UHR.

Jane heads up VWV's Higher Education practice and has been a trusted adviser to universities on employment, HR and wider HE issues for over 25 years. She has extensive experience of all aspects of employment law but specialises in complex employment litigation, equality and diversity issues and strategic HR projects.

Legal 500 comments "Jane Byford is outstanding - it's a given that she knows the law, but her advice is sensible and pragmatic, and she brings to the table common sense and judgment". Jane is a regular speaker at HE sector events, including the UHR annual conference and provides regular webinars for HEIs and practical employment law training to HE clients. She also regularly contributes to HE sector publications.

Bob is a partner in VWV’s Employment team, specialising in the Higher Education sector. He has undertaken a secondment to a university's legal department and led teams covering maternity leave for in-house employment lawyers of two other universities. He is also an Independent Governor of Falmouth University. The Legal 500 2024 edition describes Bob as a "trusted contact for work related to industrial relations".

Bob applies his substantial experience of advising HEIs to provide practical and creative solutions. His advice covers a wide range of employment law issues including academic staff contracts; apprenticeships; cross-border working; tribunal litigation; family leave, pay and flexible working; HR policies; industrial relations and trade union consultation; disciplinary and grievance issues and termination of employment; off-payroll working; restructuring and collective consultation; training; and TUPE. A university client says "Bob is everything that an in-house lawyer would wish for. He's responsive, understands challenges of the sector and delivers sound, pragmatic advice in a very timely way". Bob is a regular speaker at UHR conferences.

Michael is a partner in VWV's Employment team and the key point of contact for a number of universities and research institutions within VWV's HE practice. He has been active within the sector for over a decade and retains strong relationships with the institutions he advises. Michael has a deep understanding of the way his HE clients operate, their policies and the pressures they face. He has worked closely with in house legal and HR teams across a range of institutions, building up long standing relationships. This provides his clients with valuable insight and continuity.

Over the years Michael has advised on a wide variety of issues ranging from day-to-day enquiries from HR departments to complex litigation and institution-wide restructuring programmes. During 2023 Michael has been advising on a wide variety of tribunal claims, including a group claim listed for a 20 day hearing and cases involving questions of witness anonymity. Michael has also advised on allegations of bullying within academic research and the possible impact this has on scientific funding agreements. He has also advised on complicated multi-grievance processes involving the application of scientific research protocols.

Katie is a Senior Associate in VWV's Employment team and has worked with clients in the HE sector for over nine years. Katie is a key contact for a number of the universities that VWV advises. Katie advises on the full range of employment law issues in the HE sector, including disciplinary and grievance matters, termination of employment, working time, discrimination, and TUPE, as well as complex project work such as restructuring and redundancy exercises. She also regularly acts for HE clients in defending complex and high value employment tribunal claims. Katie regularly delivers training sessions and workshops on topics such as discrimination, redundancy, whistleblowing, freedom of speech, discipline, and poor performance.

Rachel has a background in supporting employers to raise financial literacy and improve the financial resilience of their employees. With education experience in both traditional classrooms and the workplace she is able to provide insightful information and guidance that informs decision making and empowers people to take action when it comes to their finances. Rachel works with clients to provide cohesive financial communication strategy and offers presentations both face to face and virtually, one to one coaching and digital education services on a wide range of financial wellbeing topics. 

Jen’s passion for support and engagement was ignited while supporting hundreds of individuals through pensions change exercises, including during her secondment as the pensions manager of Cancer Research UK in 2017. Hearing employees share their worries helped to shape her approach with clients. Building on this experience, she developed and now leads Isio’s Employee Support offering, which helps clients to improve their employees’ financial wellbeing through financial education, coaching and advice.

With nearly 25 years of industry experience in reward and benefits, Alexis specialises in benefit change and transformation projects. This includes developing benefits strategies, implementing benefit technology from design to go-live, and providing ongoing support to drive future improvements.

Alexis is skilled in both design and delivery and is passionate about creating exceptional employee benefits that enhance engagement with the broader Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Over the years, Alexis has helped organisations design relevant and meaningful benefit schemes, including Flexible Benefits, that resonate with employees.

Siân specialising in providing employment law advice to higher education institutions. Prior to joining Mills & Reeve, Sian worked as an in-house employment lawyer and then Head of HR for strategic projects at the University of Birmingham. Siân’s recent work has included advising on using subsidiaries to employ staff, complex disciplinary and grievance cases regarding expression of views and competing rights, overseas employees and international partnership people issues, the engagement of casual workers, complex organisational change, union relations, policy and governance, and complex tribunal claims.

Alex is a partner in our employment education team who specialises in advising educational institutions. His experience includes advising on strategic people issues, complex employment tribunal claims, restructures and senior severances, international collaborations, mergers and the transfer of staff, and amendments to constitutional documents.

Alex also leads our national immigration team and supports institutions in recruiting talent from the global labour market and managing related compliance obligations. He regularly conducts immigration audits, drafts policies and procedures, and delivers training on immigration and staff mobility issues.

Emma is a Senior Associate in the firm’s Employment & Reward team and advises clients within the Higher Education sector on all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law. Emma is experienced in providing advice on areas including grievances and disciplinaries, redundancy and re-structures, terminations, discrimination and absence management. Emma also provides regular training to clients on many of the areas which crop up frequently within the sector, focusing on the latest issues that challenge HR and in-house legal. Emma is known for providing clear and commercial advice – she will not ‘sit on the fence’ and can act as an extension to universities’ legal and HR teams.

Rebecca is a Legal Director in the firm’s Employment & Reward team and advises clients within the Higher Education sector on all aspects of employment law. She is experienced in dealing with bulk Tribunal work and complex multi-day Tribunal Claims, including claims relating to disability discrimination, discrimination on the grounds of philosophical belief, gender reassignment and sexual-orientation discrimination and whistleblowing allegations. She is experienced in negotiating and concluding the settlement of employment disputes and has represented clients at employment tribunal hearings, pre-hearing reviews and mediations.

Rebecca also regularly provides advice to Universities’ HR managers on a range of issues including disciplinary matters, grievances, long term sick cases and redundancy exercises. Rebecca manages the teams Paralegal Hub and has a real passion for the use of technology and innovation to add value for clients.

Tracey George is the Chief Operating Officer at TPP Recruitment, bringing 23 years of experience in the staffing and employment industry, most of which has been served in the non-profit sector. Tracey is a Thomas International Accredited Practitioner with expertise in various psychometric tools and she volunteers for Leaders Plus, an award-winning social enterprise, as a Senior Leader Mentor and member of their Employer Strategic Advisory Group. Tracey’s leadership ensures TPP Recruitment operates inclusively, ethically and responsively, across all of TPP’s specialist divisions.

Bita has 10+ years’ experience in recruitment in the not for profit and Higher Education sectors. During this time Bita has recruited across HR and Finance, Facilities and IT roles, and manages teams across these areas.

Joanne joined TPP, supporting the Leadership & Governance team, and transitioned to the marketing team in 2010 while earning her IDM Diploma in Direct and Digital Marketing. Now, as Head of Marketing, Joanne supports the team to attract and retain job seekers and clients. Her expertise includes email campaigns, website management, social media, events, and marketing strategy and more recently AI. 

Sally Ingram is an award-winning leader with more than 20 years’ experience, leading wellbeing services in higher education, statutory and charitable sectors.

Sally manages a very skilled team at Newcastle University that provides a high standard of health and wellbeing support, advising on matters relating to student wellbeing. Her teams include student financial support, disability support, welfare & counselling, student wellbeing advisors, Faith & spirituality services and support for those who have experienced hate crime or sexual violence.

Sally is secretary to the Russell Group Mental Health Roundtable and co-chair of Newcastle University’ Alcohol and Drugs Working Group, where she’s helped to establish the institution’s Student Drug Policy: Reducing Harm. This is a cross-agency working group to educate, safeguard and support students on alcohol and substance use, a project she is passionate about as she wants to protect as many young people as possible.

Sally was awarded an MBE in 2023 for services to student mental health.

Carley is an experienced Organisational Psychologist, Consultant and Facilitator with over 15 years’ experience of supporting leaders and teams to foster workplace engagement through positive psychology and evidence-based practice. Driven by a passion for improving the workplace, she has dedicated her career to understanding the intersection of human behaviour and organisational success.

Tom draws on 15+ years as an educator, trainer and manager to create learning experiences that shift mindsets and spark action. With a background in global training and a deep understanding of diverse learning styles, he helps managers build practical, inclusive approaches that boost trust, engagement, and real-world performance.