Matt Atkin, Executive Director of Planning, University of Manchester
Matt has been at the University of Manchester as Director of Planning since 2017, with a growing portfolio that now includes strategy development, analytics and university performance reporting, statutory reporting, the annual planning cycle, and the strategic change team. In addition, Matt is co-leading the reshaping of Professional Services at Manchester. Current interest areas include translation of strategy into implementation, university operating models and insight that cuts through the noise.
Prior to HE Matt worked in the private sector for 20 years primarily in banking, also insurance, retail and IT. Matt has led merger and acquisition activity, delivered multi million pound change programmes at a national level, been managing director of a national payments business, and originally trained in customer service, target operating models and procurement. Matt is an FA qualified coach, with a very badly behaved spaniel.
Catherine Beeby-Mills, Director of Planning and Strategic Projects at the University of Roehampton
Catherine has worked in UK higher education for 18 years and been part of the wider strategic planning community for seven years.
In her current role as Director of Planning and Strategic Projects at the University of Roehampton, Catherine leads the planning, insight and project management services across the University. This includes leading Roehampton’s: business planning cycle, student number planning and strategic risk management; data and insight services – including institutional insight and statutory returns; and delivery of the University’s portfolio of strategic projects and the project management services that support this.
Prior to this, Catherine has worked in a range of higher education management roles at a diverse set of universities (modern and research-intensive), including most recently the Director of Faculty Planning and Operations at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Dr Rhiannon Birch, Managing Consultant, SUMS Consulting
Rhiannon supports universities in tackling complex strategic challenges, from developing strategies and operating models to delivering data-driven insights. Since joining SUMS in 2022, she has advised institutions including Leeds, Leicester, Gloucestershire and Cambridge, with recent projects spanning workforce planning, student journey reviews, and operating model design. With senior leadership experience at Sheffield, Derby and the British Medical Association, Rhiannon brings deep expertise in planning, risk management and organisational change. She holds a PhD in Higher Education Policy (Sheffield) and a PGCert in Higher Education Management (Southampton).
James Cannings, Senior Economic Consultant, London Economics
James Cannings is a Senior Economic Consultant at London Economics in the Education and Labour Markets practice. His work primarily involves advising higher education institutions, government departments, industry bodies, and third sector organisations. He regularly undertakes economic impact analyses of higher education institutions, including for the University of Manchester, University of Birmingham, University of Warwick, the University of Glasgow and Queen’s University Belfast.
Ed Castell, Chief of Staff, Universities UK
Ed has worked in the higher education sector for over a decade in various roles including in student advocacy, policy, access, and research and analysis. Ed has been at UUK for nearly five years. In his current role as chief of staff, he supports the CEO and ensures UUK is able to deliver its organisational strategy. Ed has led on delivering elements of the first phase of UUK’s work on transformation and efficiency, including the research behind and production of the ‘Towards a new era of collaboration’ report.
Sarah Chadwick, Senior Data Scientist, Manchester Metropolitan University
Sarah is currently a Senior Data Scientist at Manchester Metropolitan University, with over 20 years’ experience in data science, statistical modelling, and analytics. She is passionate about using data to drive meaningful change and collaborates with stakeholders to create practical, data-driven solutions that support decision-making in higher education. Sarah is committed to transparency and clarity in machine learning, ensuring models are both trusted and understood.
Paul Charlton, Senior Manager, Higher Education Advisory Team, KPMG
Paul Charlton (CIMA), has been a core member of KPMG’s Higher Education Advisory team since 2014. His expertise covers financial baselining, financial and non-financial reviews of academic portfolios, as well as whole-Professional Service Operating Model redesign.
Dr Gavan Conlon, Partner, London Economics
Dr Gavan Conlon is a Partner at London Economics, and co-head of the Education and Labour Markets Team. Gavan has worked for London Economics for 19 years, delivering more than 500 research projects, both in the UK and internationally. Gavan specialises in modelling higher education fees and funding arrangements across the four countries of the United Kingdom; delivering economic and social impact analyses for individual and groups of higher education institutions; and assessing the financial sustainability of higher education institutions. Gavan has delivered analyses for a wide range of clients across the sector, including work for the UK Department for Education, the Welsh and Scottish Governments, Universities UK, the European Commission, the Higher Education Policy Institute, the Office for Students, and more than 50 individual higher education institutions.
James Dunphy FRSA, Chief Executive, Committee of University Chairs
James Dunphy is the inaugural Chief Executive of the Committee of University Chairs, bringing extensive experience in driving transformation and building relationships across higher education. He has held senior roles in a national funder and regulator, a sector agency, and a university. At the Scottish Funding Council, he contributed to a national review, oversaw institutional performance assessments, and worked closely with Ministers on policy reform. As Director of Educational Excellence at Advance HE, James led international educational transformation initiatives and was responsible for the Professional Standards Framework. Previously, as Director of Enhancement of Learning, Teaching and Access at Robert Gordon University, he led institution-level change, multi-institution partnerships, and degree apprenticeship development. James is a Principal Fellow of Advance HE, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a co-opted member of the University of Aberdeen Court’s Governance and Nominations Committee.
Shirley Dalziel, Director, Develop Global
Shirley is a founder and Director of Develop Global, specialising in consultancy and training in Business Partnering across Corporate Service Teams, including Strategy, Finance, HR, IT, and Supply Chain. She has been a management consultant since 1993 and an academic from 1984. She is co-author of ‘The Business Partnering Toolkit’ (CIPD 2006) and ‘Transforming Professional Services’ (CIPFA 2018) as well as numerous articles and books over the years. In addition to specialising in Business Partnering, she simplifies complexity and links psychology to business strategy. She has worked across the globe with clients in most business sectors, including many Universities.
Miriam Deakin, Director of Strategy, Insight and Member Engagement, UUK
Miriam's role at UUK helps ensure we remain an exceptional membership organisation which delivers on its strategic ambitions, anticipates and responds to its members' needs and offers high quality events and engagement opportunities to bring people together to learn from each other and those outside of the sector. Her role includes overseeing the next phase of UUK's transformation and efficiency programme to support sector led initiatives share learning and address the challenges ahead.
Miriam has a background in strategy, influence and support in a membership context having previously worked for the Local Government Association and in various director positions for NHS Providers, the membership body for NHS trusts.
Kevin Donovan, Workplace Health and Wellbeing Manager, University of Strathclyde
Kevin Donovan began his career in mental health social services before moving into probation, where he specialised in forensic risk management. This early work grounded him in supporting people through complex challenges and reinforced his commitment to creating environments where individuals can feel safe, valued, and able to thrive.
Today, Kevin is the strategic lead for staff wellbeing at the University of Strathclyde. In this role, he drives the development and delivery of a university-wide approach to wellbeing, embedding it at the heart of the employee experience. His focus is on shaping a culture of compassion, inclusion, and impact, where wellbeing is not simply a set of initiatives, but a core part of how the University operates, aligned with its values, leadership, and everyday practices.
Kevin has been central to creating university-wide systems and approaches that embed a genuine culture of care, supporting both individual resilience and long-term organisational health. His work supports Strathclyde’s ambition to be an employer of choice, with staff wellbeing recognised as essential to success.
Miriam Fernandez, Professor of Responsible AI, Knowledge Media Institute (KMi), Open University (OU), UK
Miriam Fernandez is a Professor of Responsible Artificial Intelligence at the Knowledge Media Institute (KMi), Open University (OU), UK. Her research agenda revolves around advancing Responsible AI, ensuring that technological innovation aligns with ethical principles and societal values. Her pioneering work spans diverse domains, from algorithmic transparency and fairness to the societal implications of AI deployment. By integrating AI techniques with a human-centred approach, she fosters solutions that prioritise social responsibility, transparency, and inclusivity. With a portfolio of more than 100 scientific articles in some of the best conferences and journals in her field, and having won numerous external grants supporting her research, Professor Fernandez has significantly influenced the discourse in the field of technology development and its impact on society. Her commitment to education is demonstrated through her leadership of OUAnalyse, a strategic initiative leveraging machine-learning methods for the early identification of students at risk. This technology, currently supporting the Open University’s 150K student body, has been highly awarded for its transformative impact on student outcomes. Additionally, she serves on the organising committee behind HESPA’s Learning Analytics Interest group, facilitating knowledge sharing and best practices among organisations across the UK. Professor Fernandez is also Equality and Diversity Champion for both KMi and the OU.
Clare Foyle, Director of Strategic Planning, University College London
Clare is the Director of Strategic Planning at University College London. She leads on strategic planning, and is overseeing the implementation of a new, integrated strategic planning framework. This will link UCL strategy and ambition to planning at all levels of the institution.
Prior to her current role, Clare worked in planning roles at the University of Derby, Coventry University and De Montfort University.
Outside of work she chairs a school Local Academy Committee and is a trustee at Derby Museums and Art Gallery. She is also trained in human-centred design and prototyping, and is a Brownie Leader (meaning she is always on hand with coloured pens and sticky notes).
Paul Griffiths, Director of Risk, Resilience & Insurance, University of Leeds
Paul supports the University’s Executive and Governance bodies in establishing a clear risk appetite framework and risk management strategy, and in embedding a culture of risk management and operational resilience. He is responsible for developing and coordinating the execution of the risk and resilience strategy, incorporating both a proactive and collaborative approach to risk identification, assessment, and mitigation. Paul joined the University in 2019 coming from the corporate environment where he had a varied career including roles in finance, organisational development and risk management.
Chris Hale, Whakamana i a Pae Tata Manager (Strategy Implementation Manager), University of Otago, New Zealand
Chris spent many years working in higher education policy in the UK, notably as Director of Policy at Universities UK (UUK) and a period as acting CEO in 2022. Chris has also worked at the General Medical Council and University of Sussex. Relocating to Aotearoa New Zealand in early 2023, Chris is currently working on strategy implementation at the University of Otago (Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka) in Ōtepoti Dunedin. Outside of work Chris enjoys spending time with family and exploring the natural beauty and wildlife of the Otago region (mostly on two wheels under pedal power!).
Steve Jones, Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Partner Services, Student Loans Company
Stephen Jones has been with the Student Loans Company (SLC) for over a decade, bringing a wealth of experience in business support and partner engagement. Since 2019, he has worked within Partner Services, where he has played a pivotal role in strengthening relationships with external stakeholders.
In his current role as Stakeholder Manager, Stephen leads the communications and engagement strategy for SLC’s involvement in the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) Programme. He is responsible for delivering a planned, coordinated, and credible engagement programme with external business partners, ensuring that SLC’s messaging is clear, consistent, and aligned with the needs of the sector.
Stephen is passionate about building collaborative partnerships and driving impactful engagement that supports the successful delivery of transformational programmes.
Nicola Kivlichan, Head of Market & Student Intelligence, Edinburgh Napier University
Nicola is currently Head of Market & Student Intelligence at Edinburgh Napier University and has been involved with understanding and evaluating the student experience for 20 years. She manages a range of UK wide and institutional student surveys, from set up to analysis, including the NSS, PTES and Module Evaluation. Nicola has a strong commitment to supporting colleagues to understand and use student evaluation data to enhance the student experience.
Laura Knox, Assistant Vice-Principal (Strategy and Planning), University of St Andrews
As Assistant Vice-Principal for Strategy and Planning, Laura oversees the Planning, Strategy Support, Business Transformation and Health & Safety functions at the University of St Andrews. Prior to joining the Principal’s Office, Laura held the role of Director of Planning and was the first person to hold this position at the University. Laura was responsible for establishing the Planning unit and for the development and embedding of its services, supporting and collaborating with all Professional Service units and Academic Schools across the institution. She has a keen interest in championing and facilitating evidence-led decision making across the organisation. She joined the University in 2008 after holding a number of research, analytical and planning support roles within the public and higher education sectors.
Laura places great value on the importance of external engagement and liaison. She is Chair of the influential Higher Education Data Insights Group, and a member of the Higher Education Strategic Planners Association Executive as well as several external advisory groups.
Dr Julie Leeming, Head of Strategic Planning and Data Quality, the Institute of Cancer Research, University of London
Julie is the Head of Strategic Planning and Data Quality at the Institute of Cancer Research, University of London. Examples of what she is currently involved in include: REF 2029 preparations, horizon scanning of changes in HE, data assurance and risk of statutory returns, and responses to DfE/OfS consultations.
Julie has worked in Planning for over 25 years, in a variety of settings: University of Greenwich (1998-2004); Queen Mary (2004-2012); St George’s (2012-2024); City St George’s (2024-2025); and ICR (2025-present). She also attended 3 University of London Colleges as a student.
Julie also contributes to the sector as a co-Chair of the London Higher Planners’ Group, is a member of HESPA’s Higher Education Data Insight Group (HEDIG) and a member of the JISC Student Data Forum. She is also a Treasurer of a local Charity.
Alana Luckraft, Head of Strategic Planning & Executive Office, The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Alana has been Head of Strategic Planning & Executive Office at The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine for the last four years. Her role involves working with the LSHTM Director and Executive Team to develop, drive an embed School strategy, responsibility for managing LSHTM’s Annual Planning & Accountability Process, working in partnership with the Finance Department on strategic resource allocation and oversight of LSHTM’s newly developing Business Intelligence function. Alana is also responsible for leading the Executive Office team to provide strategic and operational support to LSHTM’s leadership. Alana has worked in the HE sector for nearly twenty years in a range of universities in strategy, planning, education management and project management roles.
Dr Philip Lloyd-Williams, Director, Lloyd-Williams and Associates
Philip is a Management Consultant. He works independently with a variety of organisations in the commercial and public sectors. As a result of his previous career of over 20 years as a solicitor and Corporate Director, he is experienced in facilitating Board and other meetings where open dialogue is essential between a variety of stakeholders and in particular between politicians and managers.
His clients include, amongst other sectors, IT companies, banks, the NHS, local government, children’s hospices, universities, and the civil service. Engagements have ranged from coaching all of the corporate teams in large institutions, designing and delivering senior manager leadership programmes, to working with dysfunctional and underperforming boards. His approach is pragmatic, results-orientated, and good-humoured.
Philip is a solicitor non-practising and has a PhD and MBA from Aston Business School, Aston University. He also holds a postgraduate qualification in Executive Coaching and Mentoring and in lecturing. He is an Associate of INLOGOV at the University of Birmingham and is Director of the Leadership Hub for NCG, a group of seven colleges across the UK.
Dr Tom Loya, Director and Lead Consultant, Thomas Loya Consulting Ltd
Tom has worked in the UK HE sector since 2007, initially as Director of Strategy, Planning and Performance at the University of Nottingham (2007-2018). During that time he chaired the Russell Group Directors of Strategy and Planning (2010-12), organised a national conference on analytics in HE (2013), co-developed the Professional Services Quality Survey (2014) and co-authored the chapter on business analytics in the HESPA edited volume (2017). From 2018 he’s led an independent consulting service, with projects for universities and sector agencies centred on student experience analysis and improvement and organisational data capability enhancement, and has held interim directorships of Strategic Planning and Analytics at four universities.
Dr Thomas Owen-Smith, Principal Consultant and Sustainability Practice Lead, SUMS Consulting
Tom leads SUMS Consulting’s work in sustainability, external engagement and impact, through which he has helped numerous institutions develop organisation-wide strategies integrating sustainability, societal impact and partnership within their strategic context. An advocate of sector collaboration around complex challenges, he manages SUMS’ strategic partnership with EAUC (The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education) and co-chairs HESPA and SUMS’ Community of Practice on Sustainability in Strategy and Planning with Hannah Al-Katib. Previously, he worked in university management, academia and the development and media sectors in the UK, India and Nepal.
Carolyn Price, Director of Planning & Insight, Manchester Metropolitan University
Director of Planning & Insight. Carolyn Price is an experienced strategic leader with a strong background in planning, data analysis, and organisational insight. As Director of Planning & Insight, she leads cross-functional initiatives to align business strategy with evidence-based decision-making, driving performance and continuous improvement. Carolyn is known for her ability to translate complex data into clear narratives that inform policy and practice. She works closely with senior stakeholders to ensure that planning processes are agile, inclusive, and future-focused.
Jonathan Rans, HESPA Executive Director
Jonathan joined HESPA from the University of Edinburgh, where he was a founder member of the Edinburgh Research Office’s Research Strategy team, bringing strategic planning approaches to bear on research funding and research development. Jonathan is committed to developing collaborative partnerships, driving strategic impact and brings a passion for fostering open practice.
Wesley Rennison, Director of Strategic Planning, University of Strathclyde, HESPA Chair
Wesley is the Director of Strategic Planning at the University of Strathclyde. The Strategy and Planning team at Strathclyde works on a wide range of activities including performance management, strategy development and implementation, operational planning, business intelligence, external reporting, governance and committee support, liaison with the funding council and complaints handling. He is Chair of HESPA and a member of the Scottish Planners Forum. He also has contributed to several sector wide policy and review panels in Scotland and England.
Wesley is an accredited mediator with the Scottish Mediation Network and is a practising work-based mediator in the HE Sector, having mediated and facilitated discussions at several institutions. Prior to working in HE, he worked in information and planning roles in the primary and secondary education sector and practised as a community mediator.
Wesley has degrees in Philosophy & Maths (UC Dublin) and Peace Studies (Bradford). He is a keen racket sport player, but has sadly learned that enthusiasm is no substitute for skill.
Miranda Routledge, Director of Strategic Planning and Chief of Staff, Loughborough University
Pisces, parents both psychiatrists, lived in Leeds until 5 years then Leicester, horse rider and owner for a while, Beauchamp College for GCSEs and Psychology, English and Geography A-Levels, Hull University graduate, The Smiths, The Cure, festivals including Glastonbury, surviving mud, brief stint NHS, Loughborough University for over 25 years (has been Registry, Data Protection, Governance, Student Information Systems, Council – now Director of Strategic Planning and Chief of Staff: Strategy, Planning, Resources, Policy, Horizon scanning, University Executive Board and University Leadership Group); was AUA now HESPA; married with two girls, dog owner, exercise habits Step to Zumba, running since 2011, Great North Run sixth time 2025, hot water drinker, tea drinker, hard and resilient worker, impatient and intolerant homework supporter, dog walking for head clearance, read until she falls asleep, want to make the University a better place to work and study.
Dan Swain, Head of Planning, Manchester Metropolitan University
Dan Swain is the Head of Planning at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he supports the delivery of the University’s integrated planning process and provides strategic insights to monitor and evaluate institutional performance. With a strong focus on data-informed decision making, Dan is passionate about using evidence and analysis to support effective strategy development and operational excellence. He plays a key role in aligning planning, resources, and performance to ensure the University achieves its long-term ambitions and delivers outstanding outcomes for students.
Vivienne Stern, CEO, Universities UK
Vivienne Stern took up the role of UUK Chief Executive in September 2022. She was previously the Director of Universities UK International (UUKi) which represents UK universities around the world and works to enable them to flourish internationally.
Vivienne has over 20 years’ experience of working in Higher Education policy and politics at national and international level. She is a member of the GREAT Private Sector Council; a Trustee of the Council for At Risk Academics; and a former member of the Board of Trade. She was awarded an MBE for Services to International Education in the New Years’ Honours List 2022. In 2021 Vivienne received the European Association of International Educators’ “Vision and Leadership” award and the PIEoneer “Outstanding Contribution to the Industry” award. Vivienne is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, where she studied English Literature.
Dr Paul Temple, Honorary Associate Professor, Centre for Higher Education Studies, UCL Institute of Education
Paul Temple is Honorary Associate Professor at the UCL Institute of Education, London, where he was previously Co-Director of the Centre for Higher Education Studies. He also co-directed the MBA programme in higher education management. His research interests focus on issues of efficiency and effectiveness in higher education institutions, which has led him to study the physical forms and organisational arrangements of universities and colleges and how these may affect their academic work. His recent books include The Connected University: A space and a place for knowledge (2025, Routledge), the edited volume The Physical University: Contours of space and place in higher education (2014, Routledge) and The Hallmark University: Distinctiveness in higher education management (2014, Institute of Education Press). He is the joint author of the Oxford Very Short Introduction to Universities and Colleges (2017, Oxford University Press).
Sally Turnbull, Associate Consultant, SUMS Consulting
Sally specialises in interim and consultancy services relating to strategy, planning and the effective use of data. She has a strong interest in the ways in which data on higher education are used to inform the public narrative about the sector and was formerly the chair of the Higher Education Data Insight Group and a founding member of the HESPA Executive. Sally spent 14 years leading the planning function at UCLan, latterly as Director of Planning and Insight, covering a broad range of planning activities, including policy and data analysis, business intelligence, data returns, performance metrics, assurance and market research. In recent years she has worked with providers from all parts of the sector, ranging from Oxbridge, through specialist providers and large multi faculty institutions, to small private providers. She is currently Interim Head of Planning and Analytics at the University of Plymouth.
George Whalley, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, The University of Manchester
George is the Deputy Chief Financial Officer at The University of Manchester. He joined in March 2024 from the Royal Northern College of Music, where he was the Director of Finance. George has worked in higher education for over 11 years, in addition to 5 years as Director of Finance at HOME, a multi-arts venue in Manchester. He is a chartered accountant, qualifying with Deloitte in Manchester and has extensive experience as a Trustee, Governor, and Non-Executive Director in addition to his executive roles.
George leads with “being able to communicate financial information to non-financial stakeholders” as a key leadership strength.
Outside of work, George’s time is primarily occupied by two toddlers and has predictably recently started playing padel.
