Harriet has worked in tertiary education and research policy for over 15 years, in roles with a UK-wide remit at Jisc, the Quality Assurance Agency and the British Academy. She joined HEFCW in 2021, where she oversaw the research and innovation, student experience, widening access and skills and employability policy and funding portfolios. Since August 2024, she has been Director of Research, Innovation and Skills at Medr, the new Commission for Tertiary Education and Research in Wales, where her role involves understanding Wales’ skills needs, apprenticeship policy, and enabling the tertiary sector to deliver high quality research and innovation with impact. She has a background in medieval Celtic studies.
Mike is an independent strategy consultant with extensive experience in higher education, having advised Vice-Chancellors, leadership teams and strategic planners at numerous UK universities. A former Professor and Dean at Ravensbourne and Director of the Design Research Centre at Brunel, he brings first-hand understanding of university strategy, planning and operations.
Since establishing Goal Atlas in 2014, Mike has delivered over 10,000 hours of consultancy to global brands including Cisco, Google, HSBC and Sony PlayStation, as well as government departments and leading UK universities. He has been a facilitator and speaker for UUK, HESPA, PHES and the Russell Group Directors of Strategy.
With a background in psychology, design and research, Mike has been awarded a PhD in Science, a personal Professorship and Chartered Designer status. His published works include The Strategy Manual, Core Values, University Strategy 2020 and Deep Design Thinking. He writes the monthly newsletter Strategy Distilled.
Jacqui is Director of Access, Learning and Outcomes at the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), where she leads on institutional engagement, the Outcomes Framework and Assurance Model, learning and quality (including Scotland’s Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework), skills and work-based learning (including foundation and graduate apprenticeships), student interests, access, governance, and fair work. She recently oversaw the Gillies Investigation into the financial issues at the University of Dundee. Jacqui was previously an independent governor and Chair of the Audit Committee at Bath Spa University.
John Britton has over 27 years’ experience in strategic planning, academic quality enhancement and student experience. Alongside his institutional roles, John has built a strong consultancy portfolio, combining deep technical understanding with practical experience of delivery in complex university environments. He has worked with more than 25 institutions across the UK, supporting performance improvement, governance, and regulatory and reputational positioning.
John previously led the Strategic Planning function and the Student Experience Programme at Swansea University. During this period, he played a key role in improving Swansea’s league table performance, supporting its rise from around 50th to 30th in national rankings.
John has extensive expertise in league tables and performance metrics, including unpicking methodologies and rebuilding them from the ground up to understand how institutional data, student outcomes and academic practice interact. He has advised senior teams on using this insight to drive sustainable improvement.
At Cardiff University, he led the business intelligence and planning function, and was awarded HESPA Strategic Planning Team of the Year. As a consultant he has led on a successful Teaching Excellence Framework submission that achieved Gold.
Dr Mark Corver is Director of Campus Numerics. He has worked across higher education data and strategy, including developing statistical frameworks on access, continuation and provision at the Higher Education Funding Council for England and leading data service innovation around student recruitment as UCAS’ first Director of Analysis and Research. In 2017 he co-founded dataHE, creating and scaling strategic forecasting products for universities, and continued as Managing Director following its acquisition by the global higher education data business Times Higher Education in 2022. At Campus Numerics, he is developing new data systems with universities to directly address the challenges and opportunities of the next decade.
Dominic is the Director of Strategy and Planning at City St George’s, University of London. Dominic’s role includes: strategy, academic planning, performance, market and business intelligence, data governance, risk management and business continuity. Dominic moved to Strategy and Planning, having previously been Head of Admissions, and Head of Marketing and Recruitment at City. Before joining City in 2009, Dominic worked for the University of Nottingham.
Josh Fleming is the Director of Strategy and Delivery at the Office for Students, overseeing strategy, delivery, communications, data and evaluation. He previously served as Sir Michael Barber’s Chief of Staff, helping to establish the Office for Students in 2018.
Emma Hartley is the Head of Planning & Performance at the University of Sheffield. She focuses on developing and embedding strategic planning and risk frameworks, robust performance reporting, and leading student intake and tuition fees setting. A qualified Prosci Change Practitioner and APM Project Manager, Emma utilises her skills in stakeholder engagement and knowledge of HE to translate strategy into achievable institutional outcomes.
Dr Natalie Holland is a Research Officer in the Teaching and Learning Academy at Liverpool John Moores University. She has more than 10 years’ experience of conducting institutional research projects on student experience, student voice and learning journeys. This includes the analysis and reporting of all institutional surveys such as NSS, PTES, Module Evaluation and institutional course experience surveys.
Naomi joined the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) in 2023, following 15 years in the university sector working on statistical modelling and strategic planning. She leads SFC’s analytics service, developing and delivering high quality analysis and insights to inform policy and funding decisions. Naomi has a strong interest and specialism in data visualisation and is passionate about using data to help deliver a world class tertiary education system for Scotland.
Professor David Latchman CBE is a distinguished academic, author, and philanthropist. A leading figure in UK higher education, he served as Vice-Chancellor, formally Master, of Birkbeck, University of London, for two decades and is currently Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of London. A Cambridge graduate with a PhD and DSc, Professor Latchman has held senior academic positions at UCL, including Chair of Human Genetics and Dean of the Institute of Child Health. His research in genetics and molecular biology led to the founding of BioVex, whose cancer therapy was later acquired by Amgen. Beyond academia, he has championed lifelong learning and serves as Chairman and Trustee of the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation. He was appointed CBE in 2010 for services to higher education.
As editor Debbie is responsible for curating commentary and analysis on higher education across Wonkhe’s website, email briefings, podcast and events. Debbie is interested in the social impact of HE, learning, teaching and curriculum, institutional change and innovation, and in bringing to light diverse and under-represented voices in the HE policy debate. She has previously worked in policy and communications roles at Universities UK, the University of Bedfordshire and the National Union of Students. Debbie is currently an honorary fellow of the School of Education at the University of Birmingham.
Amanda is a strategic leader and consultant with significant experience in developing teams and services across Further and Higher Education. She has held leadership roles with The University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and Coventry University. Her expertise spans the student lifecycle, with a particular focus on student success, institutional compliance and transforming the effectiveness and efficiency of student-facing professional services teams. Since founding her consultancy business in 2018, she has partnered with clients including the University of East London, Cardiff Metropolitan, University of Warwick, and University of Arts London.
Amanda combines HE consultancy projects with her work as an accredited leadership development coach, specialising in advancing women’s progression into senior leadership roles. As an external Trustee to Newman Students Union and a mentor at The University of Birmingham and The Social Mobility Foundation, she is deeply committed to sector wide professional development.
Daniel Robson is the Associate Director – NSS and PTES Strategy within the Students & Education Directorate at King’s College London. In this role, he leads institutional strategy and delivery for the National Student Survey (NSS) and the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES), working in partnership with faculties, professional services, and senior leadership to drive evidence‑based enhancement of the student experience.
With deep expertise in student engagement, survey insight, and sector‑wide quality frameworks, Daniel Robson oversees analytical, operational, and strategic processes that seek to strengthen King’s position in national benchmarks and internal performance measures. He collaborates closely across directorates, Faculties, and wide-ranging enhancement projects across the university. His work frequently involves cross‑team coordination, stakeholder communications, and supporting strategic decision‑making at senior levels.
Ashley is the Student Partnerships Manager at UCL where they lead all the student-staff partnership work for the institution, known as UCL ChangeMakers. They are also the Communication Officer for the RAISE Network (Reseraching Advancing & Inspiring Student Engagement in HE) and an External Trustee at Trinity St David Students' Union. With a decade of experience working in Students' Unions across the UK before, they have experienced student voice practically on the ground as well as through academic research. They have conducted a range of research and opinion pieces around Student Engagement, Student Voice, Student Activism, and Student Belonging in Higher Education. They have contributed Their recent publication is a chapter about Trans & Non-Binary Student Belonging in Higher Education within the book Student Belonging in Higher Education: Perspectives & Practice
Cheryl Watson is a professional with extensive expertise in education technology, business development, and strategic advisory roles. Currently serving as the Vice President of Education, UK at TechnologyOne, Cheryl leads initiatives to enhance digital transformation within Higher Education institutions, focusing on student experience and operational efficiency. Previously, Cheryl has held multiple leadership positions at several Education Technology providers, driving strategy and market expansion while working closely with institutions to optimise enterprise solutions and gain crucial business benefits.
Dan Wood is Chief People Officer at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), where he leads the people and culture strategy for a community of over 4,000 staff and 40,000 students. Since joining in 2023, he has focused on embedding a values-led, inclusive culture rooted in trust, accountability, and purposeful leadership.
With over two decades of experience across higher education, healthcare, policing, and the voluntary sector, Dan is known for his principled leadership and commitment to people-first, future-focused practice. His career has centred on enabling large-scale culture change, advancing equity, and building trust-based systems in complex, mission-led environments.
Before UWE, he held senior roles in health and policing, shaping organisational development, cultural transformation, and workforce strategy. He has served on several national boards, including as trustee of the National Fire Chiefs Council and the Quartet Community Foundation.
A passionate advocate for civic life and youth leadership, Dan served as Chair of the British Youth Council and held senior roles nationally and internationally in The Scout Association, championing inclusive growth, leadership reform, and human rights education.
He is a Fellow of the CIPD, RSA, Chartered Management Institute, Institute of Leadership, and the Society of Leadership Fellows. Dan is a regular guest on leadership podcasts and had contributed to and featured in sector publications. He continues to mentor leaders and is recognised for his work on integrity, equity, and organisational change.
