UCISA WiT23

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Booking Closed

Primary Sponsor

Date

23 May 2023

Book Before

19 May 2023

Venue

Hotel Brooklyn, Manchester

About the Event

WiT23 - Finding your groove

Have you lost your energy and zing? Do you need help with the next step in your career? Fancy a change of direction? Need some inspiration from peers? Want to share your enthusiasm with colleagues?

Our theme for the conference will focus on the many and varied paths taken in the quest for career fulfilment and personal success.

  • how people find their way into the sector and move around it;
  • how best to access early career support;
  • the challenges of moving up into leadership roles
  • holy grail of a good work-life balance at every stage of your career. 

We will explore how best to navigate these well-trodden paths and find your own groove, along with exploring how best to navigate the professional paths open to you and consider opportunities you may not have previously noticed.

You’ll hear inspirational stories; useful ideas and takeaways to help you create a more positive, inclusive and productive workplace and most importantly have an opportunity to build your own network of like-minded, passionate, talented WiT colleagues. 

 

Speakers

head shot of Rayna Lloyd

Rayna Lloyd

Associate Director - Digital PMO

University of Greenwich

Lise Foster

Lise Foster

Director Technology

University of the Arts London

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Rachel Bence

CIO

Queen Mary University of London

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Amanda Niblett

Director of IT

University of East London

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Antonia Jones

Customer Success Manager

University of Leeds

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Antonia embarked on her IT career in 2012, transitioning from customer service to the tech world at the University of Leeds. Over the past 12 years, she’s moved from the IT Service Desk to Application Support as IT Operational Lead and Application Support Manager then back into Front Line Services as Customer Success Manager. Beyond this, Antonia is also a member of the UCISA Support Services Group and a CMDA student. Her passions lie in enhancing people’s experiences, advocating for mental health, and championing equity and diversity.

Vickie WIlkie

Victoria Wilkie

IT Services Operational Assurance Officer

University of York

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Vicky has 14 years of experience at the University of York, initially as a library assistant then moving to IT. With a diverse background spanning roles such as museum guide, barista, and ear piercer, she brings a unique perspective to her strong focus on customer service and advocacy for diversity within IT. As co-chair of the Gender Equality Group, Vicky is dedicated to implementing a range of strategies to enhance diversity within the IT sector.

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Rosey Murdie

Head of Digital Transformation

University of Westminster

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Rosey Murdie is Head of Digital Transformation at the University of Westminster, and is responsible for leading the strategic planning, development and management of all aspects of technology-enabled change across the University.

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Jaswant Singh

IT Service Desk Manager

University of Greenwich

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IT Service Desk Manager with over 18 years’ experience in delivering customer service. Over 10 years’ experience in Higher Education, operating and managing a complex IT Service Desk based on the ITIL framework, supporting circa 34,000 students and 3500 plus staff.

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Tanaz Gould

Chief Revenue Officer

Roc

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Tanaz is the Chief Revenue Officer at Roc, where she is responsible for driving the company's revenue and growth strategy. With a career spanning over 20 years in the IT industry, she has worked in various roles such as training and consulting, engineering, solution architecture, operations, sales, and general management. Before joining Roc, Tanaz was the Commercial and Solutions Director for Claranet UK's cloud business, where she led a diverse team of customer-facing sales, portfolio, and technical professionals. Tanaz is passionate about technology and an advocate for women in the industry. She mentors members of the Girls' Network and speaks at schools to encourage young women to pursue careers in tech. She firmly believes in the power of technology to transform businesses and society for the better. Originally from Germany, Tanaz moved to the UK in 2007, where she currently resides with her husband and children in SW London

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Katie Wilde

Head of Digital Research

University of Aberdeen

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Katie is the Head of Digital Research at the University of Aberdeen, part of Digital and Information Services with a remit of supporting Researchers with their digital needs, as well as being HDRUK Scottish Node Co-Director. She was a key player in setting up the ISO27001 Accredited Grampian Safe Haven (DaSH) TRE.

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Kristiane Kronsbein

Assistant Director, Project and Programme Delivery

University of Sussex.

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Having started as an “accidental” project manager, Kristiane found her calling in this profession. With the intention to keep things ticking over in a safe role when returning from maternity leave, Kristiane realised that motherhood could be a career-enabler as much as a blocker. Following a move into the Higher Education sector, she is now Assistant Director for Project and Programme Delivery at the University of Sussex.

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Christi Hopkinson

Head of Service Operations

University of the West of England

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I’ve been working in IT since 1993 starting off as a Microsoft application trainer, moving into desktop support, server support and virtual environments. I’ve been in my current role for the last 4 years. My teams are responsible for the virtual and physical infrastructure at UWE, including Unified Communications.

Becca Ferrari

Deputy Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education and Student Experience

University of Nottingham

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Becca Ferrari is an educational leader at the University of Nottingham, focusing on transforming higher education through the integration of digital capabilities and EDI principles in higher education. She holds leadership roles aimed at enhancing educational experiences with a strong emphasis on sustainable design and digital innovation. Her work in developing team-based educational strategies and fostering digital readiness prepares students for the dynamic demands of the modern workplace, positioning her at the forefront of educational development and innovation.

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Tatianna Hepplewhite

Business Systems Manager

Leeds Beckett University

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I am Business Systems Manager, working in Leeds Beckett University, West Yorkshire. I am managing a team of software developers and system analysts by day and doing freelancing photography on weekends. Throughout my career I have worked on all sides of software development, although Relational Databases have always been my passion.

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Emma Lutkin

IT Service Management Specialist

University of the West of England

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Bex Cattran

Associate Operations Manager

University of Leeds

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Having worked in most teams across IT since 2016 Bex made the move into leadership in 2022 and has built a number of development programs for IT staff focusing on their empowerment and mindset (IT Busters and Level Up). Completing CMI level 5 coaching & mentoring qualification in 2022 pushed Bex to pursue People focused role and was appointed Associate Operations Manager 2024. Throughout their career Bex has been using coaching to help IT staff encourage confidence, bringing creative enthusiasm to any project and now wants to share their techniques with you.

Event Schedule

Tuesday

09:00

Registration and refreshments

09:50

Welcome and introductions

Christi Hopkinson, Head of Service Operations, University of the West of England
10:00

Networking Session

Christi Hopkinson, Head of Service Operations, University of the West of England
10:20

The University of Manchester Digital Smart Campus

Tanaz Gould, Chief Revenue Officer, Roc Technologies
10:50

Refreshments

11:40

IT Director - how did that happen!

Amanda Niblett IT Director, University of East London
12:00

Where you start doesn't limit where you end up

Lise Foster, Director Technology, University of the Arts London
12:20

Lunch

13:20

Connecting Women in Technology

Rachel Bence, CIO, Queen Mary University London
14:00

The road not taken: the things we DIDN'T do to get to where we are

Chaired by Christi Hopkinson, Head of Service Operations, University of the West of England
  • Becca Ferrari, Digital Learning Director, University of Nottingham
  • Katie Wilde, Digital Research Manager, Aberdeen University
  • Tatiana Hepplewhite, Business Systems Manager, Leeds Beckett University
  • Emma Lutkin, IT Service Management Specialist, University of the West of England
14:35

Refreshments

16:05

Closing remarks

UCISA Women in Tech Committee
16:20

Close of the Conference