UCISA25 Leadership Conference

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Booking Closed

Primary Sponsor

Date

18 March 2025

19 March 2025

20 March 2025

Book Before

11 March 2025

Brighton Centre

Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 2GR

About the Event

 

The illustrious city of Brighton and Hove will be the destination of our flagship event the UCISA25 Leadership Conference.

We hope that fresh sea air, inspiring speakers, thought provoking content, and the opportunity to network with your peers will provide just the tonic we all need to face the future with confidence.

With it's majestic Regency squares and crescents, iconic Royal Pavilion and famous piers, Brighton is welcoming and diverse city with a passion for culture, creativity and sustainability as it is for its historic landmarks.

We can not wait to get there and are very much looking forward to seeing you all in Brighton! 

Want to know why you should attend, quotes from UCISA24 bursary recipients explain just that! 

"New to Higher Education, I knew UCISA24 could provide that invaluable context across the full breadth of the sector....The diversity of the programme for UCISA24 and the high quality of speakers and presenters gave me an accelerated learning experience. I came away feeling like I was no longer an imposter and could speak with authority on the collective priorities and challenges that are facing us in HE. "

"First impressions were of an event which demonstrated immense value for money and pitched just perfectly. Long enough to be able to really immerse yourself in the conference to add real value but equally just long enough to grant time back in the office to continue with the day job. It was immediately clear that the event had been exceptionally well thought through, with high attention to detail throughout. "

"The conference itself was a great example of bringing together people from across the industry to discuss and explore common challenges. I was able to talk to other attendees about some of my personal challenges and build a valuable network of contacts that I will use in the future. Overall, I left the conference feeling motivated, inspired, challenged, and with a sense of ‘we’re not alone’ and we can overcome this together. "

 

 

 

Speakers

person with amazing hair looking at the camera

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE

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Geoff Ramm

Creator and Author

person smiling at the camera

Tricia Moscati

Head of Digital Transformation

Heriot Watt University

person looking forward

David Kernohan

Deputy Editor

WonkeHE

Event Schedule

Tuesday

Chair: Emma Woodcock, CIO York St John University

10:00

Exhibition opens

10:00

Registration opens

11:00

Pre-conference session with Axians

Network Observability as a Service (NOaaS): Transforming Campus Networks into Strategic Assets

(In Syndicate Room 4)

Carlos Delgado, Head of Service Design and Chris Gilmour, CTO, Axians UK

Please register to attend

 

11:15

Newcomers session

Iain McCracken, Director of IT Service Delivery, The London School of Economics and Political Science

If this is your first UCISA conference, or your first for awhile, please join us for an informative session to discover how to make the most of your experience at the conference and meet other first-time attendees.

In Syndicate room 2

11:45

Lunch

in the Exhibition
12:45

Welcome and introductions

Emma Woodcock, CIO York St John University and UCISA Chair and Deborah Green, CEO, UCISA
12:50

Meet the exhibitors - Buzzer Session

13:00

Celebrity Service

Geoff Ramm, Inspirational Keynote Speaker, Author & Creator of Celebrity Service
13:40

Primary sponsor welcome

Valerie Singer, General Manager, AWS Global Education
13:45

Delivering Student Equity with a Next-Generation Campus

14:30

Refreshments

including sessions on the Demo Stage

hosted by Will Allen, Deputy Director Engagement and Major Accounts, Jisc

  • 14:30 - Jisc
    Jisc learning analytics: the next chapter
    James Hodgkin, Head of Analytics at Jisc
  • 14:45 - Galvia AI
    Smart, Scalable Student Support: The AI Demo You Can't Miss
    John Clancy, CEO, Galvia AI
  • 15:00 - CGI
    The Future of Higher Education Runs on Enterprise Service Management
    Sonja Browning-Page, HE Director Consulting Expert, CGI
15:15

Institutional showcases

15:45

Travel time

15:55

Partner showcases

  • TechnologyOne
    EdTech scepticism and change fatigue – overcoming legacies to drive meaningful and positive change. How the journey really feels!

    • Alex Jones, Director of Academic Services, University of Lincoln
    • Cheryl Watson, VP Education, TechnologyOne
    • John Drew, Industry Director, TechnologyOne
    • Olivia Roberts, General Manager Student Management
    • Michael Mercer, Registrar, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
    • Stuart Hildyard, Chief Digital Officer, Victoria University
    • Steve Bowden, Director of Learning and Information Services, University of Chester
    • Trevor Powis, Director of Digital Transformation and Technology, University of Buckingham

    (In the Auditorium)
  • ServiceNow
    Setting a new standard for Student Admissions at The Royal College of Art - The ServiceNow/EY Partnership
    • Heather Akif, Chief Operating Officer, Royal College of Art
    • James King, Director of Technology;, Royal College of Art
    • Seema Kisnay, Deputy Director of Digital Products, Royal College of Art;
    • Nicola Bamford, Local Public Services Partner and UK&I HE Consulting Lead, EY
    • James Clarke, Higher Education Lead, ServiceNow
    (in Syndicate Room 3)
  • TATA Consultancy Services
    AI-driven Service Delivery Transformation at The University of Warwick
    • Raja-Saleem Javaid, Chief Information & Transformation Officer, University of Warwick a
    • Priyanka Sethi, Head of Education Strategy, TATA Consultancy Services
    (in Syndicate Room 4)
16:25

Travel time

16:30

Meet the exhibitors - Buzzer Session

16:40

What’s worth worrying about when leading technology

Sir Chris Husbands, Director, Higher Futures

Interviewed by

  • Emma Woodcock, CIO, York St John University
  • Adrian Ellison, Pro Vice-Chancellor (People and Digital), University of West London
17:20

Close of Day 1

17:20

Networking drink reception

in the Exhibition

sponsored by Qolcom

17:45

Close of networking drinks

18:30

Pre- Dinner Drinks Reception

at Brighton Dome Corn Exchange 

Sponsored by Technology1

19:30

Informal dinner

at the Corn Exchange

Wednesday

Morning Chair: Karen Bates. Deputy Chief Digital and Information Officer. London Business School

Afternoon Chair: Nick Gilbert, Chief Information Officer. London School of Economics

08:00

Breakfast session with TechnologyOne

Opportunity and Impact: Why the future of integrated academic operations will be game-changing.

(In Syndicate Room 2)

  • Olivia Roberts – General Manager, Student Management – TechnologyOne
  • Brian Clark – General Manager, Curriculum - CourseLoop
  • Ben Rogers, Vice-Chair Academic Registrars’ Council
  • Steve Bowden Director of Learning and Information Services, University of Chester

Please register to attend

09:00

Welcome to Day 2

09:05

Meet the exhibitors - Buzzer session

09:25

Are you ready for Generation AI?

Michelle Craig, Director of Marketing, AppsAnywhere
10:05

Refreshments

including sessions on the Demo Stage
  • 10:05 - TechnologyOne
    Coherent Compliance with TechnologyOne's Student Management
    Sarah Cassidy, Senior Presales Consultant and Chris Hart, Product Presales Manager
  • 10:20 - ManageEngine
    From Legacy to a 360° transformation of IT infrastructure in Education Sector

    Padmanabhan K alias Paddy, Technical Consultant, ManageEngine, a division of Zoho Corporation
  • 10:35 - SEAtS Software
    Smart Campus in Action: Seamless Space, Attendance & Asset Management with SEAtS ONE & Juniper Mist

    Cal O'Donovan, Head of Business Development, SEAtS ONE; and Jami
10:50

Partner showcases

  • Acquia/manifesto
    Tech (Might) Save Us: A Low Carbon Approach to Digital in Higher Education

    Ant Hadley, Digital Strategist and Paul Peet Business Design Director, manifesto
    (In Syndicate Room 3)
  • CGI
    Creating Lasting Value through meaningful a Partnership
    Claire Taylor, Director of Information Services, Edinburgh Napier University; and Tom Runge, Consulting Director, CGI
    (in the Auditorium)
  • Google
    Driving Academic Innovation with Google Technology
    Anna Artemyeva, Head of Education - UK, Ireland, Italy, DACH, Central Asia, Google and James King, Director of Technology, Royal College of Art
    (in Syndicate Room 4)
11:20

Travel time

11:25

Embedding an empowered values focused culture in order to support team workplace health and wellbeing

Alison Harding, Executive Head of Library and Learning Resources, University of Wales Trinity Saint David
12:05

Meet the exhibitors - Buzzer Session

12:15

Lunch

including sessions on the Demo Stage
  • 12:15 - ICS.AI
    AI-Powered Learning - A Live Demo of SMART: Teaching and Learning in Action

    Sam Spencer, Business Analyst, ICS.AI
  • 12:30 - AWS
    Beyond Physical Labs: Transforming Student Learning with AWS EUC
    Nityanand Singh, Sr EUC Solutions Architect, AWS
  • 12:45 - Academic Software
    Streamlining Digital Access in Education

    Andreas Van Assche, Solutions Architect
  • 13:00 - DTP Group
    Simplify multicloud management with self-service provisioning and unified control with DTP and HPE Morpheus

    Sam Barry, HE Account Manager, DTP Group
13:20

Lessons from a University Merger in Australia: Putting curriculum management first

14:00

What's happening in UK higher education, and what does it mean for IT professionals?

David Kernohan, Deputy Editor, WonkHE
14:40

Travel time

14:45

Institutional showcases

15:15

Refreshments

including sessions on the Demo Stage
  • 15:15 - Methods
    Addressing research challenges with Bizdata platform
    Ryan Payton, PhD, Account Technology Strategist – Research, Microsoft
15:55

In Conversation With....a COO Panel

Chaired by James Crooks, CIO, Durham University
  • Andrew Young, COO, London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Peter Taylor, COO, University of Greenwich
  • Rob Hickey, COO, York St John University
  • Heather Akif, Chief Operating Officer, Royal College of Art
  • Eileen Schofield, Chief Operating Officer, University of Stirling
16:35

Thought Leadership Roundtable Discussion

Chaired by Emma Woodcock, CIO, York St John University
17:30

Close of Day 2

18:45

Conference dinner drinks reception

19:30

Conference dinner followed by the UCISA25 Awards Ceremony

at the Brighton Centre

Thursday

Chair: James Crooks, Chief Information Officer, Durham University

09:00

Welcome of Day 3

09:50

UCISA Dragon's Den

Chaired by David Skyers, Director of Enterprise Applications, SOAS University of London
  • Budding entrepreneurs
    Alma Shala, Associate Director of Digital Technologies, Goldsmiths University
    John Harris, Director of Products and Supplier Engagement, King's College London
    Daniel Roberts, Chief Information Officer, SOAS University of London
  • Dragons

    David Telford, Executive Director of Information Services, University of Stirling
    Adrian Ellison, Pro Vice-Chancellor (People and Digital), University of West London
    Claire Lanario, Head of IT Governance & Business Partnering, SOAS University of London
10:20

Cultivating collaboration for strategic change using Jisc’s framework and maturity model for digital transformation

Chair: Sarah Knight, head of learning and teaching transformation, Jisc

  • Martin Whiteside, Pro Vice Chancellor Digital Transformation, University of Worcester
  • Rachael Johnson-Duval, CIO, Bath Spa University
  • Paul Sinnock, Interim Director Information Services, University of Kent
  • Baba Sheba, Director of Digital Transformation, City St George’s, University of London
11:00

Refreshments

11:30

How to Survive a Cyber Incident - Panel Session

Chaired by James Smith, CIO, Middlesex University
  • Simon Corbett, CIO Northumbria University
  • Mat Flower, (Interim) Deputy Director and Head of Digital Architecture & Information Security, University of Wolverhampton
  • Nathalie Czechowski CIO University of South Wales
  • Suraj K Uturaju, Director of IT Services, University of West London
12:20

Change your team’s behaviours to accelerate digital transformation

Simon Hill, Senior Executive Partner, Gartner
13:00

Leadership for the future, not for the now

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE
13:40

Closing remarks

13:45

Conference close followed by lunch and networking