Agenda
Morning programme
09:00 – 10:00
Registration, refreshments and exhibition
Reception – Ground floor
Osler & Long – First floor
Welcome
Wolfson Theatre – Ground floor
James Pitman, Chair of the Board, Independent Higher Education
Cheryl Watson, VP Education, Technology One (Platinum Sponsor)
10:00 – 10:10
Chief Executive’s address
Wolfson Theatre – Ground floor
Alex Proudfoot, Chief Executive, Independent Higher Education
10:10 – 10:25
A strategy for tertiary education and skills
Wolfson Theatre – Ground floor
Rt Hon Baroness Jacqui Smith, Minister for Skills in conversation with Alex Proudfoot, Chief Executive, Independent Higher Education
10:25 – 10:55
The Government has published its white paper on Post-16 Education and Skills, articulating its vision for a tertiary education system in England which supports specialised and flexible lifelong learning, and setting out the policies by which it hopes to bring this about. Hear from the chief political architect of this blueprint, the Minister for Skills, as she speaks in conversation with IHE’s Chief Executive about the challenges and opportunities of implementing the new strategy, and the pioneering role that independent providers can play on the new frontiers of higher education.
The UK has been a world leader in the creative industries for generations, and recent years have also cemented our position as a globally competitive centre of innovation in technology. The Modern Industrial Strategy shines a spotlight on these two fast-growing sectors with huge economic potential – sectors which increasingly intersect as technology sharpens the creative cutting edge. Much rests on the shoulders of Skills England to secure the pipeline of talent and inform sector strategies for growth. What part should independent providers play in meeting sector skills needs? How can they also integrate creativity and technology into everything they do?
Creative tech and industrial strategy: future skills for a revolutionary present
Wolfson Theatre – Ground floor
Speakers:
Sir Peter Bazalgette, Industry Co-Chair, Creative Industries Council
Anne Morrison, Chair, Escape Studios
Dr Patrina Law, Lifelong Learning Lead, The RSA
Chair: Joy Elliott-Bowman, Director of Policy and Development, Independent Higher Education
10:55 – 11:45
11:45 – 12:15
Refreshments, networking and exhibition
Osler & Long – First floor
For years English higher education policy has felt in constant flux. But zooming out, the direction of travel looks more consistent – shaped as much by global economic, social and technological trends as by government. Developed economies everywhere grapple with the same issues. Sustained growth proves elusive. Creative destruction hurts those caught in the middle. Learning becomes a lifelong imperative. Success depends on agility, innovation and interdisciplinary problem solving. How can education regulators best empower students and providers to thrive in this new world? What can the UK learn from international systems? Can a sector so steeped in institutional tradition learn to love experimentation, collaboration and change?
Systems and sandboxes: regulating for innovation, collaboration and growth
Wolfson Theatre – Ground floor
Speakers:
Professor Edward Peck CBE, Chair, Office for Students
Professor Ellen Hazelkorn, Joint Managing Partner, BH Associates
Chair: Alex Proudfoot, Chief Executive, Independent Higher Education
12:15 – 13:15
13:15 – 14:15
Lunch, networking and exhibition
Osler & Long – First floor
Afternoon programme
Breakout session 1
Delegates do not need to pre-select breakout sessions
14:15 – 15:05
1A – LLE: the field of dreams?
Wolfson Theatre – Ground floor
Speakers:
Dr Adam Saunders, Director, Oxford Data Technologies Limited
Helena Vine, Lead Policy Officer (England), QAA
Neil Mosley, Director, Neil Mosley Consulting
Ada Zakrzewska, Labour Market Economist, OECD
Chair: Mary Curnock Cook CBE, Chair, Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology
If you build it, they will come – but only if they know it’s there. The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) promises to transform access to flexible, modular learning across a lifetime, but its success depends on more than just policy design. This session will consider what England should learn from international approaches to adult learning entitlements and how we can harness existing platforms within the UK to leverage employer and learner engagement. There is distance left to travel before we reach our field of dreams on some of the big questions, such as credit transfer. Are providers ready? What are the practical steps the sector needs to take?
1B – Competition or collaboration?
Council Chamber – Ground floor
Speakers:
Cheryl Watson, VP Education, TechnologyOne
Sam Sanders, Head of Education, Skills & Productivity, KPMG UK
Ben Jordan, Director of Strategy, UCAS
Liam Earney, Managing Director of Higher Education and Research, Jisc
Steffan Davies, Chief Executive Officer, AD Education
Chair: Sharona Friedman, President & CEO, Global Institute of Sport, and IHE Board Member
Our panel will explore what student choice means to students in the current context and how their perceptions and needs are evolving as providers are responding to intensifying financial pressures and the risk of a shrinking sector. Institutions are facing a strategic crossroads – should they compete to differentiate, or collaborate to share resources? How can student choice be protected in each approach?
1C – Freedom of Speech in 21st century higher education
Dorchester Library – First floor
Speakers:
Dr Arif Ahmed MBE, Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom, Office for Students
Professor Beverly Gibbs, Director, Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology
Dr Peter Rae, Vice Principal (Academic Quality), Nazarene Theological College
Chair: Joy Elliott-Bowman, Director of Policy and Development, Independent Higher Education
Higher education today looks nothing like it did in 1986, when universities were first told to “take steps to ensure freedom of speech within the law.” The 2023 Act and new regulation in England gave the opportunity to update that duty, to place it in today’s higher education context. But has it really kept pace with the changing nature of higher education? How can freedom of speech be protected and promoted in a sector increasingly shaped by student choice, employer partnerships, and digital learning? We will explore how this vital principle can be made meaningful and practical for higher education today.
1D – Looking beyond recruitment: risks to student completion and success
Linacre & Sloane – First floor
Speakers:
Vivi Friedgut, Founder and CEO, Blackbullion
Dr Nasser Siabi OBE, CEO, Microlink
Dr Peter Kay, Associate Dean of Academic Engagement & Partnership, ASU London
Dr Dominique Thompson, Director, Buzz Consulting
Chair: Musa Raja, Independent Student Board Member and Chair of the Student Advisory Board, IHE
In a context of growing pressure on institutional finances, not recruiting enough students isn’t the only risk – providers also need to keep students and support their success once they are ‘in’. Our panel will explore risks to students completing and succeeding in their studies, as well as some of the solutions, considering the responsibilities of institutions and the boundaries of what they can do.
15:05 – 15:35
Refreshments, networking and exhibition
Osler & Long – First floor
Breakout session 2
Delegates do not need to pre-select breakout sessions
15:35 – 16:25
2A – AI in higher education: who wins, who loses?
Wolfson Theatre – Ground floor
Speakers:
Dr Eliza Kozman, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, TASO
Dr Ailsa Crum, Independent Consultant
Valentina Vlasova, Senior Lecturer and Programme Lead, OMNES Education Group
Dr Yanyan Li, Early-career Fellow, Institute of Advanced Study, University of Warwick
Meifang Zhuo, PhD Candidate, University of Warwick
Chair: Charlotte Blant, Founder and CEO, Tiro, and IHE Board Member
As AI becomes a ubiquitous part of the higher education experience, this session will consider who will benefit and who may be left behind. For students who have the knowledge and confidence to use it – in providers with the bandwidth and budget to enable it – they are benefiting from personalised learning and automated tutoring. But are low-income, underrepresented, or digitally-excluded students gaining or losing ground as AI tools enter the classroom, and does this risk widening the awarding gap? Our panel will also consider whether staff face their own barriers in access to upskilling, or a lack of confidence in reshaping pedagogical practice, and the role of subject specialisms in equitable access.
2B – Whose culture? Building governance that fits
Linacre & Sloane – First floor
Speakers:
James Coe, Senior Partner and Director, Counterculture
Poppy Short, Partner, Mills & Reeve
Julia Roberts, Partner, GatenbySanderson
Dan Tinkler, Consultant, Governance and Strategic Transformation, Advance HE
Chair: Marion Lowe, Chief Executive Officer, SP Jain London School of Management, and IHE Board Member
For independent higher education providers, designing a governance structure that truly fits remains a challenge. Over the past year, IHE has worked with members to explore what makes governance effective – and one theme has consistently stood out: culture. From mission and strategy to leadership, staff relations, innovation, and even conflict management, culture shapes the effectiveness of governance at every level. This session will bring together sector voices to examine how organisational culture interacts with governance frameworks, and how providers can demonstrate to regulators that their approach is not only compliant but the right fit for their unique mission and context.
The Government’s Immigration White Paper revealed a growing frustration with the education sector’s role in reducing immigration risk. Ministers expressed concerns over whether international students are genuinely here to study and highlighted the influence of agents who market UK study as a pathway to migration rather than qualifications. Central to the proposals was a shift in the Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) metrics, balanced by promises of closer collaboration between UKVI, the Home Office, and providers. This session brings together experts in education and immigration to explore the implications of these proposals. Discussion will focus on how providers can strengthen compliance practices, and what support and tools are needed from Government and its agencies to rebuild trust and ensure a balanced system.
2C – Immigration White Paper unpacked: what the new BCA means for higher education providers
Dorchester Library – First floor
Speakers:
Nichola Carter, Partner, Keystone Law
Deepa Chadha, Policy Advisor, UK Council for International Student Affairs
Chair: Professor Phil Deans, President and Vice Chancellor, Richmond American University London, and Vice Chair of the IHE Board
2D – Academic partnerships: evolution or revolution?
Council Chamber – Ground floor
Speakers:
Mike Ratcliffe, Interim Senior Advisor: Regulatory & Compliance, University of the West of England
Dr Josh Patel, Senior Education & Policy Researcher, Edge Foundation
June Dennis, Executive Dean, LCK Academy
Chair: Rachel Nicholson, Head of Institution, Academy of Live Technology, and IHE Board Member
Academic partnerships are at a juncture where, to continue playing a key role in expanding access, there needs to be a new approach to address the criticism that overlooks their success. With new rules anticipated on subcontracting and franchising this autumn, and the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) excluding these models from eligibility, what does this mean for the future of partnership delivery? Our panel will consider how providers can respond, through innovation in their partnership approaches, so they can remain resilient and ready for what’s ahead.
Engines of the economy: UK regions open to the world
Wolfson Theatre – Ground floor
Speakers:
Abtisam Mohamed MP, Sheffield Central
Joan Concannon, Chief Reputation & Stakeholder Relations Officer, University of York
Professor James Robson, Director, Oxford University Centre for Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance
Simon Nelson, Chief Executive Officer, QA Higher Education
Chair: Rt Hon Lord David Willetts, President, Resolution Foundation
16:30 – 17:20
Do the UK’s regions have what it takes to be engines of global growth? Experts have long pinpointed the unequal productivity of different parts of the country as a major constraint on the British economy. Devolution is creating a generation of ambitious local leaders with the political capital and economic levers to put regions in the driving seat, but do they have the tools to compete on the world stage as well? The most successful regional economies leverage their strengths, cultivate industry clusters and prioritise global trading links. International education is both a leading export and a powerful tool. How are different regions taking up this challenge of inclusive growth, and how can independent providers contribute?
Closing remarks
Wolfson Theatre – Ground floor
James Pitman, Chair of the Board, Independent Higher Education
17:20 – 17:30
We will be celebrating excellence across the independent higher education sector and announcing the winners of the IHE Awards 2025.
17:30 – 20:00