It’s a pleasure to welcome you to our Annual Conference, and to our new venue the Royal College of Physicians.

One year in, the Labour Government’s vision for the future of the higher education sector is coming into focus, and that future is tertiary. The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets the stage for many of today’s discussions, as we explore what it means for the economy, for students and in particular for the independent sector.

Today’s programme features three plenary sessions. We begin in conversation with Baroness Jacqui Smith, Minister for Skills, who will share her reflections on being back in Government after 15 years and the challenge of developing A strategy for tertiary education and skills. Following this, an expert panel including Sir Peter Bazalgette, Co-Chair of the Creative Industries Council, explores how the creative industries and technology are driving demand for cutting-edge skills and specialist knowledge in Creative tech and industrial strategy: future skills for a revolutionary present.

At midday we will hear in turn from two experts in regulation, Professor Ellen Hazelkorn and Professor Edward Peck, Chair of the Office for Students, on how regulators can meet the revolutionary moment by enabling not constraining sector transformation in Systems and sandboxes: regulating for innovation.

The final plenary of the day, Engines of the economy: UK regions open to the world, brings together a panel to explore the untapped economic and trading potential of different regions, and education’s critical role in empowering them.

Between plenaries, delegates can choose from eight breakout sessions covering topics such as the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), academic partnerships, governance, freedom of speech, AI, and more.

The exhibition hall awaits you during the breaks, filled with organisations offering tools, services and solutions to help independent providers thrive.

We’re deeply grateful to this year’s conference sponsors TechnologyOne (Platinum) and Jisc (Gold), whose generous support makes this event possible.

To round off the day, we invite you to join us at the IHE Awards 2025 for an evening of celebration of our pioneering members. This year’s shortlist features fantastic examples of sector excellence and we look forward to recognising the achievements of all finalists.

Thank you for being here. I hope you enjoy a day full of insight, connection and inspiration.