Higher Education Strategic Planners Association (HESPA)

Having had time to reflect on last week’s HESPA conference, I can confidently say that it was one of the best I’ve attended. With the perfect balance of hope and realism throughout the sessions, I appreciated the affirmation that HE is a ‘good thing’, contributing significantly to society in many and varied ways, alongside the recognition that there are difficult decisions to be made in the short- to medium-term to safeguard its future (plenary 1 with UUK’s Vivienne Stern, Guild HE’s Brooke Storer-Church and University Alliance’s Vanessa Wilson). Robust and thoughtful challenge came from David Sweeney’s call to recognise that the current model for HE is broken, so we need to work collectively to develop a new one; and from Alex Usher (HE Strategy Associates, Canada), with his harsh but true message that ‘nobody is coming to save us’, so we as a sector must develop our own solutions. His prompt to extend our strategy horizons to at least 10-15 years is something that I have been advocating recently, to help us avoid ad hoc ‘firefighting’ decision-making, that may actually make things worse. Sadly a train cancellation meant I had to leave early, but overall I valued some very insightful food for thought alongside great community – many thanks to all who helped to organise the event and make it run so smoothly.

Thanks Naomi, and Aya. This has been a hugely popular one and is so important for our members at the moment, with so much change taking place across the sector.

We have changed the dates for our upcoming HESPA Training: Managing Change Successfully. It is now going to be on 19 and 25 June (running as two half days). The feedback for the first iteration of this training was brilliant (100% of respondents rated the presenter as 5 out of 5 stars!). If you'd like some practical advice to help implement change, book your place now. ￡300 + VAT. https://lnkd.in/exDUzPWK

I'm excited to share that I am recruiting to a new Head of Planning role here at the University of Roehampton. This will be a pivotal role within my Directorate leadership team and will provide a fantastic opportunity to shape and further enhance the essential Planning service for the University. For more details please see the full job ad (https://lnkd.in/eYvDQHc4) or contact me for an informal discussion. The closing date is 24th March.

Would you like tips on how to monitor strategy to maximise performance? Attend our training session with Pietro Micheli on 8/9 April to learn how to develop more robust KPIs to promote collaboration, understand how data can be transformed into insight, and identify the kind of changes in leadership, management and governance that will foster a culture of performance: https://lnkd.in/eFttjF8w

Massive thanks to Alex Usher of Canada's Higher Education Strategy Associates for delivering such an excellent plenary session at our conference last week. Such an array of fascinating global perspectives with common themes for strategic planners. Strategic planning in HE is different from the same function in other sectors. Academia makes for complexity around accountability and hierarchical structures. A shared long term vision is needed, especially in times of crisis (if you're sailing in a storm, you need to know where you're going). Culture eats strategy and breakfast, and culture change takes time and requires wide participation in the planning process. Change won't work if the sector strives to refresh itself using old operating models - we are in a different place now. Some of the same challenges are being felt across the globe. Local and community engagement is vital. Bringing different and external stakeholders in can make processes more creative. A long term (e.g. 15 years) shared vision, with shorter (e.g. 3 years) planning cycles, and fast but collaborative decision making, will be key. And much, much more. Thank you, Alex, for such an interesting and insightful session. We hope to hear more from you soon.

A fantastic Higher Education Strategic Planners Association (HESPA) conference. Thought provoking speakers, challenging topics and some great practice shared. #universities #StrategicPlanning #CollaborativeAdvantage

I’ve had a couple of days to reflect on the Higher Education Strategic Planners Association (HESPA) Annual Conference 2025, and it’s still buzzing in my mind. For me, it struck the perfect balance: thought-provoking sessions from key figures in higher education and plenty of time to connect with delegates and supporters. That mix kept the energy and enthusiasm alive right through to the final moments—no small feat for a packed event! (A massive 'well done' to Jennifer Summerton, Laura Knox and everyone at HESPA and the HESPA exec!) The opening plenary panel really set the tone. Vivienne Stern (UUK) tied the UK’s competitiveness to the vitality of its universities, Dr Brooke Storer-Church (GuildHE) championed leaning into institutional strengths, and Vanessa Wilson (University Alliance (UK)) pushed for long-term strategic vision—ideas that sparked lively discussions throughout the conference. But what truly stood out was the networking. I lost count after about 30 conversations, each one leaving me more inspired about the potential for positive change - and collaboration* - in HE (*something I've seen happen successfully in my previous HE payments niche over and over for 20 years!). It was humbling to hear how Strengthify’s approach resonated with so many. People were genuinely excited—some even asked to join our Management Development Programmes in the coming weeks because the "individualised approach resonated” and differed from what they’d experienced before. Pretty much everyone we spoke to was keen to join a Discovery Workshop, and there was clear appetite to bring us into team-building efforts and bigger transformation projects. Seeing that enthusiasm for boosting productivity, harnessing strengths, and enhancing well-being is exactly why we do what we do. A special nod to Aashish Khadia, the awards MC, who could give Ricky Gervais a serious challenge. His wit and charisma lit up the ceremony—I’d bet we’ll see them hosting more gigs up and down the country soon. Strategy and planning might be his day job, but the stage is calling! HESPA 2025 left me optimistic about what’s ahead. The takeaway? Collaboration and fresh thinking are the keys to a thriving higher education sector. Can’t wait to keep these conversations going and see where they lead. #HESPA2025 #HigherEducation #Networking #Leadership #Collaboration

A fantastic Higher Education Strategic Planners Association (HESPA) conference. Thought provoking speakers, challenging topics and some great practice shared. #universities #StrategicPlanning #CollaborativeAdvantage

A fantastic session. Massive thanks to Paul and Julie for an insight into this fantastic work going on at Salford, and to Simitive for their support again this year as Platinum Sponser. It’s been another great event. Thank you ??