Financial Sustainability in HE Conference 2025

Thursday 26th June 2025
9:30 am - 3:40pm
Virtual Conference

The Financial Sustainability in HE Conference 2025 will explore how higher education providers can manage the strategic decisions ahead in transitioning from immediate financial crisis to long term financial resilience.

The Conference will offer solutions on:

  • Long-term financial decision making and planning in HE

  • Diversifying income strategies and adopting new business models

  • The practical route to managing and overcoming deficits

  • Approaches to financial forecasting and modelling

  • Leading transformation and strategic change programmes

  • Driving sustainability through cost saving and efficiency

Why attend the conference?

Gain insights on how providers are managing strategic decision making amid financial crisis

Explore how a transformation agenda can be delivered to support sustainable cost structures

Plan your institution’s roadmap towards long term financial resilience

Agenda

09:30 am

Chair’s Welcome Address

Matthew Grigson
Director of Governance, Policy and Compliance
University of London (CONFIRMED)

09:40 am

Opening Panel Discussion: The Big Strategic Decisions Ahead on Financial Resilience

  • Finding a sustainable position on efficiency savings and effective service delivery

  • The necessary steps on strategic change and operational transformation

  • The structural components for long term finance resilience

  • Examining opportunities for new business models and income diversification

  • Making the transition from immediate financial risk management to long-term financial sustainability

Simon Taylor
Director of Finance & Strategic Planning
Leeds Trinity University (CONFIRMED)

Mehjabeen Patrick
Director of Finance
Arts University Bournemouth (CONFIRMED)

10:30 am

Operationalising Change: Insights from the Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce

  • Enabling higher education providers to demonstrate new and innovative approaches to efficiency, productivity and ways of working

  • The radical change needed: Unlocking opportunities for institutions to meaningfully collaborate on transformation

  • What are the options on systems and process sharing?

  • How can shared models be applied to teaching and service delivery?

  • What does collaboration look like in a competitive, marketized sector?

Sir Nigel Carrington
Chair, Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce
Universities UK (invited)

10:50 am

Break and Networking Stream

11:10 am

Diversifying Income Strategies: Rethinking the Business Model

  • The structural basis for the financial crisis facing higher education providers

  • Weak foundations: Overcoming the reliance on international student fees

  • Meeting evolving demand: New products and cost structures

  • Building a diverse portfolio of income strategies: What would it look like?

Professor Adam Habib
Vice-Chancellor
SOAS University of London (CONFIRMED)

11:40 am

Making Decisions on Deficits

This session will examine the key decision making needed on deficits with a focus on:

  • Student volumes against overheads

  • Decisions on student categories and courses

  • The cost basis for delivery

  • Leading meaningful transformation amid cost savings

Matt Atkinson
Chief Financial Officer (interim)
University of Nottingham (CONFIRMED)

12:10 pm

Robust Forecasting and Modelling: The Basis for Sustainable Financial Planning

  • What leaders now need from forecasts to support effective planning

  • The core components for examining evolving risk factors

  • Challenging ‘optimistic assumptions’ to support sustainable forecasting on income streams

  • Mapping cash flow to support planning on service delivery

Nicola Martin
Head of Financial Planning & Analysis
The University of Manchester (invited)

12:40 pm

Break and Networking Stream

1:50 pm

Radical Action Needed: Managing a £140 million Cost Reduction Programme

Universities in the UK have been seriously under-funded for many years, both for the teaching of “home” students and for the full costs of their research. This created a dependence on cross-subsidy from international student tuition fees and income from other sources. External events have now brought the fragility of the sector’s finances to public and political attention. Responsible universities need to take urgent actions to ensure their futures.

This session explore what those actions look at the University of Edinburgh and how the institution has made these decisions.

Professor Sir Peter Mathieson
Principal and Vice-Chancellor
University of Edinburgh (CONFIRMED)

2:20 pm

What Next on International Student Recruitment Mapping?

With fierce competition for international students, rapidly evolving demand and risks on overreliance, how can institutions map international student recruitment income?

This session will examine the strategic decisions on international student recruitment.

How can financial leaders mark the switch from the immediate need to bolster income versus the long-term stability of an institution’s financial model?

Rob Molloy
Finance Director
Liverpool John Moores University (invited)

2:50 pm

Break and Networking Stream

3:10 pm

In the Case of Financial Failure: The Mechanics of Insolvency and Market Exit

  • The decisions ahead for a provider facing immediate risk of insolvency

  • The regulatory and policy making decisions on unplanned market exit

  • What lenders would expect from an institution facing insolvency

  • Managing transformation or restructure programmes that would satisfy lenders

  • Entrenched failings: Mapping the road to an orderly market exit for institutions unable to demonstrate long term structural stability

Damien Ashford
Government Restructuring and Education lead Partner
PwC (CONFIRMED)

3:40 pm

Conference Close

*Programme subject to change

Audience

This event is designed for the higher education sector. Those in attendance will include:

  • Chief Finance Officers

  • Chief Operating Officers

  • Deputy Vice Chancellors

  • Director of Strategic Planning and Performance

  • Directors of External Relations

  • Directors of Finance

  • Directors of Policy and Engagement

  • Directors of Strategy and Insight

  • Directors of Transformation

  • Executive Deans

  • Financial Controllers

  • Heads of Governance

  • Heads of Policy

  • Heads of Strategy

  • Pro Vice Chancellors

  • Registrars

  • University Secretaries

  • Vice Chancellors 

Secure Your Ticket

HE and Public Sector

£195 + VAT

Private Sector

£395 + VAT

HE Team of 3+

Discounts Available

For group discounts and enquiries about your registration please contact us on enquiries@heprofessional.co.uk