Digitally empowered executives: HE leadership summit
An exclusive event designed for executive leaders in higher education to equip them with the tools and insights needed to lead digital transformation.
Date: 5 June 2025
Location: Jisc London, 15 Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1BW
About the summit
In today’s fast changing digital landscape, the role of executive leadership in higher education has never been more crucial. This exclusive one-day summit, delivered in partnership with AdvanceHE, is designed for all executive leaders in higher education who want to harness the power of digital transformation to drive organisational success.
Join executive leaders from across the UK to explore actionable strategies for leading your organisation into a digitally empowered future. Through expert-led discussions, peer collaboration and practical application, you’ll gain the knowledge, insights and confidence to elevate your organisation’s strategic ambitions.
Why attend?
Whether you’re responsible for digital across your organisation or keen to maximise its impact within your specific portfolio, this event is for you.
This summit offers a unique opportunity for higher education executives to:
- Refine your digital mindset: Reflect on your leadership approach and assess how embracing a digital first perspective can drive meaningful organisational change
- Unlock strategic opportunities: Learn practical strategies for aligning digital innovation with your organisation’s strategic objectives
- Collaborate with peers: Connect with like-minded executives from across the UK to tackle shared challenges and exchange transformative ideas
Keynote speaker
Join us to hear from Lindsay Herbert, acclaimed innovation expert and author of Digital Transformation. In a time when change is happening at an unprecedented scale and pace, Lindsay will reveal how to stay ahead by leveraging new technology, big data, and modern ways of working.
Drawing from her internationally acclaimed BUILD framework, she’ll share practical, actionable steps to help you and your organisation become truly adaptive to change itself. Through compelling stories from leaders in higher education and other sectors, Lindsay will bring these lessons to life, offering powerful insights and inspiration for your own transformation journey.
Her keynote promises to be a highlight of the summit, delivering ideas you can implement, and a mindset shift that will empower you to lead with confidence in an era of constant evolution.
| Time | Session | Details | Speaker/lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:30-10:00 | Arrival | ||
| 10:00-10:15 | Welcome | Heidi Fraser-Krauss, chief executive officer, Jisc | |
| 10:15-11:15 | Keynote – BUILD: 5 stages to become adaptive to change | Lindsay Herbert will explore how to thrive amid rapid change by applying the BUILD framework from her acclaimed book Digital Transformation. Drawing on real examples from higher education and other sectors, she’ll share practical insights to support your own transformation journey. | Lindsay Herbert |
| 11:15-11:45 | Break | ||
| 11:45-12:15 | Plenary group discussion | Plenary group discussion to critically evaluate digital mindsets | |
| 12:15-13:15 | Coaching triads | Each person to share with their group one aspect of their current digital practice that their digital leadership insights profile reveals as offering the most potential for growth | |
| 13:15-14:15 | Lunch | ||
| 14:15-15:45 | Themed discussion to identify best ways forward around known HE priorities (from Jisc leadership survey) | This session will focus on explore leadership and strategy, people and working culture, and digital skills and capability within the current context of financial sustainability, cyber security, and artificial intelligence. | |
| 15:45-16:00 | Closing thoughts | Sarah Knight, director of digital transformation (HE) | |
| 16:00–17:00 | Networking drinks reception | ||
| 17:00 | Departure |
Registration
This is an invite-only event and places are limited. Book your place by Thursday 1 May 2025.
Contact
If you have any questions about the event, contact events@jisc.ac.uk.