18 March 2026
Date: Wednesday 29 April 2026
Time: 12.30-1.30pm
Location: MS Teams Webinar
Click here to register for the webinar.
Universities are navigating sustained change: restructuring, leadership transition, financial pressure, cultural strain and rising expectations around student experience. In this new era, resilience demands effective leadership, operational strength and the ability to sustain performance through uncertainty.
This webinar explores the often-hidden challenges that sit behind institutional change; from protecting culture and preserving institutional memory to maintaining momentum when teams are stretched thin. We’ll also consider how institutions are thinking more flexibly about leadership: bringing in the right expertise at the right moment, maintaining continuity through periods of transition and building the organisational capacity to sustain change for the long term.
Our panel will consider what kind of leadership universities now need: the skills, judgement and adaptability required of senior leaders, how organisations can think carefully about leadership transition, succession and development and how a more flexible approach to resourcing leadership can support institutions through uncertainty.
Our expert panel of Chief Operating Officers and University Secretaries includes:
Jim Andrews | Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary at University of Sussex | LinkedIn
Jim joined the University of Sussex in September 2025 from the University of Bedfordshire, where he was supporting the institution through transformation and change. Prior to that he was Chief Operating Officer at Bournemouth University for 14 years, where he led many professional services and academic teams. Jim also led the University’s transformation programmes, including the development and delivery of its £300m estates vision, major developments in digital technology and infrastructure, and significant cultural change aligned to the institution’s strategic plans.
With over 20 years’ experience in senior executive and board level roles in Higher Education and the NHS, Jim’s expertise includes service transformation, cultural and infrastructure development and governance.
Jim is a Chartered Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. He has been a member of a number of external boards as a Non-Executive Director, including the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership, the Great South-West Partnership, Dorset Integrated Care Board and the Board of the UK Campus of Memorial University, Newfoundland.
Olivia McLaughlin | Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary at University of Chichester | LinkedIn
In her role, Olivia contributes to shaping the University’s strategy as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, and leads on marketing and recruitment, governance, estates, IT, registry, and communications.
Olivia is an experienced Higher Education leader with a strong track record of delivering strategic and operational excellence, transformational change, and service innovation across the sector. She is recognised for building high-performing teams, driving sustainable growth, and shaping ambitious strategies that put students and staff at the heart of decision-making.
Alongside her professional career, Olivia serves on the boards of two ocean conservation charities, reflecting her deep commitment to sustainability and to linking education with wider societal and environmental impact.
Nicola Owen | Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer at University of Birmingham | LinkedIn
Nicola joined Birmingham as Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer in September 2025. She has over 30 years’ experience of management in Higher Education. Following undergraduate and postgraduate study in politics, she held a range of management posts initially at the University of East Anglia from 1995, moving to the University of Warwick in 2001 where she held a number of senior posts, including Academic Registrar (2007-2010), Deputy Registrar (2010-2013). She then moved to Lancaster University as Chief Administrative Officer, becoming the Deputy Chief Executive (Operations) and Secretary in 2020.
Nicola has held a number of role in support of the HE sector’s development, with 10 years on the Executive Committee of the UK Association of Heads of University Administration, which she has Chaired from 2020, and on national groups and initiatives, including for UUK and CUC. She gave evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the operation of the Office for Students and was on the Jisc Audit Committee (2014-2020) and JISC DQB Oversight Committee (2020-2024). Nicola is a EMCC Accredited qualified Coach and Team Coach and contributes regularly to conferences and development programmes in the sector.
