27 October 2026
Last week, Anderson Quigley hosted a dinner for a group of professional service interim leaders we work with to discuss a subject that has moved rapidly up the agenda in higher education: mergers, collaborations and new ways for universities to work together.
Financial pressure is part of the story, but not the whole of it. Universities UK’s latest research suggests two in five universities are open to, or actively considering, a merger or acquisition. That reflects a sector increasingly willing to rethink its shape, and it puts the focus on a practical question: who leads the change, and when?
We were fortunate to be joined by Professor Georgina (George) Randsley de Moura, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy CEO of London and South East University Group (LASE), the group formed by the University of Kent and the University of Greenwich. George was generous with her time and refreshingly open about what the UK’s first multi-university group has looked like from the inside.
Transitional leadership, at the right moment
When the two universities began exploring a merger, George was Acting Vice-Chancellor at the University of Kent. She described this as being a genuine advantage.
Her existing relationship with Jane Harrington, then Vice-Chancellor at Greenwich, meant early conversations were open and constructive, and decisions turned into action without unnecessary friction. Rather than the acting arrangement holding things back, it helped move them ahead.
George said, “Two things stand out that helped the merger conversations progress. To begin with, Kent and Greenwich already had a strong history of good working relationships, particularly our shared provision and services as part of the Universities at Medway. This meant there were existing relationships of trust and collaboration. The other, my personal position at Kent meant that whilst I was deeply invested in Kent’s long-term future, I’d been clear from the outset I was stepping into the VC role on an interim basis only. The question of who would lead wasn’t a barrier to the exploration of what would work strategically for both universities.”
Acting leadership and interim leadership aren’t the same thing. One is stepping up from within, and the other is brought in from outside. But they share something important: leadership designed for a period of transition, focused on getting the organisation successfully through a time of change.
One merger, several leadership challenges
George’s second point was the one Anderson Quigley has been thinking about most since. A merger doesn’t call for one type of leadership. Different points in the journey ask for different steps and actions.
“Leadership needs to evolve, what you need to do to secure a merger, isn’t the same as to complete it, and is different again from what you need to do to deliver it in practice. Managing complexity and being strategic and decisive are valuable throughout. For me, the interim nature of some roles in my team helped to build capacity and experience in different ways, including through providing independence and challenge to longstanding ways of working, decision making, and prioritising.”
What strikes us is how much the job changes along the way.
At the start, leadership is about relationships and nerve: having the confidence to ask, “should we?” and the trust to explore the answer openly. Once the decision is made, it becomes about accountability, keeping a complex programme on track whilst the university carries on as normal. After completion, the emphasis shifts again to patience and people, as two communities learn to work as one. And finally, it becomes about vision, with leaders shaping what the new organisation will become.
Those are very different skill sets, and it would be unusual to find them all in one person, or one team, at full capacity, at the same time.
Few leadership teams have the capacity and the full range of experience for every stage, especially when the day job doesn’t pause. It is telling that LASE deliberately built additional senior capacity into its transition to keep momentum and retain knowledge from both institutions. Advance HE’s review of the City St George’s, University of London merger reached a similar conclusion: clear senior leadership in place early, with no ambiguity about who decides, was one of its three critical factors for success (read: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-views/new-report-provides-practical-insights-university-mergers).
Where interims add value
Around the table, the interim leaders in attendance kept coming back to four themes.
A fresh pair of eyes. Someone arriving from outside sees the organisation as it is, not as it has always been. In a merger, where two sets of assumptions may meet, that perspective is valuable.
Independence. Interim leaders aren’t aligned with either legacy institution or any internal faction, which makes them credible to both sides whilst trust is still being built.
Tactful, but truthful. Change at this scale needs people who will say what the room may not want to hear, in a way that keeps people with them. Candour without diplomacy creates resistance, and diplomacy without candour creates drift.
No vested interest in the long-term structure. An interim leader isn’t positioning for a role in the new organisation. Their success is measured by the outcome, which frees them to make recommendations a permanent leader might find harder to make.
What interims need to get right
None of this happens automatically. Joining a merger mid-flight means getting up to speed quickly with two cultures, two histories and people who are understandably anxious about what change means for them. The most successful interim leaders earn trust fast, respect what already works, and are clear from day one about what they are there to do.
They also plan their exit. In transformation, a good handover matters as much as a strong start, so that the knowledge and momentum stay with the organisation when the individual moves on.
Leadership as a sequence
Jane Harrington and Mark Preston (Chair of LASE) have written candidly on WonkHE about LASE’s first year, highlighting how much visible leadership mattered (read: https://wonkhe.com/blogs/lessons-from-creating-the-uks-first-super-university-group/).
They have also said they will begin work on a blueprint for the sector, which we will be very interested to read. As more institutions follow, we think the most successful will treat leadership less as a fixed team and more as a sequence, matched to each stage of change
Sometimes that will be the permanent team; sometimes it will involve acting leaders stepping up, as George did. Often, it will be an experienced interim leader brought in for a defined stage, with a clear purpose.
Our thanks to George for sharing her experience so openly, and to everyone who joined us for a brilliant evening.
Interim Management and Its Impact on Transformation | AQ
Claire has supported the public sector for over 20 years, providing interim and consultancy solutions to universities, housing associations, local authorities and the NHS. Her speciality is connecting her clients with flexible talent that can help deliver sustainable change, shaping organisations for the future and improving financial and operational outcomes. Claire has built an impressive track record with public sector leaders and helped many organisations identify the right solution in time-critical situations.
Claire also has a passion for providing careers advice and guidance to individuals, especially to those who have not previously considered an interim career before, but whom have unique insights and skills to offer the interim market. Claire joined Anderson Quigley in December 2021 to focus on supporting higher education, healthcare and social housing with senior interim managers and consultancy solutions.
You can contact her at claire.lauder@andersonquigley.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.
