UCISA25 Leadership Conference 2025: Insights and Reflections

Introduction

Attending the UCISA25 Leadership Conference in Brighton this March was an exciting opportunity for me as an IT professional in higher education. I was fortunate to attend on a PlusOne bursary-funded place, a scheme that enables first-time delegates from member institutions to join when budget might otherwise be a barrier​ (ucisa.ac.uk). This flagship event brought together digital leaders from universities and colleges to explore the latest trends, share best practices, and network with peers​ (cgi.com).

Day 1 – Embracing AI and Future Learning

The conference kicked off with a focus on emerging technologies – here delegates gather for a morning keynote. Day 1 set the stage with a strong focus on the impact of artificial intelligence in higher education. A standout session asked “Are you ready for Generation AI?”, underscoring how rapidly AI tools are becoming part of the academic landscape. In particular, we discussed the emergence of Microsoft 365 Copilot and similar AI copilots in education. There was excitement about Copilot’s potential to assist staff and students with content creation and automation, but also healthy caution around readiness. Presenters stressed that universities aspiring to adopt Copilot must first tackle underlying data governance challenges – information sprawl, rising storage costs, and the risk of oversharing sensitive data were noted as key hurdles that could hinder AI adoption if left unaddressed ​(ucisa.ac.uk). This was an eye-opening point: before we unleash powerful AI assistants on campus, we need to get our digital house in order (e.g. cleaning up SharePoint/OneDrive content and tightening access controls).

Another Day 1 highlight was a thought-provoking discussion on how AI can personalise learning. We heard examples of AI-driven tutoring systems and saw demos of a “Teaching & Learning Copilot” being developed to support educators. As an IT strategist, I was particularly interested in how we can balance innovation with ethics – ensuring AI is used responsibly and inclusively. By the end of Day 1, it was clear that AI is not a distant future concept; it’s here now, and our institutions must evolve policies and infrastructure quickly. I left the day feeling energised about the possibilities of AI in our sector, but also with a to-do list for governance improvements to support those possibilities.

Day 2 – Innovations in Action and Collaboration

Day 2 was packed with practical showcases and strategic insights. In the morning, I attended a brilliant breakout session by Edinburgh Napier University and CGI. They demonstrated their collaborative digital campus navigation initiative – a smartphone Wayfinder app using augmented reality (AR) to help students navigate their campus effortlessly​ (cgi.com). Seeing the live AR demo was impressive: hold up your phone and digital arrows overlay on the real world, guiding you to your lecture hall or the library. This initiative clearly addressed a real student pain point (getting lost on campus!) with an innovative solution. It was a great example of university–industry partnership yielding tangible benefits. I could imagine implementing something similar at our university to improve the student experience, perhaps even building on their approach since Napier and CGI openly shared lessons from their partnership.

Midday, the focus shifted to curriculum innovation on a global scale. A keynote from the team at the soon-to-be-formed Adelaide University (Australia) was especially intriguing. They spoke about the merger of the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia and how they are putting curriculum management first in this complex project. One concept that resonated with me was the idea of modular curricula and stackable credentials. The speakers explained that the new institution will enable flexible, lifelong learning pathways – “stackable degree structures will enable multiple entry paths and nested qualifications to support scaffolded learning attainment and transitions”​ (thepienews.com). This approach means a student could, for example, earn a certificate, then stack it into a diploma, and eventually into a degree over time. It’s a forward-thinking strategy to cater to diverse learners, and it really inspired me to think about how we might introduce more modular, micro-credential options in our own programs. The Adelaide team’s honest reflections on merging two universities – especially the importance of a unified curriculum platform – provided valuable lessons in change management and academic governance.

Another insightful session on Day 2 came from King’s College London, where CIO Nick Leake and colleague John Butterworth shared King’s digital transformation journey. They framed their strategy using the McKinsey “Rewired” model as a guiding framework​ (ucisa.ac.uk). Essentially, this model helped them ensure that the university’s digital strategy was business-led and fully embraced by the leadership (“rewiring” how the institution thinks about digital opportunities). They even brought in an interactive exercise using a BTS (Business Transformation Services) approach to engage the audience in thinking like a C-suite, which was a fun twist. I particularly liked how King’s linked high-level strategy to on-the-ground execution: they showcased how they are using the Higher Education Reference Models (HERM) and maintaining architectural records to transform service design in practice​ (ucisa.ac.uk). For instance, they showed a visual of how HERM maps out university business capabilities and IT systems – a great governance tool that ensures nothing important is overlooked in their roadmap. As someone involved in strategy at my university, seeing this framework-driven approach in action was immensely helpful. It gave me ideas for adopting similar models (perhaps even HERM itself, which is openly available) to structure our own digital roadmap.

One of many informative slides – here a university shares its digital transformation framework. In the afternoon, broader sector-wide challenges took the stage in panel discussions. A COO panel (with Chief Operating Officers from several universities, including our very own Dr Rob Hickey) discussed the evolving role of operations in digital strategy. They touched on everything from funding constraints to the need for agile governance. A recurring theme was the importance of integration – not just technology integration but integrating services across departments and even across institutions. This set the scene for a lively roundtable debate on shared services in higher ed IT. The provocative question posed was “Shared services – innovation or erosion of independence?”​ (ucisa.ac.uk). Opinions were split some argued that shared platforms and services (for example, a common integration framework for systems or a joint data center) can drive innovation by pooling resources and standardizing best practices. Others cautioned that if overdone, they could make universities too similar and limit local innovation, potentially eroding a university’s unique identity and autonomy. My take-away from this discussion was that shared services and integration frameworks are powerful – especially for things like cloud infrastructure or commodity IT services – but they need governance and careful design. We should collaborate where it truly adds value (and scale), but also safeguard the distinctive elements of each institution. Hearing real examples from the panel (like a group of universities co-developing an integration API hub for shared systems) helped me see how we might pursue similar collaborations in a balanced way.

The culmination of Day 2 was the Annual UCISA Awards Dinner, which was both a celebratory and networking highlight. During the evening, outstanding achievements in our field were recognized. For example, the Transformation Award (sponsored by CGI) went to the University of Strathclyde for their StrathApp student co-creation mobile app model​ (ucisa.ac.uk).

This project was praised for its impact on student experience and its innovative approach of involving students in development. Another notable winner was Queen’s University Belfast, recognized for an “Empowering Education” AI Hub strategy that is guiding their use of AI in teaching and research (ucisa.ac.uk) – very fitting given all the AI talk earlier in the conference. It was inspiring to see these success stories celebrated; as the winners went up on stage, I felt proud to be part of the same community pushing the sector forward. The dinner itself was also a great chance to mingle informally – I chatted with IT leaders from other universities, comparing notes on our challenges and exchanging business cards (and maybe a few Twitter handles!). Those personal connections are one of the unsung benefits of events like this.

Day 3 – Strategy, Culture, and Inspiration for the Future

By Day 3, the conference hadn’t lost any momentum. The focus shifted to high-level strategy and culture – essentially, how do we equip our people and institutions for the future we’d been talking about. A morning plenary by De Montfort University’s leadership described how they are building a digitally mature workforce. They shared their approach to assessing digital skills and

developing “digital champions” across the university to foster a culture where staff help each other grow in digital confidence. This was accompanied by a useful digital fluency audit framework that I’m keen to adapt back home.

A unique session called the UCISA Dragon’s Den added some fun to the mix. Modeled after the TV show, it featured three IT leaders pitching collaborative sector-wide ideas (like a shared service or a new joint solution) to a panel of “dragons” (IT executives). The ideas ranged from creating a membership-owned company for shared procurement to developing a joint platform to fill a common technology gap. The audience got to vote on which idea they’d hypothetically invest in. It was an engaging way to spur creative thinking about cross-institution collaboration – and it highlighted that sometimes we can achieve more together, an ethos that echoed the shared services debate from Day 2. (For the record, the winning pitch was a proposal to create a shared analytics service for smaller institutions – something I’ll be following up on!).

Another highlight was a panel led by Jisc on digital transformation frameworks and maturity models. They reported on a program where 24 universities (and even one in France) used Jisc’s digital transformation framework and maturity model to self-assess their digital maturity​ (ucisa.ac.uk). The panel of CIOs shared critical success factors and candid stories from this exercise – from securing senior buy-in, to identifying skills gaps, to prioritizing investments. It was reassuring to hear that many universities face similar hurdles in their digital journeys. The Jisc framework (which covers areas like infrastructure, data, culture, and skills) provides a structured way to benchmark and plan improvements. I realised we could leverage that model at our university to baseline where we stand and map out our own digital roadmap more clearly. The framework’s emphasis on culture and people resonated strongly: digital transformation isn’t just about tech, but also about hearts and minds.

The grand finale of the conference was the keynote by Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE – and it was nothing short of inspiring. Dr. Imafidon, who was voted the most influential woman in UK tech in 2020 (ucisa.ac.uk), brought a powerful message about inclusive leadership and innovation. “Technology is a team sport,” she remarked, emphasizing that making progress in the digital era requires diverse teams and a focus on equity. She shared her own journey as a STEM pioneer and champion for women in tech and related it back to the higher education context: if we want to lead in digital, we must tap into all talent and champion underrepresented voices. Her stories ranged from her time as a child prodigy in computing, to founding STEMettes, to anecdotes from advising organizations on tech ethics. What struck me most was her call to action for us: to be bold and imaginative in how we leverage technology for education, while also being ethical and user centric. It was a fitting close to the event – energizing us to return to our campuses ready to “rewire” how we work (to borrow the King’s term) and to nurture the next generation of tech leaders.

Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon’s keynote left the audience feeling inspired about the future of tech in education. As I sat there listening, I scribbled down a note to myself: think big, but bring others with you. That seems to encapsulate her message. The final conference remarks after her talk echoed a similar sentiment – the UCISA Chair encouraged all of us to take our new insights and connections and “turn ideas into action” back at our institutions. With that, and a last networking coffee, UCISA25 came to a close.