Sustainability Conference 2024: From vision to impact

Aimed at senior and strategic leaders within HE, this conference will focus on the sector's responsibilities in relation to the UN SDGs, civic responsibility, new sustainability initiatives and research.

By way of keynote speakers, panel sessions and workshops, this conference will provide a forum for learning about evidence-based and co-produced initiatives that engender real change, and offer a safe space for discussion on how to achieve your institution's sustainability targets.

Join us at the conference

Date: 11 June 2024, virtual

Book your place

Who should attend?

This conference is aimed at senior and strategic leaders of higher education institutions wishing to progress the sustainability agenda within their institutions and make impactful change.

Sustainability Conference 2024 Programme

Download

Speakers

Welcome address

Alison Johns

Chief Executive
,
Advance HE

Alison is the Chief Executive of Advance HE. She was appointed in the autumn 2017, to lead the merger of three national agencies which created Advance HE in 2018. Prior to that, she was the Chief Executive of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (LFHE).

Damien Ashford

Partner, Education Sector Lead, PwC UK

Damien has been at PwC for over 25 years, specialising in restructuring and performance improvement for government clients, leading many high profile, complex and sensitive assignments from independent reviews to hands on implementation support.

Keynote from Rufus Black

Our first keynote of the day is Rufus Black, Vice Chancellor from University of Tasmania, sharing the story of their 20 place rise in the Times HE Impact Rankings in 2023 and their ambitious Lighthouse Strategy. We will hear about the UTAS vision in the context of the social, environmental and economic sustainability context with tips on how the vision converts to impact. Rufus will emphasise the importance of vision in creating a joined up university wide approach from Student to Board, and give examples of how UTAS measures success, past, present, future.

Rufus Black

Vice-Chancellor and President
,
University of Tasmania

Rufus Black is the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Tasmania.

Rufus holds degrees in law, politics, economics, ethics, and theology from the University of Melbourne and Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.

Chair

Professor Nick Petford

Former Vice Chancellor and CEO
,
University of Northampton

Nick is a past Royal Society University Research Fellow and Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge. A refrigeration engineer then geologist by training, with a DSc from the University of Liverpool, Nick has worked in industry and on academic and commercial research projects throughout the world.

Dr Christine Thompson

Corporate Planning Director
,
Cranfield University

Dr Christine Thompson has been in senior governance roles at Cranfield University for almost 10 years, initially as Director of Research and Innovation and currently as Corporate Planning Director within the Executive Office.

Peter Ptashko

Cambio Founder

Peter Ptashko FRSA is a social entrepreneur, funder and supporter of social entrepreneurs and currently an independent entrepreneurship change management consultant working with a range of clients across the Public and Private sectors. He holds a series of leadership and Board-level positions across these two sectors.