IHE Annual Conference 2025

Join us on Wednesday 26 November 2025 for the UK’s flagship event for the independent higher education sector.

The IHE Annual Conference 2025 will take place at our new conference venue, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP London).

What to expect

Our conference programme features a variety of engaging keynote speakers, panel discussions and breakout sessions - view the agenda.

You can expect insights covering key areas of higher education policy, a range of perspectives on sector regulation, and the opportunity to network with sector leaders and senior staff from independent higher education providers. Revisit our highlights from last year's conference.

In the evening, we will be celebrating excellence and innovation in independent higher education, announcing this year's winners - view all shortlisted finalists.

Confirmed speakers for 2025

• Rt Hon Baroness Jacqui Smith
  Minister for Skills, Department for Education
• Professor Edward Peck CBE
  Chair, Office for Students
• Dr Arif Ahmed MBE
  Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom, OfS
• Sir Peter Bazalgette
  Industry Co-Chair, Creative Industries Council
• Phil Smith CBE
  Chair, Skills England
• Dr Eliza Kozman
  Deputy Chief Executive Officer, TASO
• Helena Vine
  Lead Policy Officer (England), QAA
• Ben Jordan
  Director of Strategy, UCAS
• Professor Ellen Hazelkorn
  Joint Managing Partner, BH Associates
• Sam Sanders
  Head of Education, Skills & Productivity, KPMG UK
• Joan Concannon
  Chief Reputation & Stakeholder Relations Officer, University of York
• Mary Curnock Cook CBE
  Chair, Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology
• Dr Adam Saunders
  Director, Oxford Data Technologies Limited
• Professor James Robson
  Director of Oxford University Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE)
• Valentina Vlasova
  Senior Lecturer and Programme Lead, OMNES Education
• Dr Yanyan Li
  Project Lead, AI for Study Purposes, University of Warwick
• Meifang Zhuo
  PhD Candidate, Student Lead, AI for Study Purposes, University of Warwick
• Dr Ailsa Crum
  Independent Consultant
• Neil Mosley
  Online and Digital Education Consultant
• Cheryl Watson
  VP Education, TechnologyOne
• Julia Roberts
  Practice Lead, Education GatenbySanderson
• Poppy Short
  Partner, Mills & Reeve
• Vivi Friedgut
  Founder and CEO, Blackbullion
• Joan Concannon
  Chief Reputation & Stakeholder Relations Officer, University of York
• Mary Curnock Cook CBE
  Chair, Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology
• Dr Peter Kay
  Associate Dean of Academic Engagement and Partnership, TEDI-London
• Mike Ratcliffe
  Interim Senior Advisor: Regulatory & Compliance, University of the West of England
• Nichola Carter
  Partner, Keystone Law
• Anne Morrison
  Chair, Escape Studios
• Dr Josh Patel
  Senior Education & Policy Researcher, Edge Foundation 
• Jane Harris
  Co-Director of Student Welfare and Support Services and Head of Counselling, University of Oxford
• Deepa Chadha
  Policy Advisor, UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)
• Liam Earney
  Managing Director of Higher Education and Research, Jisc
• Sharona Friedman
  President & CEO, Global Institute of Sport
• June Dennis
  Executive Dean, LCK Academy
• Simon Nelson
  Chief Executive Officer, QA Higher Education
• David Willetts
  President, Resolution Foundation
• Dan Tinkler
  Governance Development Manager, Advance HE
• Dr Peter Rae
  Vice Principal (Academic Quality), Nazarene Theological College
• Ada Zakrzewska
  Labour Market Economist, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Dr Nasser Siabi OBE
  CEO, Microlink PC (UK)
• Dr Patrina Law, PFHEA, FRSA
  Lifelong Learning Lead, The RSA
• James Pitman
  Managing Director, Higher Education UK and Europe, Study Group, and Chair of the Board, IHE
• Steffan Davies
  Chief Executive Officer, AD Education UK, and IHE Board Member
  
• Rachel Nicholson
  Head of Institution, Academy of Live Technology, and IHE Board Member
• Phil Deans
  President and Vice Chancellor, Richmond American University London, and Vice Chair of the IHE Board
• Musa Raja
  Independent Student Board Member and Chair of the Student Advisory Board, IHE, and Student, University of Buckingham
• Marion Lowe
  Chief Executive Officer, SP Jain London School of Management, and IHE Board Member
• Charlotte Blant
  Founder and CEO, Tiro, and IHE Board Member

What did last year's delegates say?

“Your conference is truly a hidden gem with great ideas, experience and knowledge that the wider sector could really benefit from”.

“The sessions were jam-packed with insights into the challenges and opportunities facing independent providers”.

“A fascinating day and another powerful reminder of how this diverse group of specialist providers offers something important for the UK sector”.

“Another excellent Independent Higher Education conference. Fantastic speakers and a general sense of optimism arising from the agility of the IHE community”.

Booking queries

Please email events@ihe.ac.uk with any booking queries.