AMOSSHE National Conference 2025: innovate, inspire, influence

Beth Allender

Programme Manager, National Student Mental Health Partnerships Programme, Cardiff University

Beth was recruited by Cardiff University in January 2021 to support the development and delivery of a pilot to improve understanding, access and support to NHS Mental Health Services for university students in Cardiff, particularly those with moderate to severe, complex or long term mental health symptoms. This has expanded into a national programme of work involving all further and higher institutes and their regional NHS Health Boards. 

Prior to the current role, Beth has been a programme and project manager for over fifteen years. Working in universities in Wales, within Student Services, Strategic Programmes and IT Services, in particular with cultural and student experience transformation programmes. She has supported managing aspects of planning and design for the £450 million Bay Campus development for Swansea University. Starting her career in the NHS, Beth also has experience in hospital administration and Welsh National IT Programmes.

: /beth-allender-13215b24/

Dr Aleata Alstad-Calkins

Director of Student Support & Success, University of Roehampton

Aleata is an AMOSSHE Executive Member and Director of Student Support & Success at the University of Roehampton.

: https://www.amosshe.org.uk/about/our-team.html

Helen Arber

Head of Operations, Unite Foundation

Helen is Head of Operations for the Unite Foundation with oversight of the charity’s central scholarship offer and the 'All of Us' student community. Her background is in strategic development and continuous impact evaluation contextualised within the policy environment.

: https://allofus.uk/
: @all_of_us_uk

Elizabeth Back

Disability Services Manager, University of Bristol

Elizabeth Back has been dedicated to supporting students with disabilities in higher education since 2017. Elizabeth moved into disability support following previous roles in libraries and archives at the University of Bristol and University of Oxford. Since June 2023, she has been Disability Services Manager at the University of Bristol, where she leads a team committed to ensuring an inclusive and supportive environment for disabled students. Elizabeth’s recent projects include creating structured referral pathways for academic staff and refreshing systems and processes to reduce, and where possible remove, the need for supporting documentation from students.

: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/students/support/disability-support/
: /elizabeth-back-a77766361/

Emma Bales

AMOSSHE Vice Chair (Operations), Director of Student Services, University of Cumbria

Emma is Vice Chair (Operations) at AMOSSHE and Director of Student Services at the University of Cumbria. 

: https://www.amosshe.org.uk/about/our-team.html

Dr Lesley Black

Director of Student Support and Success, University of Winchester

Lesley is Director of Student Support and Success at the University of Winchester. She has strategic responsibility for student experience, retention, and transition. She believes strongly in the connection between creativity and good mental wellbeing and has previously worked with her co-presenter, Glenn Fosbraey, in creating Breaking Barriers: 100 personal accounts of mental ill health, recovery, and connection, from which this project (Sunny Side Up) grew.

: dr-lesley-black-59437115/

Harriet Blaise

Student Experience and Support Officer, Keele University

Harriet has worked at Keele University in student support roles for the past 7 years. Before this, Harriet worked in schools, after completing her teaching qualification in BA Primary Education.

Harriet began her career in Higher Education as a member of the Disability Support and Inclusion team, before moving to her role as a Student Experience and Support Officer.

Harriet is one of the six trained Domestic Abuse Liaison Officers at Keele and case manages this team.

: https://www.keele.ac.uk/students/lifeoutsideofstudy/neverok/relationshipabuseandsexualviolence/domes

Jamie Boyle

Client Director, Education Division, Howden

Jamie has over 12 years of experience in the education sector and has been instrumental in developing Howden’s Student Assistance Programme.

As the Client Director leading the Education team at Howden Education, Jamie collaborates with schools, colleges, universities, training centres, and accommodation providers across the UK to deliver mental health, counselling, and wellbeing support services.

In the past year, Jamie has successfully onboarded and supported 25 higher and further education institutions and their 200,000 students, providing ongoing support through close-working partnerships.

Jamie is passionate about improving mental health and wellbeing support for learners of all ages and backgrounds.

: https://www.howdengroup.com/uk-en/sector/education/student-and-pupil-wellbeing
: https://www.linkedin.com/company/howdencommercial/

Sophie Brassill

Eating Disorder Support Coordinator, King's College London

Sophie is the Eating Disorder Support Coordinator at King’s College London. The Eating Disorder Support Coordinator project was launched in September 2024, funded by Central and North West London NHS, to assist students at King’s College London. This role is split between the Counselling and Mental Health Team and King’s College Health Centre, providing support to students dealing with disordered eating, body dysphoria, image-related concerns, and/or compensatory behaviours. The role was introduced to ensure early intervention for individuals that are struggling with disordered eating habits.

Sophie is dedicated to raising awareness and increasing understanding of eating disorders through training and outreach initiatives.  Sophie is also passionate about suicide prevention and has delivered suicide awareness training to colleagues within King’s College London. Prior to joining King’s, Sophie worked at Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity.

Julie Castleman

Mental Health Trainer, The Charlie Waller Trust

Julie is an experienced a well-rounded professional, with extensive experience of providing mental health and suicide prevention training. She is a BACP Accredited Counsellor and has substantial experience of working therapeutically within the HE sector, her last role was as Team Lead for the University of Bath Counselling and Mental Health Service.

Julie is passionate about raising awareness of mental health, providing training and supporting universities to develop a ‘Whole University Approach’ to the mental health and wellbeing of staff and students.'  She is committed to equality and diversity and the dignity and respect of all individuals.

Julie has a positive and enthusiastic approach to her training delivery, she is passionate about raising awareness of mental health, promoting and enabling confidence in others to offer support whilst being mindful of their personal boundaries and wellbeing.

Julie has a particular passion for suicide prevention and is currently a member of the British Standard Institute group, working to develop a ‘British Standard on Suicide Prevention’, ensuring that the HE sector has a voice within this.

: https://charliewaller.org
: juliecastleman

Jessica Christie

Student Information Service Manager, University of Leeds

Jess is a member of the leadership and management team of the Student Information Service, part of the Student Experience and Support Directorate at the University of Leeds. She has worked in student support and leadership roles within the University of Leeds for over 12 years with experience of support delivered in both Faculty and centralised teams.

In 2022 Jess joined the Leeds Institute of Teaching Excellence as a fellow, co-leading a research project exploring the needs and experiences of students seeking support and information to influence service design. 

: https://teachingexcellence.leeds.ac.uk/research/fellowships/developing-student-centred-services/
: jessica-christie-1ab493255

John` Darragh

Safe and Healthy Relationships Adviser, Ulster University

John commenced his role with Ulster University in October 2023. He is the lead for the Green Dot Bystander Intervention Campaign, which was rolled out in the current academic year. John also manages the Report and Support platform and supports students who have had unwanted sexual experiences. He is a member of the COSHARE (Consent, Sexual Violence, Harassment & Equality in Higher Education) Network and is the on the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Tertiary Sector Working group.

Prior to joining Ulster University, John was a Youth Conference Co-ordinator with the Youth Justice Agency. He facilitated Restorative Justice meetings using a balanced model with young people and victims of crime in relation to Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB). This included assessment (AIM3), risk management, therapeutic referrals and making recommendations to the Youth Courts.

Andrea Didier

Associate Director of Student Services (Student Engagement retention and Success), University of East London

Andrea Didier is Associate Director of Student Services (Student Engagement retention and Success) at the University of East London with strategic responsibility for Academic Tutoring, Programme Management, and Impact and Evaluation teams. Central to Andrea’s portfolio is the development, delivery and implementation of the university’s Access and Participation Plan.This includes a strong commitment to eliminating differential outcomes for students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds and embedding inclusive practices that support student belonging, progression, and success. With substantial experience in the post compulsory education and HE sectors, Andrea brings a depth of expertise and knowledge in developing impactful, student-focused interventions. Currently undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Education, her research interests centres on equity in higher education and  institutional change.

: https://www.uel.ac.uk/undergraduate/student-support/disability
: /andrea-didier/

Steph Eardley

Client Operations Manager, Randstad Student Support

Steph has worked closely with Randstad’s university partners for the past 14 years to provide tailor-made specialist solutions for their Student Services, enabling them to provide every student with the support they need to achieve a fulfilling and rewarding university experience. The Randstad Student Support team currently provides over 5,000 specialist support staff to institutions across the UK, and we are incredibly proud to support over 20,000 students each academic year. 

: https://www.randstad.co.uk/employers/areas-of-expertise/student-support/
: /company/randstad/

Professor Carol Evans

PVC Education and Student Experience, University of Salford

Professor Carol Evans is a global leader in research-informed inclusive pedagogy. She is the PVC Education and Student Experience at the University of Salford, Manchester. Previous roles include Principal Assessor for England’s Office for Students, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) at Griffith University (Australia), Chair of Higher Education and Academic Lead of HEFi at the University of Birmingham, Professor and Co-Director of Southampton’s Centre for Higher Education, and Board member at the University of Bournemouth. She is a member of the British Council’s Higher Education Sector Group and an Honorary Visiting Professor at Cardiff University. She is a National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow.

Carol has produced world-leading research in assessment in higher education. Her inclusive Assessment Framework (EAT) has been successfully applied within UK and international contexts. Professor Evans is passionate about enhancing disability inclusion, and in working collaboratively with partners across the UK and internationally to realise this. Recent work includes the development of an integrated disability inclusion framework; the TASO what works disability inclusion review, and analyses of UK and international students with disabilities experiences of UK higher education with the British Council. She also leads the research strategy for Realising Inclusion for Disabled Employees in higher education (RIDE Higher).

: https://inclusivehe.org/disability-inclusion/

Kitty Eve

Disability Service Manager, Bath Spa University

Kitty is the Disability Service Manager at Bath Spa University (BSU). Prior to this she was a primary school teacher for 25 years. She is a qualified SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator) and has a PG Dip in Inclusion. In addition to managing the Disability Service, she provides lectures about inclusion on the UG Education degree at BSU and regularly runs training sessions for academic and professional services colleagues about disability and inclusion. While teaching, Kitty also mentored for trainee SENDCos at BSU on the National Award for SEN Co-ordination (NASENCo), a statutory Masters level award for newly appointed SENDCos in maintained schools. She is currently working with academic colleagues to write a new open module for UG students at BSU entitled Understanding Disability: Exploring Accessible Practices and Environments. The module is unique because both academic and professional services colleagues from across the University were part of the module’s inception and reflects BSU’s inclusivity. It will explore themes relating to disability, access, inclusion and employability. 

Alison Felton

Head of Student Wellbeing, Keele University

Alison has worked in higher education for the past 24 years, beginning her career as a policy advisor at the Higher Education Funding Council for England and then at Keele University where she has worked in various roles all with a student experience focus leading to her current role as Head of Student Wellbeing.

Alison manages a range of services at Keele, including Student Experience and Support, Disability Support and Inclusion, Counselling and Mental Health, Sexual Violence Liaison Officers, Domestic Abuse Liaison Officers, Residence Life and the Safeguarding and Prevent network.

: https://www.keele.ac.uk/students/lifeoutsideofstudy/neverok/relationshipabuseandsexualviolence/domes

Alice Ferrebe

Head of Academic Skills, University of Chester

Alice has over twenty years experience of teaching, research and leadership in Universities in the UK, Ireland and China. This includes a strong publication record in pedagogical and, particularly, literary studies. She is passionate about widening opportunities for participation and international mobility in education. So too in sport: Alice is incredibly proud to be a founding Board Member and fund-raiser for Cerebral Palsy United Football Club.

: /alice-ferrebe-069b53242

Claire Flegg

Assistant Head of Student Support, University of Leeds

Claire is Assistant Head of Student Support at the University of Leeds, a member of the Directorate of Student Experience and Support leadership team with responsibility for the University’s ‘Student Information Service;’ a new initiative providing holistic, high quality support and information to the full student and PGR body about any and all aspect of study and live at Leeds. With a focus on improving the student experience Claire works cross institutionally in support of operational improvements to support seamless delivery of support and services.

Claire's background is in student support and service development; having worked across Disability Services and on whole university change programmes.

A fellow of the prestigious Leeds Institute of Teaching Excellence, Claire has led research exploring the needs and experiences of students seeking support and information to identify how services can be designed to contribute to student success and a sense of belonging.

: https://teachingexcellence.leeds.ac.uk/research/fellowships/developing-student-centred-services/
: claire-flegg-2904a665

Glenn Fosbraey

Associate Dean of Humanities, University of Winchester

: https://glennfosbraey.com/
: glenn-fosbraey-9889009a/

Mark Fudge

Mental Health Trainer, The Charlie Waller Trust

: https://www.charliewaller.org/

Ifẹ Grillo

Student Inclusion Officer (Race & Ethnicity) and Global Majority Chair, University of Bristol

Ifẹ Grillo is an award-winning writer, campaigner and educator.

They’re the APP strategic lead for reducing the awarding gap for Global Majority students. Under their leadership, the university has developed the Race Inclusion Advocate, Horizons and Black Associate programmes, as well as the Belonging Fund. They co-chair the university-wide Transition, Community and Belonging group, which brings staff across the institution together to develop strategies and interventions to support Global Majority students. They’re also Chair of the Global Majority Workers group, leading the University’s work to improve the experience and outcomes of Global Majority staff.

Alongside the Assistant Director for EDI Strategy, they lead on the university’s Anti Racism in Practice Training, which works with service directors to train their teams to proactively build antiracism into their work. Outside of HE, they’re a published writer, national poetry champion and former World Debate Champion. Ifẹ Grillo is also Vice Chair of the NSPCC’s Board of Trustees, working to ensure children are safe and protected. Ifẹ has advised organisations such as Google, the BBC and the Department for Education on how to improve the lives of young people.

: /ife-g-49250511a/

Dr Emine Gurbuz

Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences, University of Portsmouth

: https://www.port.ac.uk/research/research-groups-and-centres/centre-for-interaction-development-and-d
: @https://x.com/emine_gurbuz

Professor Julie Hall

Vice Chancellor, London Metropolitan University

Julie joined London Metropolitan University as Vice Chancellor in August 2024, after two years as Deputy Vice Chancellor. The university educates over 25,000 students, including students who study overseas, and employs just over 1,000 people. Previously, she was Deputy Vice Chancellor at Solent University Southampton and before that Pro Vice-Chancellor equivalent at Roehampton University. Her early career was spent in London, lecturing at various providers and as an active campaigner, including working on a book in 2004 called Tell it Like it Is that was supported by Doreen Lawrence. 34 years after Grenadian scholar Bernard Coard caused a social and political storm in his seminal study that exposed the plight of Black children in the education system, and kick-started many of the anti-racist and multi-cultural policies of the 1970s and 80s, Tell it Like It Is brought the debate firmly into the 21st century. She is a Professor of Higher Education, a Senior Fellow of the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA), a Principal Fellow of Advance HE and a National Teaching Fellow.

Professor Hall has written extensively on working with students as partners in learning and has advised universities in the UK and in Europe, Japan, the Caribbean and the Lebanon. She has acted as an expert witness to parliamentary commissions on teaching quality, as chair of SEDA,  and has sat on the boards of further education colleges, school trusts, cultural organisations and hospitals during a long career with a commitment to improving life chances through education. This is in part because she didn’t take a straight path into academia. The first in her family to enter higher education, using the clearing route when she changed her mind about her degree subject, taking a masters degree while working, encouraged by her parents and inspired by her grandmother who was a cleaner at Birmingham University.

: https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/profiles/staff/julie-hall/
: professor-julie-hall-67b55812/

Richard Hind

Learning Technologist, University of Chester

Richard Hind works as a Learning Technologist for eight years, and within higher education for ten. Supporting faculties across the University of Chester on dozens of projects.  His focus is always around the user experience for both staff and student, removing the friction that causes engagement to decline. His current projects are within game-based learning, encouraging team-based experiential learning in policing and criminology through repeatable practice and externally focussed University content to preload and prepare students coming to the University of Chester.

: richard-hind-972b91195

James Hooper

Student Services Lead, targetconnect, Group GTI

James is Key Account Manager and Student Services Lead for targetconnect and works extensively with services such as counselling and mental health, disability, study skills and funding. James has been working with targetconnect for over ten years and has 25 years’ experience in platforms and EdTech.

As the Student Services Lead, James is the voice for Student Support Services to ensure that targetconnect continues to develop features and tools to help university teams support their students.

James is also a parent of a young person at a UK university who is receiving support from their institution’s Disability and Wellbeing Services, so also sees the sector’s challenges, and the impact of student support, from this perspective. James is enormously grateful for how Student Services support students at such a pivotal time of life, and is proud to be a small contributor to this process.

James is keen to work more with the targetconnect community and gain new insights into the sector. You can message James or visit targetconnect at their stand in the exhibition area to share ideas and best practice about targetconnect and supporting students.

: james-hooper-021892/

Keith Houghton

Head of Student Support and Wellbeing, The University of Law

Keith is an AMOSSHE Executive Member and Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at The University of Law. 

: https://www.amosshe.org.uk/about/our-team.html

Kirsty Hutchinson

Manager, Welfare and Counselling Service, Newcastle University

Kirsty has held the position of Manager of Welfare and Counselling Services at Newcastle University since 2021. As a strategic and compassionate leader, with vast experience in student mental health, counselling, and wellbeing services across higher and secondary education, Kirsty has a proven track record in leading system-level change, building psychologically safe teams and collaborative cultures. Kirsty is a new member of the HUCS specialist interest group executive committee. 

Alongside the day job, Kirsty has an interest in practice-based research and is currently completing an MSc in Strategic Leadership, where her research focuses on embedding student wellbeing as a strategic priority in UK HEIs, work which aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly around reducing inequalities and promoting education for life.

Kirsty has won recent sector awards for innovation, specifically in relation to the Impact Measurement Scale, a non clinical tool designed to capture data and insights into student wellbeing presentations, and supports a whole institution approach. IMS is an ongoing initiative to work to a sector standard of wellbeing data collection, which is currently undergoing validity testing to enable wider use. 

: kirsty-hutchinson-5085421aa
: @@UniofNewcastle

Siân Jones-Davies

Principal Associate, Mills & Reeve

Siân specialises in education, public law and regulatory matters. She has extensive experience of providing legal, regulatory, governance and strategic advice to clients in the higher education, further education and schools sectors. She advises on a range of student-related issues including student contracts and “CMA” / consumer law, complaints and court claims (including for judicial review, breach of contract, duty of care and discrimination), misconduct and discipline, fitness to practise, natural justice and procedural fairness, student mental health, duty of care and safeguarding, and harassment and sexual misconduct. Siân reviews student regulations, policies and procedures and advises on their fair implementation in practice. She is a regular speaker at education sector events and delivers training and workshops to clients. Siân is recognised in Legal 500 as a leading associate.

: https://www.mills-reeve.com/people/sian-jones-davies

Nathan Kay

Head of Student Mental Health Services, Lancaster University

Nathan is a registered social worker with extensive experience in child protection and risk management within the Local Authority setting. Over the last 10 years he has been increasingly concerned for the availability of mental health support and suicide prevention for young people.

 In 2022, Nathan transitioned to a role within Higher Education, taking on the role of Head of Student Mental Health Service at Lancaster University. Since his appointment, he has led a comprehensive redesign of the university's mental health provision, moving it from a traditional counselling model to an innovative Single Session approach. This progressive system incorporates tailored pathways into broader support options including counselling, CBT, and dedicated key working services.

 Nathan brings a strategic mindset to his leadership, open to challenging established practices to ensure all processes deliver meaningful value to students. His approach is characterised by a willingness to question traditional methods, focusing instead on evidence-based outcomes and student-centred care.

 His work combines practical expertise with forward-thinking vision, helping Lancaster University's mental health services remain responsive, accessible, and effective for the diverse needs of the student population in today's challenging mental health landscape.

Richard Krytowycz

Senior Clinical Development Manager, Health Assured

Richard has worked with Health Assured for over 12 years and is a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) member, with a Certificate in Critical Incident Stress Management. He holds a Combined Honours BA in Psychology and Counselling, as well as a Post-Graduate Certificate in Professional Counselling.

Richard is a Senior Clinical & Development Manager at Health Assured and, in his role, he has overseen the transition and implementation of several services across a range of sectors developing the necessary systems and implementing processes to ensure high quality service provision, as well as building an effective counselling team.

Richard has overseen the development of student support services provided by Health Assured in partnership with Endsleigh and is the clinical lead for a number of our clients across the education sector. With this experience, he has a sound understanding of the wellbeing issues faced by both staff members and students today.   

Sally Lambah

Head of Student Support and Wellbeing, Wrexham University

Sally is an AMOSSHE Executive Member and Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at Wrexham University. 

: https://www.amosshe.org.uk/about/our-team.html

Dr Jennifer Leeder

Assistant Director, Student Counselling Service, University of Edinburgh

Jenny has remained in Higher Education (HE) for her whole working life. She has been a BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) senior accredited counsellor and manager in Student Counselling Services for over 20 years and is proud to have worked in several University Counselling Services – the University of the West of Scotland, the University of Wolverhampton, the University of Oxford and currently the University of Edinburgh. In the late nineties, her professional engagement with HE started in Widening Participation at the University of Dundee where she was a Summer School personal tutor and project officer funded by the Sutton Trust. She was introduced to the ReDD (Reducing Digital Distraction) project by its originators (Dr Ulrik Lyngs and Maureen Freed) in the summer of 2023 at an annual HUCS meeting (Heads of University Counselling Services) and ever since, has been actively engaged in ReDD activities with other enthusiastic and supportive colleagues at Edinburgh and has passionately promoted it to a wider public. She is a strong believer in HE as a transformative experience and that innovation through collaboration is the lifeblood of a healthy University.

Ben Locke Ph.D.

Chief Clinical Officer, Togetherall

Ben Locke, Ph.D., heads up the Togetherall clinical team, which provides sector-leading levels of support and risk management in the digital mental health space. Dr. Locke is focused on ensuring that 24/7/365 clinical monitoring of the Togetherall community keeps our global membership base safe and supported. He is a licensed psychologist with over 20 years in senior clinical roles in higher education and a range of clinical settings, including hospitals. Dr. Locke was the Director of the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State University for nearly two decades, developing a revolutionary tool known as the Clinical Load Index (CLI) that has since been widely adopted by colleges and universities across the US to establish treatment capacity. Dr. Locke holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Boston College.

: www.togetherall.com
: @Togetherall
: @@Togetherall

Dan Lovesey

Disability and Inclusion Advisor, The University of Law

Dan is a Disability and Inclusion Advisor at the University of Law having joined the team in October 2023. Prior to this Dan worked in a range of specialist colleges and general FE and HE institutions, with over 18 years of experience working in education, except for two years working in disability and access in football stadia and concerts.

Outside of his role in Disability and Inclusion, Dan is an autistic and ADD researcher and writer, completing a PhD with a focus on the experiences of autistic graduates going into the creative industries. Dan is also working on his first book around neurodivergence and the creative industries.

Dan is particularly interested in person centred approaches to support that empowers and allows the student to collaborate and lead on the support process and ensuring that the lived experience and student voice are central.

Tracy Lumb

Senior Project Manager - Wellbeing, SOS-UK

Tracy Lumb is the Senior Project Manager – Wellbeing at Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK). She collaborates with universities and students' unions to address student drug and alcohol use, with a strong focus on harm reduction. Tracy leads the Drug and Alcohol Impact accreditation programme and recently contributed to the Universities UK Drugs Taskforce.

Before joining SOS-UK, she spent six years in community drug and alcohol services, coordinating care for adults affected by substance use. She also provided training to healthcare professionals, support workers, and students on alcohol-related risks and harm reduction strategies.

: https://www.drugandalcoholimpact.uk/
: tracy-lumb-309488198/

Emma Maslin

Senior Policy and Research Officer, AMOSSHE

Emma Maslin is the Senior Policy and Research Officer at AMOSSHE, supporting members on policy and research initiatives. She’s worked with HEMHIT and UMHAN (University Mental Health Advisers Network) to produce a sector resource to inform the use and adoption of case management systems. Emma recently completed a PhD exploring the experiences of commuter students in the UK.

: https://www.amosshe.org.uk/about/our-team.html

Eloise McDay

Head of Student Support and Wellbeing, University College London

Eloise McDay is the Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at UCL, where she leads a large, multi-functional team supporting over 50,000 students. Her work is grounded in prevention, ensuring students receive the right support at the right time and in the right place. In 2024, UCL was named The Times University of the Year, with particular recognition given to its innovative, student-centric preventative campaigns.

Eloise has held leadership roles at several UK universities, including King’s College London and the University of Nottingham, where she began her career as Student Union President. At UCL, she has spearheaded award-winning campaigns, developed a new visual identity for the service, and transformed its communication strategy to be more student-first. She also led the university’s shift in Harm Reduction policy.

Championing student voice has been a consistent focus throughout her career, ensuring that support services are trusted, relevant, and responsive to student needs.

: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/students/support-and-wellbeing-services

James McKenzie

Assistant Director of Student Disability, University of Bristol

James was recruited by University of Bristol in March 2024 to lead on developing institutional policy and provision for disabled students. He gives strategic leadership for the Disability Services team and provides specialist advice on complex cross-institutional matters relating to inclusive practice and reasonable adjustments for disabled students. He has recently worked on updates to the University’s policy and guidance on reasonable adjustments and is developing a disability training plan. He recognises the benefits of collaboration and building strong partnerships to bring about culture change and a truly inclusive and supportive environment for the benefit of all.

James has held leadership roles within disability support in higher education for the past 22 years, including roles at UWE Bristol, University of Bath and University of South Wales. He has extensive experience of operating blended service models combining external funding sources (i.e. Disabled Students’ Allowances) with internal core budget, and outsourcing provision through formal partnership arrangements. He is passionate about delivering outstanding services for disabled students and continuously improving and enhancing service delivery.

: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/students/support/disability-support/
: /james-mckenzie-867b8bb3

Nigel Meeson

Head of Disability, Accessibility and Inclusion, University of East London

Nigel Meeson is the Head of Disability, Accessibility and Inclusion at the University of East London. Nigel has been supporting disabled students in higher education for 20 years, with a particular interest in assistive and enabling technologies, to support students to become independent learners. He is co-chair of the Universities Disability and Accessibility Working Group, which has a wide-ranging remit to breakdown both the physical and digital barriers that disabled students experiencing during their studies.

: https://www.uel.ac.uk/undergraduate/student-support/disability

Richard Mendez

Director of DASA (Directorate of Access, Skills & Apprenticeships), University of Chester

Richard Mendez is the Director of DASA (Directorate of Access, Skills & Apprenticeships) at the University of Chester. The role entails strategic oversight for a multi-discipline directorate that supports students across the entirety of the student journey; from access through to progression. The directorate has oversight for several student success services including academic skills, access and participation, careers and employability, degree apprenticeships, outreach and work-based learning (curriculum-based placements). Richard has presented keynote talks and conference papers on the topics of widening participation, curriculum development and employability in the UK and abroad.

: richard-mendez-22a0112a

Danny Mirza

Lead Consultant - Talent Team (London Hub), Coventry University London

Danny Mirza is the Lead Consultant for the Talent Team at Coventry University London. He's a tech-savvy career development professional in the UK higher education sector, known for his expertise in professional services workflows, personal branding and higher education engagement through innovative technologies like Generative AI tools and applications.

In the last two years, Danny has led 60+ workshops on Generative AI and education, reaching nearly 5000+ attendees online and in-person, engaged with 1-2-1 AI engagements with 600+ unique higher education professionals and stakeholders. He's one of the leading voices on the use of Gen AI for career development and professional services at large in the UK and has also delivered workshops with Research Impact Canada and Career Industry Council of Australia on the same topic.

Danny is a rising voice in the career and higher education scene, consistently pushing boundaries and exploring new frontiers. Danny's exceptional work has been recognised through awards such as the Employability Enhancement Award at London South Bank University, and he was nominated for three awards the past few years, including Professional Services Staff Member of the Year at of Northampton (Winner), Outstanding Newcomer at AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services) Annual Awards, and Content Marketer of the Year at the Higher Education Marketing Awards 2023. Last year, he was a finalist for the 2024 UK Career Development Awards, organised by the Career Development Institute under the 'Research done by a careers development professional' category. Recently, he has been training heads of services from European Union business schools on integrating Gen AI in careers services and was also invited to the United States. Additionally, he is scheduled to visit Europe (France, Greece and Switzerland) this year for further AI engagements.

: dannymirza

Dr Shaun Mudd

Head of Teaching Expertise Development, Learning Innovation & Skills, Bath Spa University

Shaun is an experienced academic/educational developer, having worked in several roles and institutions to support staff development in academic practice. He leads the Teaching Expertise Development team at Bath Spa University. The team facilitates professional learning for all staff who teach and support learning at Bath Spa, particularly in relation to pedagogy and curriculum design/enhancement.

Immediately before joining Bath Spa University, Shaun was Senior Lecturer in Academic Practice at the University of the West of England, and Programme Leader of their Academic Professional Programme (including the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Professional Practice, and Academic Professional Apprenticeship; accredited to award Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy).

Shaun’s original academic background was in Classics and Ancient History, specialising in alcohol consumption in ancient Greco-Roman society. He taught at the universities of Exeter and Bristol, and worked on research projects for Exeter, the European Institute for the History and Culture of Food (IEHCA) and Harvard.

: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/our-people/shaun-mudd/

Vanessa Napolitano

Student Support Manager, Leeds Trinity University

Vanessa Napolitano is the Student Support Manager at Leeds Trinity University. She has worked in student support within a range of FE and HE settings (in the UK and US) for over seventeen years.

: https://www.leedstrinity.ac.uk/blog/9/
: vanessa-napolitano-6a5568134/?originalSubdomain=uk

Drew Neill

Student Wellbeing Manager, Ulster University

Drew has worked in Student Wellbeing at Ulster University for over 10 years, currently managing the Belfast campus team of AccessAbility, Mental Health, and Student Wellbeing Advisers, Wellbeing Assistants (Triage), and other Support staff.

Drew is a qualified and registered social worker, with experience in working with care experienced young people, in child protection, learning disability, and with care leavers mental health.

Drew also holds additional qualifications in community youth work, counselling, childhood studies, and HE research, teaching and learning.

Prior to working in HE, he has over 20 years’ experience in working in the community and voluntary sector in Northern Ireland in particular for children/youth sector charities, and NHS statutory services. He is an experienced leader with significant strategic, policy development and operational management experience over his career, with a wide knowledge of disability, wellbeing, mental health and young peoples’ issues.

Amanda Oliver

Interim Executive Director, Committee of University Chairs (CUC)

Amanda Oliver is Interim Executive Director of the Committee of University Chairs (CUC) and Executive Secretary to the Chairs of Universities in Wales.

As the principal author of the Higher Education Code of Governance, Amanda provides advice on regulation, governance, and policy across the higher education sector.

She has authored several CUC publications, including a governance framework on mental health, and has led numerous strategic governance and integration projects.  Working for the representative body of housing associations in Wales, she produced the Welsh Housing Sector Code of Governance, co-designed a risk-based approach to housing regulation and provided advice on policy and governance during a merger that created the largest housing association in Wales.

Amanda has successfully led a high-profile policy campaign on welfare reform and served as the primary spokesperson.  She has extensive experience in stakeholder engagement, advocacy and cross-sector leadership, with a career that bridges public, third and private sectors.

She has also held several Non-Executive Director roles, including at Cheltenham Borough Homes, Tai Pawb (an organization promoting equality and social justice in housing), and TPAS Cymru (Tenant Participation Advisory Service Wales)

Amanda is a qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

: https://www.universitychairs.ac.uk/

Khasiba Omar

Disability and Inclusion Adviser, The University of Law

Khasiba has worked in higher education for seven years, with a particular focus over the past three years on supporting disabled students. Currently working as a Disability and Inclusion Adviser, Khasiba collaborates with academic and professional services staff to implement inclusive practices, advising on reasonable adjustments, and ensuring equitable access to learning.

Khasiba's lived experience of dyslexia informs her empathetic, student-centred approach, enabling her to understand and challenge the barriers disabled students may face.  She chairs the NEON Access And Outreach For Disabled Learners and contributes to national conversations around inclusive policy and practice.

Khasiba has published Eight Steps to Academic Success, presented at the University of Law’s conference, and will be delivering a session at the NADP Conference in June 2025. She is also undertaking a Master’s in Education (Special Needs) at Birmingham City University, which is enhancing her understanding of inclusive pedagogy, educational policy, and systemic change. Khasiba has recently been appointed as an abstract reviewer for the BERA Conference, supporting research with relevance to policy and practice and is currently leading the accessibility statement for the ULAW Business School.

Academic and professional interests include learning differences, mental health, ableism, student experience, and Assessment for Learning (AfL). Khasiba is committed to creating inclusive, supportive environments where all students can thrive.

Professor Edward Peck

Vice-Chancellor and President, Nottingham Trent University

Professor Edward Peck joined Nottingham Trent University as Vice-Chancellor in August 2014. The university educates over 35,000 students and employs circa 4,500 staff across six campuses. Previously, he worked at the University of Birmingham as Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Social Sciences. His early career was spent in the NHS where he led a national initiative to create community mental health services and close Victorian asylums. His academic interests encompass public policy and organisational leadership. He is a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences.

Professor Peck is Interim Chair of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and a former Board member of both UUK and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA). He was a member of the UK Government's Post-18 Fees and Funding – aka Augar – Review Panel. In May 2022 he was appointed as the Department for Education’s Higher Education Student Support Champion and became Chair of the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce in June 2023. 

In July 2025 he will commence as Chair of the Office for Students. 

In July 2020 he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire and was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours List for Services to Higher Education.

: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/staff-profiles/senior-management-team/edward-peck?SQ_VARIATION_168632=0.
: @ProfEdwardPeck

Emily Peers

Student Communications Manager, University of Birmingham

Emily supports the delivery of the student communications framework at the University of Birmingham, leading on a variety of themes and campaigns working with many stakeholders across the university. She has a background in internal communications, student recruitment and engineering/art school marketing before landing in student communications.

Emily is always looking for new ways of working and trying to explore the best avenues to get the best results as is her sporting nature with a passion for creativity and inclusivity.

: emily-peers-447870140

Anna Quinn

Head of Student Services, University of Northampton

Anna Quinn is the Head of Student Services at the University of Northampton, leading teams dedicated to enhancing the student experience through delivery of specialist support services, including ASSIST Disability Support, Counselling and Mental Health, Financial Guidance, Student Support and Advice, Student Information Desk, the Multifaith Centre and the newly created Safeguarding Team.  She has worked within student services across a number of higher education institutions since 2010 and is a qualified Therapeutic Counsellor (BACP). At UON, she has established the SVLO (Sexual Violence Liaison Officer) and Safeguarding Team, reinforcing the university’s commitment to student safety and wellbeing. Anna’s previous roles have includes Head of Student Experience at Aston University.  Currently, Anna leads UON’s Suicide Safer Framework and is Enabling Domain lead for the UON Mental Health Charter bid.

: anna-quinn-b6160a37

Geoff Rickson

Deputy Lead Advisor and HEI Co-ordinator, Samaritans

Geoff began his career in education and spent 38 years teaching in South London, Cambridgeshire and Devon, followed by work with school governing bodies. Alongside this, he has been a Samaritan listening volunteer for more than 20 years, equating to well over 4,000 hours spent on the helpline. Since 2015, Geoff has been with the specialist Step by Step service where his role is to co-ordinate and develop their work and partnerships with HEIs.

The Samaritans Step by Step service has been involved with a considerable number of universities and has offered guidance and advice on a wide range of issues around suicide prevention, intervention and postvention. They have also been involved in External Advisory Groups, where their contributions have been valued for bringing an independent and external view based on research and on a wide experience of good practice across the sector.

Geoff was also involved in researching and writing the Universities UK document ‘How to Respond to a Student Suicide.’

Come and find out more about this unique service!

: https://www.samaritans.org/

Kristy Robinson

Student Support Development Lead, University of Westminster

Kristy Robinson, M.S.W., SFHEA is a mental health practitioner and higher education leader with over a decade of experience spanning both the United States and the United Kingdom. Her career has focused on building inclusive, trauma-informed student support services and leading strategic wellbeing initiatives at institutional levels. Kristy’s clinical training and experience as a psychotherapist inform her approach to leadership and collaboration, where she advocates for meaningful change in student mental health and wellbeing.

Currently serving as Student Support Development Lead at the University of Westminster, Kristy leads on policy development and strategic advancement for the Student Support and Residential Life service provision. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has recently been appointed as a Trustee with the University Mental Health Advisers Network (UMHAN). Her work is grounded in a commitment to cultural humility, social justice, and ethical leadership in student mental health and wellbeing.

Max Scales

Advisory Solution Consultant, ServiceNow

: https://www.servicenow.com/
: max-scales-763b2486/

Suparna Sengupta

Commissioning Editor, Epigeum

Suparna graduated with an MA in English Literature from India and has since built a diverse career spanning journalism, book publishing, and digital learning. She started her professional journey in journalism, working as a reporter at The Statesman newspaper before moving on to become an editor at NDTV 24x7, India’s leading English news channel, where she contributed to editorial decisions and news coverage. She later transitioned to publishing, managing book production across various subjects as a project editor at Dorling Kindersley.

: https://learningresources.sagepub.com/epigeum

Andy Shanks

Director of Student Wellbeing, University of Edinburgh

Andy is an AMOSSHE Executive Member and Director of Student Wellbeing at the University of Edinburgh.

: https://www.amosshe.org.uk/about/our-team.html

Jenny Shaw

HE External Engagement Director, Unite Students

Jenny Shaw is HE External Engagement Director for Unite Students. She has previously led for Unite Students on student experience and student wellbeing, setting up the first student support team in the PBSA sector and contributing to national guidance. Since 2013, she has led national policy research into the student experience, producing influential reports such as Living Black at University and the Applicant Index. Prior to working with Unite Students she held senior roles in the HE sector, leading on widening access and inclusion. She is currently seconded one day a week to the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce.

: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/about-us/governance/vice-chancellor/higher-education-student-support-champion#

Margaret Shih

Health Advisor for Mandarin-Speaking Students, King’s College London

Margaret has been running the Health Advisor for Mandarin-Speaking Students (HAMSS) project at the Counselling & Mental Health Support Service at King’s College London since May 2023. HAMSS is an innovative and collaborative initiative with the King’s NHS Health Centre (university GPs), aiming to support international students whose first language is Mandarin in navigating university services and the NHS, with an emphasis on mental health psychoeducation. Prior to joining King’s College London, Margaret worked in student support services in other London-based universities and her background is in mental health counselling.

: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/student-life/counselling

Joel Staley

Deputy Head of Student Wellbeing Services, Bath Spa University

Joel has over 20 years of experience in higher education, with the past decade dedicated to student support and wellbeing. Currently he is Deputy Head of Student Wellbeing Services at Bath Spa University, and leads disability and wellbeing teams focused on removing barriers to academic success and enhancing the student experience.

Joel is a committed advocate for inclusivity, with a particular focus on ensuring equitable access to learning for disabled students. He has led strategic initiatives to embed inclusive teaching practices across the university, working closely with academic and senior colleagues to align approaches with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.

Passionate about widening participation, Joel plays an active role in efforts to improve access to higher education for underrepresented groups. As a key contributor to initiatives such as the university’s Access and Participation Plan, he is dedicated to supporting all students to thrive and reach their full academic potential, regardless of background.

: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/students/student-wellbeing-services/

Jill Stevenson

AMOSSHE Chair, Director of Student Life, Robert Gordon University

Jill has been the Chair of AMOSSHE for the last four years. Here are her priorities for 2023-2025 to build on previous achievements:

• Represent our members and continue to build strong partnerships to proactively influence strategy, policy, and investment in Student Services.
• Build a proactive narrative to convey the positive and vital impact of Student Services on students and institutional success.
• Lead the development of a new communications strategy for AMOSSHE. This will enable us to communicate our core message more proactively, ensuring we influence at the right fora at the right time, and that we are equipped to respond effectively to emerging issues.
• Lead the Executive team to refresh the AMOSSHE strategy. I will ensure that this represents the views of our diverse membership and positions us strongly to be financially sustainable and effective, whilst continuing to be agile enough to support our members through the inevitable changes and challenges ahead.

Jill pledges to collaborate with our members and partners to position the student experience and Student Services at the top of the agenda for university leaders, policy makers, funders, and regulators. She will continue to dedicate strong vision, great passion and energy, coupled with 15 years of experience in higher education, laterally as Director of Student Services and Dean of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Jill truly love leading AMOSSHE and believe in the power of strong collaboration and an inclusive approach in all that she does. 

Tim Street

Project Manager, Mental Health Foundation

Tim joins Randstad's session to talk about the Mental Health Foundation's innovate project, U OK?

Working with universities and colleges across England, U OK? empowers students to take their well-being into their own hands. It uses bespoke training and materials to enable students to take a lead in supporting their peers in HE settings, through activities focused on issues that affect young people's mental health. 

Tim brings many years of experience supporting young people to reach their potential, and to overcome the negative impacts caused by stereotyping, stigma and lack of opportunity. This was gained working across the public, private and third sectors, with a focus on health and wellbeing, as well as a decade working with employers to improve career opportunities for students and graduates. His work with MHF has focused on building the capacity of organisations, peer groups and individuals to embed a structured and preventative mental health approach into their daily activities.

: https://www.randstad.co.uk/employers/areas-of-expertise/student-support/
: randstaduk/posts/?feedView=all

Dr Dominique Thompson

Independent Mental Health Consultant , Buzz Consulting

Dr Dominique Thompson is a multi-award winning former GP, young people's mental health expert, TEDx speaker, author and educator, with over two decades of NHS clinical experience.

Dom now works as an independent mental health consultant and speaker, whilst holding roles including; President of the Student Health Association, membership of the UK government’s Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce, and Clinical Advisor to NICE and Student Minds.

She is author of The Student Wellbeing Series (Trigger Press) for young people, and co-author of How to Grow a Grown Up (PenguinRandomHouse) for parents.

Dom has done two TEDx talks; ‘What I learnt from 78000 GP consultations with university students’  and ‘Understanding Why’.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).

For information about Dom’s work as a consultant and speaker see www.buzzconsulting.co.uk and check out www.growingagrownup.com for free parenting blogs and resources.

: www.buzzconsulting.co.uk
: /dominique-thompson/

Christopher Tucker

Director Residence Life, University of Edinburgh

Christopher Tucker is the Director Residence Life for The University of Edinburgh since June 2019 and has worked in the UK Higher Education sector since relocating from the US in 1998.   

Christopher has over 29 years' experience of managing Residential Life, student conduct, pastoral care, crises intervention and out of hours emergency student support within the university environment.  At the University of Edinburgh Christopher has created and help install one of the first Residential Life Wellbeing Services that support 24 hour crises response, coordinate support externally/internally and 1 to 1 sessions for students with complex behaviours using non clinical interventions.

Christopher has also provided services as a trainer and as a consultant within the UK and internationally, delivering educational training sessions for academics, university professional service staff and security teams in the areas of student development theory (Residential Life), conflict management, mental health awareness and crisis intervention.  

Christopher holds an MSc in Conflict Resolution and Mediation Studies, and an MDip in Mental Health with a focus on behavioural interventions.

: /christopher-tucker-4984446/

Rebecca Vowles

Head of Student Communications, University of Birmingham

Bec leads on the development and delivery of the student communications framework at the University of Birmingham, working with a variety of stakeholders across the institution. She has a background in internal communications and alumni relations before finding a home leading the University’s dynamic student communications team.  

She is constantly seeking new ways to communicate with a diverse student body utilising her experience of leading campaigns, content creation and channel management.

: rebecca-vowles-2bb091281

Adam Waddingham

Head of Student Support and Wellbeing, University College London

Adam Waddingham is Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at UCL, where he leads a large, multi-functional team supporting over 50,000 students. His work spans safeguarding, casework, wellbeing, and service transformation, and he’s particularly focused on building systems that are proactive, inclusive, and genuinely useful to students and staff.

Adam has worked across a number of UK universities, including Warwick, Manchester, Cambridge and Liverpool Hope, and brings a mix of strategic thinking, operational delivery, and an eye for how policy lands in practice. At UCL, he’s introduced new ways of working around trauma-informed safeguarding, helped relaunch the University's Report + Support function, and played a key role in the support for the University Mental Health Charter Award.

He’s a regular contributor to sector conversations — whether through writing for WonkHE or speaking at events like THE Campus Live — and enjoys sharing the practical realities (and messiness) of leading change in complex organisations. Outside of work, Adam is a volunteer with Samaritans and has previously chaired a national relationships and sex education charity. He’s particularly interested in how we can design services that work well for both students and the people delivering them.

: /adamwaddingham/

Neil Ward

Partner, Mills & Reeve

Neil has over 20 years’ experience in health law. His particular expertise is in advising clients at inquests and on Mental Capacity Act issues.

Inquests are becoming increasingly complex and clients working in the education sector are finding themselves increasingly drawn into these. Media attention can bring reputational risk to organisations. The process is also highly stressful for the witnesses whose professional judgements are often being questioned. Neil brings an empathetic and caring approach to support individuals and organisations through the process.

Neil’s Court of Protection work gives him expertise in areas of mental health and mental capacity law, which he applies using a conciliatory and sensible approach in often highly fraught and emotionally charged cases. He works with clients to ensure they understand their responsibilities and the limitations of these within the complex world of safeguarding and mental health in the community.

: https://www.mills-reeve.com/people/neil-ward/
: neil-ward-908418146

Asini Wijewardane

Managing Director, UK, Uwill

Asini Wijewardane serves as Managing Director, UK for Uwill, the leading global mental health and wellness solution supporting more than 3 million students at 400+ institutions. A Boston Business Journal's 40 Under 40 honoree, Asini has also served as Uwill's Director of Counsellor Success, building, developing, and managing Uwill’s global counselor community.

With broad leadership and operational experience across three continents, her career includes roles in social enterprise, consultancy, business development, and project management, in addition to non profit organisations such as Cancer Research UK. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Middlesex University, UK, an LLB from University of London, UK, an MBA from the Olin Graduate School at Babson College, USA, and an MSc in Analytics from Harrisburg University, USA.

: https://uwill.com/uk
: /asini-wijewardane
: @/uwilltech

Naomi Wilkinson

Assosicate Director of Publishing, Epigeum

Naomi Wilkinson is the Associate Director of Publishing at Epigeum, where she leads a dynamic team in creating innovative online training courses. Driven by a commitment to creating impactful educational resources, her work involves collaborating with institutions around the world to support learning and enhance educational experiences.

: https://learningresources.sagepub.com/epigeum