
The Advance HE Governance Conference is the only annual event on HE governance to bring together the full range of perspectives.
Held on 18 November, the 2021 Conference addressed the theme of Evolving governance fit for our futures. As we look beyond the current pandemic, we know that governing well means navigating opportunities and challenges in higher education with inclusion, agility and pace at the forefront. Governance must enable our institutions to make the greatest impact they can for students, staff, society and the economy.
The conference also highlighted the launch of the Board Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit, developed in collaboration with the University of Gloucestershire. In this blog Lucy Simpson, Head of the UK Board Practice, Perrett Laver and Victoria Holbrook, Assistant Director, Governance, Advance HE highlight why board diversity is so important in governance effectiveness.
The conference was delivered online to enable delegate interaction and discussion across all elements of the day, featuring high profile speakers from across sectors and practice-based workshops.
Sir John Tusa was in conversation with Director of Business Development and Delivery at Advance HE, Andy Shenstone, to discuss lessons from the boardroom in and out of higher education.
Join the conversation at #GovConf21

Conference introduction
Aaron Porter, Associate Director (Governance), Advance HE, introduces the key themes for Governance Conference 2021: Evolving governance fit for our futures.

Conference aims
This conference brought together a diverse range of perspectives to consider just how governance can enable our institutions to make the greatest impact they can for all. It provided space to explore the issues and the range of options Boards have to improve their governance in practice, helping us to deliver governance that is fit for:
- A future with fairness and inclusion for all as the norm. We will explore the governance practice that is working across the sector, and showcase the output of our Board Diversity Practice Project. We will also take stock on the future of the student experience and how Boards can assure quality and standards for all;
- A future with sustainability at the heart of decision making. We will explore the applicability of ‘Environmental, Social and Governance’ principles to higher education and what it means for governance practice;
- A future with sound strategies in the face of ever-changing policy. We will consider the implications of the latest government thinking on HE that Boards need to know, including the response to the Augar review in England. We will also focus on the role of board culture and the Board-Executive dynamic as the crucial foundation of sound strategy and assurance.

A fully digital conferencing experience
The Governance Conference 2021 was delivered on our virtual conference platform. This gave delegates a flexible, immersive and engaging digital experience in which to share ideas and grow networks.
All delegates had access to the following features:
- live-streamed sessions of speakers, panel discussions and workshops
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments during all sessions
- full online support throughout the day
- flexibility to attend sessions at leisure with access to all session recordings after the conference allowing delegates to browse and catch up on anything they may have missed
- resources area for relevant and contemporary resources
- opportunity to interact with other delegates from around the world in a virtual networking space.
Find out more about our digital conferences below

Conference programme

Governance Conference 2021 programme
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Conference abstracts

Governance Conference 2021 abstracts
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Facilitators

Keynote speakers
Joining Chris as a respondent will be:

Deep dive session speakers
Panel session: HE futures: Getting governance right
This panel will be chaired by Aaron Porter, Associate Director (Governance), Advance HE. Aaron will be joined by:
Rhiannon Jenkins, President, University of Leicester Students' Union
Anulika Ajufo

Deep dive session 1a: Inclusive futures: Could targets for board diversity help?
This session will be chaired by David Bass, Assistant Director, Membership (Scotland, Wales, Ireland), Advance HE. David will be joined by:

Deep dive session 1b: Governing for sustainable futures: ESG – what is it and why should it matter to HE?
This session will be chaired by Kim Ansell, Senior, Advisor, Advance HE.
Kim will be joined by:

Deep dive session 1c: The Future of Modern HE Governance: Thriving in the Digital Age
Sponsored session with event sponsor, Diligent
This session will be chaired by Dottie Schindlinger, VP Thought Leadership, Dilligent Institute.
Dottie will be joined by:
Dr Filipe Morais

Deep dive session 2a: The oversight of opportunity and risk
This panel will be chaired by Aaron Porter, Associate Director (Governance), Advance HE. Aaron will be joined by:

Deep dive session 2b: What can evaluating practice tell us about our future? Insights from a decade of reviews and research
This session will be chaired by Lucinda Parr, Registrar and University Secretary, University of Bristol.
Lucinda will be joined by:
Victoria Holbrook, Assistant Director (Governance), Advance HE
and

Related blogs and resources

Event sponsor

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