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Governance

Effective Governance

Good governance is critical to success in higher education. We produce and share a wide range of guidance, research, news and toolkits to help institutions thrive through robust, effective governance.

Delivering confidence and trust

Good governance helps to deliver impactful education and demonstrates confidence and trust for stakeholders. 



The effectiveness of a board depends on strong foundations, based on the right behaviours, high-quality information, sound processes and skilled governance professionals. Even more so during turbulent times, when understanding what is effective in your context is essential to navigate uncertainty and be fit for the future.



Building on our sector experience, we provide access to an extensive range of resources to help support and develop governors, governance professionals, institutions and systems of governance across the world.

 

Want to find out more?

If you want to find out more about how Advance HE can support Boards and governors, complete the form by clicking below and we will send you our Evolving higher education governance brochure.

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Evolving higher education governance brochure

Our new Evolving higher education governance 2023-24 brochure details our support for boards, governance professionals and individual governors. Find out more about our consultancy and enhancement services, the dates for our Governor Development Programme 2023-24 and upcoming exclusive content and projects for Advance HE members.

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Evolving higher education governance brochure image
“Advance HE’s comprehensive understanding of the sector, the challenges facing governing bodies and their knowledge of best practice meant their work was extremely productive and their report insightful.”

University Registrar and Secretary

How we support governance

Advance HE Governance Wheel
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Resources and guidance

Advance HE has curated a number of resources and guidance document to support Boards and governors in tackling the challenges and opportunities they face. You can access these in the following areas:

What is good governance?

In today’s turbulent environment all HE providers need high performing boards that are equipped to determine the strategic course of the organisation, safeguard its sustainability and assure standards.

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Academic Governance in Higher Education

Providing assurance about academic governance – the oversight of teaching, learning and research -  is a core function of the governing body.

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The role of Governance in Equality in Higher Education

Governance should influence -  and drive progress in – equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) for students and staff, and wider society.

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Board Recruitment and Diversity in Higher Education

Diverse and inclusive boards support institutional success, with the confidence to assure equality, diversity and inclusion matters.

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Supporting Governor, Chair and Clerk Development in Higher Education

Effective governance can only happen when those involved in it – governors and staff – understand their roles and responsibilities and are supported to fulfil them.

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New to Higher Education Governance

Information and support for new governors and new governance professionals.

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Audit, Finance and Risk in Higher Education

Providing assurance for the sustainability of the institution – including financial health and risk management – is a core function of the governing body and its committees.

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Access other resources

Our Knowledge Hub contains several resources focusing on governance, as well as, Governance News Alerts which are published frequently.

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Services to support Boards and governors

Our portfolio of support aims to drive forward and evolve higher education governance. Our governance experts, from a wide range of backgrounds, stand ready to help and look forward to working with you.

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Governor Development Programme

Designed to help you to develop and refine your skills in response to a rapidly changing environment.
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Governance consultancy and enhancement

Supporting boards and governors within higher education to be effective and tackle the challenges faced in a highly turbulent sector.
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Advance HE Governance Team

To help us form and deliver our support our governance experts and associates are vital. Below you will find the profiles of the Advance HE staff who work on our governance portfolio. A full list including our associates can be found here.

Victoria Holbrook

Assistant Director, Consulting, Governance and Insights
,
Advance HE
Victoria Holbrook
As Assistant Director, Consulting, Governance and Insight, Victoria leads the development of Advance HE’s consultancy and insight to meet the strategic change needs of members and clients in their rapidly evolving operating environments, including our sector-leading work supporting governance effectiveness, and student surveys.

Dr Colette Fletcher

Head of Governance & Consulting
,
Advance HE
Dr Colette Fletcher
Colette joined Advance HE in May 2023. As the Head of Governance & Consulting, she is now responsible for leading Advance HE’s existing governance advisory portfolio and developing the wider consultancy business. She is passionate about advising and supporting senior leaders in UK HE on governance and other critical issues and supporting the boards of higher education providers to be as effective as possible.

Dan Tinkler

Governance Development Manager
,
Advance HE
Dan Tinkler
Dan joined Advance HE in January 2020 and has been in the post of Governance Development Manager since October 2021. Dan works on developing our approach to supporting Advance HE’s member needs across our governance portfolio of work.

Aaron Porter

Associate Director (Governance)
,
Advance HE
AP
Aaron leads on Advance HE governance activity through the delivery of our national Governor Development Programme which engages with around 900 governors across the UK on an annual basis. He has extensive experience leading reviews of over 25 governing boards. Aaron was previously President of the National Union of Students (NUS) and also chair of trustees for the organisation.

Kim Ansell

Senior Consultant Governance and Leadership
,
Advance HE
Kim Ansell
Kim has worked across higher and professional education providing support to groups at all levels including senior leadership teams and Boards, to facilitate change, strategic thinking, planning and performance improvement.
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Who we've worked with

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