This May session is the third and last of three GuildHE council meetings across the academic year for heads of institutions. Each meeting provides thought leadership and expert speaker insights on a specific higher education theme. The last meeting, in January, focused on the theme 'working collaboratively with others'.

This Council Meeting will be centred on the theme 'Ensuring strong governance during significant change', which focuses on governance and leadership and so, we encourage you to invite the Chair and Clerk of your institution's governing body to attend.

Indicative timings:
13:00-13:30 Arrival, lunch, and networking
13:30-16:30 Council Meeting

This will be followed by the GuildHE Members' Spring Networking Reception and Dinner from 16:30-20:00 (timings are subject to change). We are delighted to be joined by two guests to support our discussions through the dinner. They will be providing policy insights and provocations for us to consider over our meal on the financial and reputational state of the sector: opportunities and threats for the future of HE. They are:

The Rt Hon Lord David Willetts

The Rt Hon Lord David Willetts is President of the Resolution Foundation and a member of the House of Lords. He previously served as the Member of Parliament for Havant from 1992 to 2015 and held several senior roles in both government and opposition, including Minister of State for Universities and Science from 2010 to 2014.

As Universities and Science Minister, Lord Willets  implemented significant higher education reforms, including changes to student finance and expansion of the science and research agenda. He shaped policy on university funding, widening participation, and the link between HE, innovation, and economic growth. His career includes roles at HM Treasury and the No.10 Policy Unit, and he has championed debates on social mobility and intergenerational fairness. He remains a key contributor to public policy discussions and is the author of influential books like The Pinch and A University Education.

John Blake

John Blake is the first Director of The Post-18 Project and Professor of Social Innovation and Public Policy at the University of Salford.

Previously, he served as Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students, where he led the regulator’s work on equality of opportunity in higher education, student engagement, and government financial support for universities, while also advising government on lifelong learning policy.

Before joining the Office for Students, John worked across education policy and practice in a range of school trusts and social reform organisations, including Ark, Now Teach, and Policy Exchange. He has also served on several government expert advisory panels and was a founding Governor of Oak National Academy.

As of 15 May: Registration are now closed.

Available to GuildHE members only. To learn more about how to join membership, please email [email protected]