Thanks to our partners of 2025!
We are immensely grateful to our premium partners for the UHR Conference 2025, People Insight and Shakespeare Martineau, for their ongoing support for UHR, and for HR teams across the Higher Education sector generally. We look forward to virtually seeing them and our other sponsors at #UHR25.
We are independent specialists in workplace investigation, dispute resolution and investigative review with considerable knowledge and experience of Higher Education. Founded in 2010, we have over the past fifteen years undertaken successful assignments in over 60 HEIs. Our team of experienced investigators, reviewers and dispute resolvers, with backgrounds in senior management, human resources, legal, finance and audit, are able quickly to understand client needs and deal confidently with the full range of complex and difficult employment relations issues. We pride ourselves on prompt and high-quality service, a systematic project approach to every assignment and our ability to be “thoughtful practitioners”.
Contact - Clive Bane, clive@b3sixty.co.uk, 07973878209
Bevan Brittan is a UK-Top 100 national law firm. Our team of specialist higher education lawyers work with universities and higher education Institutions, including members of the internationally renowned Russell Group as well as dynamic new universities and colleges. Many of our team have joined from in-house positions, which enables us to provide well informed, pragmatic legal solutions, whilst delivering excellent value for money.
Contact our award-winning teams for advice on all employment, HR, pensions, immigration, education law including (student disciplinary and academic misconduct processes), complaints and health and safety issues.
Contact - ashley.norman@bevanbrittan.com, anne.palmer@bevanbrittan.com, siobhan.mulrey@bevanbrittan.com
Our team of dedicated and trusted higher education lawyers understand the globally competitive and challenging environment in which you operate and know you need pragmatic and practical solutions for your institution.
As an extension of your in-house legal and HR teams we will help you to make informed decisions and identify and manage risk. Our employment and HR services include (but are not limited to) recruitment, contractual and settlement agreements, immigration issues, pensions, employment training solutions and advocacy services. We can also provide you with practical resolutions to grievance, disciplinary, ill-health and performance-related matters.
In the ever-changing world of higher education, it’s more important than ever that you have access to specialist higher education legal advice that you can rely on.
Our team will work with you to help you make and take opportunities in the rapidly changing legal, regulatory and commercial landscape you operate in, both domestically and internationally. We’ll do this by providing genuine insight into current higher education law and a fresh perspective on the issues you face, as well as delivering client-focused solutions rather than technical answers to defined legal questions. We’re always looking to influence, innovate and challenge the status quo. We add value wherever we can.
Why Browne Jacobson?
Our clients choose us because of our sector expertise and intrinsic knowledge of higher education law, but they stay with us because of our exceptional service.
With bases in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Exeter, Cardiff, Dublin and our founding city of Nottingham, and links across the globe, Browne Jacobson is a national law firm with international reach. Our 500+ Lexcel and ISO accredited lawyers – including 140+ partners across six practices – are bound together by our shared values. We’re all dedicated to decency, simplicity and creative solutions – and we’re excited about what we can achieve together.
We’re known for giving practical advice, having strong market knowledge and being proactive and prepared to give ‘If I were you’ advice, please do contact us to discuss how we can help you.
Contact - Bettina.Rigg@brownejacobson.com
We’re the UK’s leader in shaping and defining reward in higher and further education.
As a not-for profit consortium of more than 130 universities and colleges, our HR expertise has helped to create fair, transparent and trusted pay structures for more than half a million people across 150,000 roles over the past 30 years.
ECC members have exclusive access to the very best tools available to help evaluate roles, determine pay and reward, and underpin reward strategy. Our Consultant team supports our members and clients with a wide range of initiatives:
Contact - contactus@ecc.ac.uk
Eversheds Sutherland LLP is an international law firm with 74 offices in 35 countries. Our Education Sector Group is ranked in band 1 in Legal 500 and Chambers Directories for both our education and our employment law expertise. We have a dedicated team of experienced education lawyers with a thorough understanding of the challenges faced by HE institutions locally, nationally and internationally.
We provide legal advice and support to HE institutions across the full range of their HR-related activities. This includes complex high value tribunal proceedings, organisational change, industrial relations, investigations, staff discipline and grievances, whistleblowing challenges, international staffing and collaborations, immigration issues, equality and diversity, fixed-term/hourly paid staff, health and safety, reputation management and HR-related governance and regulatory matters.
We are delighted to be supporting UHR with this year’s annual conference.
Contact - Nicola Bennison, NicolaBennison@eversheds-sutherland.com
Farrer & Co is synonymous with the highest quality legal advice and service. We steadfastly guide our clients through their most turbulent moments. We help them to deal with the things that matter most to them. We anticipate what may lie ahead for them.
We work alongside higher education institutions through major strategic projects, complex governance and constitutional changes, and sensitive safeguarding and employment issues. Our close relationships with some of the world’s leading universities, research institutes and business schools, give us a privileged insight into the evolving pressures on the sector, and a deep well of knowledge on which to draw when we are seeking the right solution for you.
We advise universities on complex (and standard) Employment Tribunal claims, High Court claims, academic and non-academic TUPE transfers, large and small-scale redundancies, senior terminations, sensitive investigations (e.g. alleged sexual harassment or whistleblowing), complex academic disciplinaries and appeals, staff and student safeguarding issues, trade union issues (whether collective consultation, industrial action or negotiations) as well as contract and policy reviews and pension issues. This diverse expertise combined with an intricate knowledge of how the education sector works means we can work quickly and proactively to resolve their issues.
Contact - enquiries@farrer.co.uk
INTOO UK & Ireland – Are specialist HR Services business focusing on Career Transition,
Leadership Development and Change Management (specifically during restructuring).
We partner with HR Leaders to deliver a highly effective range of bespoke support, delivered both face-to face and leading edge technology, while managing projects on behalf of University HR teams.
Whether you’re looking to support career transitions also known as Outplacement, develop leadership skills, or drive organisational change, our services are designed to meet your unique University challenges and deliver real results.
INTOO are compassionate and place people at the heart of our services with a hi-touch, customised approach setting us apart. Supporting you and your employees at all levels, maintain morale, brand reputation and provide a value led solution to your University that is as personal as it is effective.
Contact - getintouch@intoo.com, 0808 164 2220
Isio's Higher Education team
Isio is a leading UK consultancy firm, bringing together sector insight and fresh thinking on pensions and wider reward to help our Higher Education clients, and university staff, maximise their reward and benefits strategy and make the right choices for them, without complexity.
Our dedicated Higher Education team advises over 40 universities offering expertise in Pensions, Investment, Benefits, Financial Wellbeing and Wealth, with an employee benefits platform to support people as they engage with their benefits. We are experts in USS, TPS, LGPS, SAUL, NHSPS, Defined Benefit Trusts and Defined Contribution pension schemes.
Whether implementing strategic changes or monitoring pension schemes and pay/ reward/benefits, our “finance, people, governance” framework ensures we deliver integrated advice, clear recommendations, and better outcomes.
How can we help you?
We live the ‘Isio Attitude’, promoting a progressive approach to create better outcomes for our clients, our people, and our society.
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Contact - Sophie Ash, Director & Higher Education lead, 07900 053121 / 0121 227 3588, sophie.ash@isio.com, Sophie Ash | LinkedIn
With over 25 years of experience in recruitment advertising, jobs.ac.uk is the leading global job board for careers in research, science, academia, and professional services.
We combine our experience with the latest analytical data to create effective advertising solutions for your jobs. All adverts on our website are posted by a dedicated team member, providing a personal touch that sets us apart from our competitors.
Contact - UK and Ireland Email: enquiries@jobs.ac.uk International Email: global@jobs.ac.uk
Mercer’s Higher Education Group: Helping the university workforce thrive
University workforces are changing. From pensions to mental health to career paths, workers’ needs are evolving, and their employers need to evolve too.
There are myriad services, new approaches, investment strategies and benefits packages that universities might not have taken advantage of in the past. But what’s on offer is changing with the times as are the challenges and issues faced in the sector. We can support and help you to navigate these challenges, to look after your most important asset – your people – in a way that’s right for you and your university.
From considering pensions, financial education, engagement, wellbeing and attracting and retaining talent, our insight and experience is unrivalled:
Contact - rebecca.dodd@mercer.com
Mills & Reeve is a major UK law firm and a top tier provider of legal services to the education sector in England and Wales, advising over 130 universities, colleges, national agencies, academies, educational businesses and charities. The firm has one of the largest teams of specialist education lawyers in the country with legal expertise in all areas in which universities need support including employment, pensions and immigration. The firm provides clients with expert lawyers who know the sector back to front and give practical, context-aware advice that they know works. The strength and depth of the team allows the firm to resource work at the most cost effective level for its clients. Mills & Reeve has supported UHR for over 20 years, running workshops and providing support and legal briefings to members across a variety of specialist subject areas, and is delighted to be sponsoring this year’s conference.
Mills & Reeve has Platinum in Investors in People status and is named in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list as one of the best big organisations. It is a “One-stop shop” provider on the £30million panel for London Universities Consortium Panel (LUPC) and ranked band 1 adviser to education institutions by the legal directories, recognising its broader sector expertise across many services.
Useful links:
Sign up to our employment law blog
Sign up to our education blog
Subscribe to our employment law update podcast series
Click here for details of and to sign up to our latest events
Click here for our recent webinar recordings
Click here for our university financial resilience information hub
Contact - alex.russell@mills-reeve.com, nicola.brown@mills-reeve.com, sian.jackson@mills-reeve.com
We are an executive search firm. We work primarily with higher education clients to develop outstanding teams, cultures and structures. We support our clients in making senior executive appointments across academic and professional service roles and also in searching for recruits to non-executive positions, as well as leading interim assignments. We have a strong reputation for our highly personalised approach, commitment to diversity, complete dedication to candidate care, and high-quality work. In addition to headhunting, our portfolio of services extends to governance review, leadership development, 360 degree reviews, and staff engagement surveys.
Our consultants bring the best of large company disciplines together with a leaner, more flexible approach which enables us to respond to the diversity of need and value consciousness of our clients.
Since founding in 2013, we have worked on over 900 appointments. While our primary focus is Higher Education, we work for clients across a broad range of sectors with specific commitment to and expertise in global development, culture, publishing, education and third sector. Our pool of candidates is global.
We also channel significant efforts into our pro-bono leadership development programme for mid-career BAME professionals and into our initiative to provide boards with apprentice members, and people from under-represented backgrounds with the opportunity to develop their experience of governance.
Contact - Kerry Shepherd, kerry@minervasearch.com, 02037143477
Morgan Law have been helping organisations in the Higher Education sector and wider public and not-for-profit sectors to increase hiring efficiencies and reduce talent costs since our inception in 2000.
Our team of experienced recruitment consultants are specialists in the sectors and disciplines they work in and are dedicated to discovering and attracting the highest-quality talent for our clients. What sets us apart from competing agencies is our people. Our consultants have an average tenure of 11 years and the majority of our leadership team have been with us for over 15 years. Our ethos is to build long-standing relationships with both organisations and candidates, placing the needs of our candidates and clients above our own, to consistently deliver great recruitment experiences.
Whether we’re helping you to find experienced professionals for hard-to-fill roles or manage large scale, multi-vacancy campaigns, our sector expertise and knowledge together with our consultative approach helps us to represent your brand with integrity and respect. For candidates, we offer continued support and ongoing career advice irrespective of whether we work together in sourcing a placement, as we are loyal and dedicated to your sector.
Contact - Adrian Lewis, Associate Director, adrianlewis@morgan-law.com
Networked exists to support the best leadership appointments in higher education. We focus on effective advocacy to secure transformative leaders for our clients.
We offer rich insight supported by a network able to deliver the best solution to your specific leadership requirements. Our unique expertise optimises the prospect of an outstanding appointment - and minimises the risk of an unsuccessful process.
Hamish Laing has successfully delivered over 350 leadership searches working in all areas of the higher education sector for every type of university. Rajay Naik enjoys a high profile as a leader, advisor and influencer in higher education. They each have a comprehensive understanding of leadership in higher education and of future opportunities for the sector.
Roles for which we have completed successful searches in the last three years include:
We are wholly committed to quality assurance - and feedback on whether we are adhering to our principles is always welcome. Embedded in all of this is our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
We ask to be held to account on quality, pace, attentiveness and attention to detail; we understand the critical nature of leadership appointments and commit to honour every process with the appropriate level of resource. Our terms and conditions are specific to the project on which we are working and are drafted in alignment with the needs of the assignment.
This means a high touch, consultative approach. In an era with a particular focus on empathetic leadership, our searches focus on personal attributes, culture fit and mindset.
Contact - Hamish Laing, Managing Partner, 07861 329463, hamish.laing@networkedpeople.com
NTT DATA Business Solutions is a Global SAP Partner with a strategic focus in Higher Education. We help universities deliver the very best experiences for their employees and offer unrivalled knowledge of the challenges facing the higher education sector.
The SAP SuccessFactors Human Capital Management Suite, packaged for the Higher Education sector, enables universities to transform the way HR interacts with the wider institution. With new digital HR capabilities that introduce HR efficiencies and improve the everyday experience of your people, the university will be able to attract, develop, motivate, manage and engage talent.
Transform HR in Higher Education with AI-Powered SAP SuccessFactors
Discover more about SAP SuccessFactors for Higher Education
Contact - Carl Adams, Director of Marketing, carl.adams@nttdata.com
The Oracle Cloud offers a complete suite of integrated applications for Sales, Service, Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing, plus Highly Automated and Secure Oracle Cloud Infrastructure featuring the Oracle Autonomous Database. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit our website.
Contact - Leatham Green, Transformation Director, leatham.green@oracle.com
People Insight helps universities amplify the employee voice and turn feedback into meaningful action. We combine AI-driven technology with expert consultancy to deliver impactful staff surveys and 360 feedback programmes. But gathering feedback is just the beginning. Our focus is on driving action and building your team's capacity to listen and respond effectively. With extensive experience in the higher education sector from working with 75+ universities, we provide robust benchmarks and tailored solutions, making us the leading employee experience partner for higher education institutions.
Contact - enquiry@peopleinsight.co.uk, 0203 142 6511
In these continuing challenging times for HR, we work with our HE clients to find solutions. Our group of specialists are always on hand to help navigate through an ever changing post-pandemic landscape. We provide practical sector-specific guidance on all matters employment related. We have expertise in the legal and cultural issues associated with Diversity & Inclusion, investigations, whistleblowing, industrial relations, pension and immigration matters. As we emerge in to a future world of work we are guiding our HE clients on remote and hybrid working, global mobility, health and safety, mental health and other related issues.
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Contact - Helen.Corden@pinsentmasons.com, Rebecca.Stephen@pinsentmasons.com
We provide an industry-leading employee experience platforms that help organisations to engage, retain and, most importantly, appreciate their people, every single day.
Contact - hello@edenred.co.uk, 0207 932 9745
Robinson Ralph is a fresh and forward-thinking employment law firm known for delivering clear, commercial, and engaging advice with a friendly, approachable style. Founded with a commitment to making employment law accessible and practical, we support organisations across all sectors, including higher education, with expert guidance on all things employment law.
Our approach is refreshingly straightforward—no jargon, no unnecessary complexity, just effective solutions tailored to your needs. With a reputation for our personable service and engaging training sessions, we work as an extension of your team, helping you navigate employment challenges with confidence.
Visit us to find out how we can help your institution stay compliant, proactive, and ahead of the curve.
Contact - simon.robinson@robinsonralph.com, david.sillitoe@robinsonralph.com, nick.wilson@robinsonralph.com
With a long-standing involvement in and commitment to the education sector, our team have extensive experience across all legal issues that affect education institutions, guiding and supporting our clients through challenges and opportunities.
We have particular expertise of advising in the HE sector on HR issues. We pride ourselves on protecting and growing organisations. Our approach goes beyond just legal solutions: clients trust us to advise on what’s possible, what’s prudent and what’s coming around the corner.
Working with higher education institutions, our full-service team can advise on any legal issue that an institution may have. This includes regulatory and policy work, employment issues, student matters, governance and constitutional questions, partnerships and collaboration, disputes, large-scale capital projects, and estates master planning.
We are fully immersed in the education law sector, with a number of specialists working exclusively with our education clients. Combining the breadth of our expertise with the breadth of our client base, our team of specialist lawyers are in a position to advise clients every step of the way.
Contact - david.browne@shma.co.uk
At SocialOptic, we empower HR leaders to build thriving, high-performing organisations by transforming employee knowledge and feedback into strategic, evidence-based insights. With our comprehensive SurveyOptic platform and expert support, we simplify the complexities of survey-based research, enabling you to deliver advice and decisions with confidence.
Whether you're addressing engagement, culture, performance, or compliance, our experience and solutions are designed to meet the unique challenges of universities. From fully managed research projects to intuitive self-service surveys, 360 feedback, diversity, stress or wellbeing surveys, SocialOptic ensures every step of the survey lifecycle is seamless, secure, and compliant. As the chosen lead supplier for managed surveys on APUC’s staff engagement survey framework, the hard work and expense of procurement is also taken care of when the time comes.
Our advanced analytics and closed-loop action planning system delivers results that drive meaningful change, helping you improve employee experiences at every stage of the journey, from onboarding to exit interviews. We are a friendly team with diverse expertise in psychology, data engineering and research methodologies, who work together with likeminded professionals to create confident, positive outcomes at each stage of an organisation’s journey.
Contact - hello@socialoptic.com, 0203 393 6591
Strengthify’s purpose is to help organisations, particularly in higher education, embrace and harness the power of individuals. Moving the focus away from ‘fixing’ people by applying evidence-based positive psychology to create better managers, teams and organisations.
We have produced a UK Higher Education Employee Engagement Insights Report which is freely available to all UK universities.
We understand every university is different and we look to tailor our advice and services to your specific needs; please get in touch and we’ll be happy to arrange an initial conversation.
TalentEdu provides executive search and tailored recruitment services designed around the needs of the higher education sector and our university clients.
We work across three core areas of recruitment within higher education; senior leadership, academic appointments and professional services. To do this, we offer a range of services that fit with the needs of universities. Whether an institution requires a full executive search, assistance with sourcing interims or a more flexible approach to recruiting one or more posts, we are able to provide creative recruitment solutions to meet those needs.
We specialise in recruiting talented individuals for the higher education sector in a more flexible and with a more ethical approach and a real commitment to improving the representation of underrepresented groups within universities.
Contact – Mark Holleran, Managing Director, MHolleran@TalentEdu.com
TPP Recruitment are a nationwide recruitment consultancy that specialise in recruiting for higher education organisations. We cater to a wide range of roles, from entry-level positions to Director-level appointments, across temporary, interim, contract, consultancy, and permanent vacancies. Our expertise spans the entire spectrum of higher education recruitment, ensuring we can meet all your staffing needs.
Our Specialisms include:
We develop trusted, long-term relationships, helping organisations achieve their purpose. Here's how we work in partnership with you:
Contact – education@tpp.co.uk, 020 7198 6090
Founded by the University of Warwick HR department in 1997, Unitemps is a university-owned, campus-based recruitment service which seeks to address the key challenges in higher education, such as employability, compliance and financial limitations.
With our heritage firmly grounded in the higher education sector, Unitemps is an innovative employment solution placing candidates from the university and wider community in temporary, permanent, graduate and internship roles within the university and local businesses. Specific HR benefits include:
Unitemps has branches at 19 universities across the UK and Unitemps’ largest branch has been successfully operating from within HR at UCL since 2018.
Contact - Andy Walker, andy.walker@warwick.ac.uk, 07824540731
Veredus is the partner of choice for purpose-driven Higher Education Institutions seeking to attract and retain the best leadership talent. Offering a comprehensive suite of services, including Executive Search & Selection, Interim Management, and Leadership Assessment & Development, we take a dynamic approach to identifying and nurturing diverse and exceptional talent with the vision and capability to transform organisations and shape their future.
Our reach is extensive, leveraging not only our extensive global Higher Education networks but also our expertise across other sectors, including government, healthcare, not-for-profit, and industry, both in the UK and internationally.
We are deeply committed to fostering an environment where diversity is valued and respected. Equality, diversity, and inclusion are at the heart of our recruitment practice, and we are proud to have supported numerous high-profile appointments of candidates from under-represented groups.
Contact - https://www.linkedin.com/veredus
With experience built up over 30 years, VWV's higher education practice has a national reach. We take immense pride in building long-lasting relationships with our HE clients, supporting them in the complex and ever-changing landscape in which they operate.
Our dedicated team of HE employment lawyers is recognised in the legal directories, with Legal 500 commenting that VWV "has an outstanding track record of excellence in the HE sector so is the "go to" firm for complex claims, particularly involving academic staff".
Our team provides specialist, tailored advice to suit the particular challenges and demands faced by higher education institutions in employment and HR related matters. We understand the HE environment and provide innovative, pragmatic solutions on everything from day-to-day queries to complex, sensitive, strategic issues, with a focus on helping clients understand and manage risk.
Contact - Jane Byford, Head of Higher Education, jbyford@vwv.co.uk
Weightmans is a top 40 UK law firm with more than 1,500 people working from our offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Newcastle. A leading national player in its client markets, Weightmans’ roots date back to the early 19th century. With 146 specialisms recognised and 453 experts listed in key legal directories, the firm offers a full spectrum of services.
We believe in the power of people, innovation and partnership to provide strategic business insight and deep expertise to a range of private companies, public sector organisations and individuals. At the heart of our culture and organisation is a simple purpose that informs everything we think, say and do: See the Possibility.
We believe thinking differently allows us to see the possibilities others don’t. Our dedicated Education team brings together specialist expertise to provide a complete solution both in the UK and overseas in increasingly important markets. We always take a bespoke approach, no assumptions, no one-size-fits-all, spending time to understand your issues and priorities, passing on best practice and insights and, most of all, personal engagement. That’s why we believe we provide unrivalled support and value for money.
