Rose Stephenson is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Higher Education Policy Institute. Rose directs HEPI’s work on policy, including research, policy analysis and the development of policy recommendations.
Kike Oniwinde Agoro, is the Founder and CEO of BYP Network, a platform that connects black professionals to each other and corporations. She is a BSc Economics graduate of The University of Nottingham, University of Florida MSc scholar, and an ex-Great Britain javelin thrower.
With a career spanning an impressive range of industries including entertainment, consulting, and education, Adam Kingl has spent decades working in innovation, strategy, culture and leadership. Adam is the author of Next Generation Leadership (HarperCollins, 2020) and Sparking Success (Kogan Page, 2023).
Rose is an experienced educator, having worked in outdoor education and as a teacher and Head of Science in secondary education before moving to the higher education sector. Rose worked at the University of Bath, overseeing policies and projects to improve the student experience. She is driven to support the development of considered, evidence-based policy and has an interest in social mobility and equity. Rose is a Governor of Hartpury University.
After gaining work experience in investment banking, Kike then worked in Business Development at a fast-growing financial technology for two years because she realised ‘tech is the future’.
Her motivation for starting BYP Network was to “change the Black narrative” and the platform has since grown to over 150,000 members and over 1000 corporate clients including Facebook, Burberry and Goldman Sachs. BYP members have been upskilled through mentorship, thought-leadership events and industry specific insight along with an enhanced network.
Kike’s proudest moments include the annual BYP Network Leadership Conference attended by thousands of Black professionals as well as the BYP $1m crowdfund that saw 1200 community investors.
Kike is a Forbes 30 under 30, Maserati Top 100 Most Innovative Founders and a Computer Weekly UK Top 50 woman in Technology. She is on the board of the London Chambers of Commerce Black Business Association, Getting on Boards and is a London Tech Ambassador.
Kike is a proud wife and mother to her daughter, Yetunde, who was named after her mum that passed away 7 months before her birth.
Adam is an adjunct faculty member at the UCL School of Management, London Business School and Ashridge-Hult International Business School, and is an instructor and programme director at Imperial College, Moller Institute – Churchill College – University of Cambridge, Hanken-Stockholm School of Economics, Headspring (FT and IE Business School joint venture) and Sauder Business School – the University of British Columbia. Previously, Adam was the Regional Managing Director for Duke Corporate Education, leading the organisation’s business in Europe, and advising clients on issues of adaptability, performance, creativity, and purpose. Adam was also the Executive Director of Thought Leadership and Learning Solutions at London Business School for a decade. He has been an associate of Saatchi & Saatchi and the Management Lab.
Adam is passionate about the future of work and the multi-generational workforce, and has authored a book on this topic, Next Generation Leadership. His second book, Sparking Success explores how companies in any industry can enhance their innovative, adaptable and inspirational capacity with lessons from prominent leaders in the creative arts.
Adam’s keynote presentations are an illuminating conversation that not only inspire strategic innovation but also unleash creativity and unlock issues within organisational culture. He speaks with warmth and compassion on paradigms of work and leadership, encouraging organisations to have different and better conversations, creating a simple and approachable path to transforming business success.
He contributes as a writer and expert interviewee to: The Financial Times, Sunday Times, Forbes, Fortune, The Guardian and Fast Company, among many others.
Adam holds degrees from London Business School, UCLA, and Yale. He was raised in Silicon Valley, California and now lives in Surrey, UK. He is a dual British-American citizen.
Sandra is Director of Business Development for the mia, With a venue and destination sales background, Sandra’s career spans nearly 3 decades, starting her career within a Convention Bureau.
With 30 years’ experience in commercial marketing, strategic consulting, and customer insight, Mike joined UCAS in 2018 as Principal Insight Consultant, responsible for helping Universities develop their strategic planning through data driven decision making.
Kirsty joined the University of Leicester in 2010 and has been Director of Campus Services since September 2016. She was previously Deputy Director of Residential and Commercial Services.
Sandra steadily built her knowledge of different venues and tailoring representation to their individual needs and understanding what a difference her contribution made to the wider economic impact of the destination.
Having recently joined the mia in late 2022, Sandra is using her extensive knowledge for the business and events industry, supporting members whilst still in the post pandemic recovery mode, growing member engagement and increasing profile and recognition for mia members.
Along with a busy family life, at the weekends, Sandra is usually seen cold water swimming on the shores of Southport beach and cycling around the local lanes, before relaxing with a cold G&T.
Building relationships between Universities and the UCAS Insight team, and working alongside the Client Success Directors, he is helping universities understand how to use insight to improve their service and provide a better experience for their students.
At the University of Leicester, Kirsty is the strategic lead for Accommodation; Print Services; Leicester Conferences; Campus Operations, including Portering and Cleaning, Grounds and Gardens, Post, Fleet; and Security. Kirsty is also a Board Director of College Court Conference Centre and Leicester Services Partnership, (the Student Union and University catering partnership) and the University lead on Prevent.
Kirsty joined CUBO Executive Board in March 2019, initially picking up the conference portfolio. Kirsty is now Chair and has represented CUBO on the Board of the Universities UK Accommodation Code of Practice since October 2018. Prior to joining Leicester, Kirsty was a Senior Project Manager at the Russell Partnership. In this role, Kirsty worked with well-known organisations such as the BBC and Goldman Sachs to improve their catering offer. She also worked with a number of universities, including Leicester. It was while working for Leicester as a consultant that Kirsty began the journey of transforming the University’s catering service, which led to her being offered a permanent role at the institution.
Her early career was spent in hotels including a spell as a Hotel Manager working for Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries. She also spent ten years at the University of Warwick, firstly as Catering Manager and then as Head of Catering Services. Kirsty is a former winner of a Caterer and Hotelkeeper Acorn Award and was named Cost Sector Caterer of the Year in 2001. She received her MBA from the University of Leicester in January 2017, having combined her studies with a very busy job.
Caryn joined the University in 2011 bringing with her 20 years' experience gained in both the private and public sector, within the UK and South Africa.
Jan Capper joined College and University Business Officers (CUBO) as CEO in 2017.
I am a woman of colour with lived experiences and more than 20 years' experience as a senior manager within Students Services, Accommodation Services, and the voluntary sector.
As Director of Accommodation and Commercial Services, Caryn is responsible for the teams who provide a range of services and facilities to staff, students and visitors across the University, including student accommodation, catering and delivered hospitality, conferences and event management.
In addition, Caryn is a Director of UNICUS, a wholly owned subsidiary company of the University. UNICUS was set up in 2012 to develop a commercial proposition to enhance the offer to the University. UNICUS operates a boutique hotel, a village store for the community, a high end restaurant, a number of retail outlets and a staffing agency.
Previously she worked as executive director of the International Association of Languages Centres (IALC), a global network of accredited language centres, and in marketing and operational management roles in the travel industry.
She studied languages, is a CIM-qualified marketer and has worked freelance as a writer and translator.
Throughout this period I have continually acquired and refined skills which I have applied in my personal and professional life.
I am currently a member of UAL Accommodation Services Senior Management Team, where I contribute to and lead on strategy to enhance the student's experience.
Most recently I have been working with my team and key stakeholders to encourage students with disabilities and health conditions to disclose at the point of application so that we can engage, provide support and enhance the student’s experience. As a result we have received an increase in disclosures and engagement.
I have had the privilege of being the ASRA South East representative which enabled me to work with so many wonderful colleagues across the HE and PBSA sector.
During my 4 year tenure the regional meetings covered a range of topics that were relevant to the sector such as the impact of student fees, student disciplinary issues, applications, housing management, youth breast cancer, students with disabilities, mental health, resident life, policing campus through to offering campus study tours.
I have managed several projects whilst working with homeless and vulnerable people such as implementing and facilitating various groups that offered a safe space, through to mobilising women only hostel and introducing a student Head Leasing Scheme.
I have served as Chair for UAL Black workers group which has grown and evolved to Equality of Minority Staff (GEMS) of which I am still a member.
I am a mentor and a member of the B-Mentor network facilitated by UCL and a member of Black Equity Organisation (BEO).
I have been described as having many superpowers which include personable, friendly, compassionate, trustworthy, reliable, effective listener, effective communicator and collaborative leader.
Melissa has worked within the student accommodation sector since 2009 and has gained invaluable experience within the Private and HEI sector. Melissa is the Deputy Director of Commercial Services and Estates at the University of Kent, she has been in post since 2022.
She has extensive experience gained in managing both in-house and 3rd party contract staff, with direct strategic and operational management responsibilities, including managing Soft Services Contracts, New Builds, Mobilisation and Refurbishment Projects, Capital Investment works, Third Party Lettings/Commercial Summer Lettings and Outsourced and Inhouse Catering.
Melissa has been a member of various Senior Leadership Teams throughout her career. As a trained life coach Melissa has focused her career on the importance of investing and developing people to create effective, diverse and happy working environments which will allow teams to ‘thrive’ and achieve organisation goals and objectives. She specialises in Leadership development, building training programmes, managing teams through organisational change, promoting Culture and EDI initiatives within organisations whilst meeting commercial objective and targets.
Melissa's vision for her role at CUBO is to create a CUBO L&D framework that supports the goals and ambitions of the CUBO members. Working actively with current and new members to create impactful training and mentoring opportunities for leaders and their teams which will add value to organisations and the people within them.
