On behalf of SUMS Consulting, we would like to invite you to the breakfast roundtable discussion they are hosting at The Venn: University Leaders Forum on 24 June from 08:30 - 09:30.

The discussion will be convened by Dr Rhiannon Birch and Nick Pidgeon, SUMS Managing Consultants, and Lucy Everest, Chief Operating Officer, University of Liverpool.

The topic of the roundtable is 'From urgent fixes to sustainable university redesign'.

Universities are taking action to manage financial and operational pressure, but short-term fixes alone will not secure the future. This breakfast roundtable brings together senior leaders to explore how institutions can move beyond immediate responses towards sustainable redesign.

Drawing on practical examples including organisational redesign, customer-centred service design, process efficiency and improvement, and other tactics to deliver professional services transformation, we will focus on what makes a tangible difference. Informed by work with SUMS members and early insights from the SUMS Organisational Efficiency Maturity Assessment (OEMA), the discussion will centre on how to turn strategy into coordinated, institution-wide change that delivers immediate impact and longer-term sustainability.

Lucy Everest

Lucy Everest is Chief Operating Officer at the University of Liverpool. Lucy joined the University in October 2024, providing leadership for Professional Services departments and Faculty-based Professional Services teams. Lucy was formerly the Global Chief Operating Officer at Heriot-Watt University (2020-2024), overseeing the global student journey as well as the University’s estates and facilities, information and IT services, marketing, recruitment and communications and international partnerships. 

She was previously the Executive Director of Global Marketing at Heriot-Watt (2018-2020). Prior to joining Heriot-Watt, Lucy was Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Director of Global Marketing at Middlesex University. She has held senior positions across both public and private sectors and has a wealth of experience in creating and strengthening collaborations and partnerships. 

Lucy is passionate about the power of global education to unlock opportunity, enhance employability skills, enhance soft power and break down real or imagined boundaries between nations. She is expert in navigating how digital transformation can transform education experiences and drive connectivity with industry, the professions and beyond. She has had oversight of the establishment and ongoing success of new overseas campuses for UK universities in Dubai, Mauritius and Malaysia and understands how to ensure a global education in a local context delivers the best of both worlds.

Dr Rhiannon Birch 

Dr Rhiannon Birch is a Managing Consultant at SUMS, with extensive experience in strategy, planning and organisational development. She works with university leaders to tackle complex strategic challenges, from defining performance frameworks to designing operating models and delivering large-scale transformation. Rhiannon specialises in integrated planning, linking strategy, risk, finance and workforce planning to drive practical, institution-wide change. Before joining SUMS, Rhiannon held senior leadership roles in higher education and professional bodies, including the University of Sheffield and University of Derby. She is a strong advocate for data-led decision-making and sustainable, long-term organisational design.

Nick Pidgeon 

Nick Pidgeon is a Managing Consultant at SUMS, specialising in data-driven insight to support university transformation. He brings over 20 years’ experience advising institutions in the UK and internationally, most recently leading performance benchmarking at Etio (Tribal). Nick’s work focuses on turning complex data into clear, actionable insight to improve financial sustainability, service quality and student experience. He has led major sector-wide surveys and benchmarking initiatives and regularly speaks at international conferences. At SUMS, Nick is helping universities move from short-term efficiency measures to evidence-based, sustainable redesign of services and operating models.

About SUMS Consulting

SUMS Consulting is a not-for-profit consultancy owned by UK universities. With over 50 years of sector insight, we work alongside universities to solve complex challenges, improve performance, and deliver lasting impact. Our expert team, many of whom have held senior university roles, span the full range of universities’ activities. Through a collaborative, practitioner-led approach, we devise implementable solutions that create lasting value. We provide support to institutions around the world, helping them navigate global shifts while staying true to their academic mission and are proud to be the consultancy of choice for universities seeking evidence-based, sustainable change.

The roundtable will take place at 08:30 - 09:30am on Wednesday 24 June, with breakfast served at the table. When you arrive at the Royal Society, register with the team on the welcome desk and you will be shown to the room for the discussion.

Please RSVP here by Friday 12 June to let us know if you can attend, we hope to see you there.

Best wishes

The Venn Team