Mary is an expert in Lifelong Learning (LLL), the Secretary and a Trustee of Universities Association for LLL, the UK representative on EUCEN (pan-European LLL Association), on the Editorial Board of the Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning Journal, on the Board of Walsall College and the Wolverhampton Adult Education Service. She has expertise experience in leadership and management of LLL departments and employer-responsive HE provision. Until late 2022 she was Director of Access and LLL at the University of Wolverhampton where she led a pilot LLE Project. Mary has published two papers on the LLE and its crucial role in promoting adult participation in HE. She is now a freelance consultant.

Laurence is the Deputy Director for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) in the Department for Education (DfE). He heads up the division responsible for development and delivery of the LLE. He has previously worked on policy and delivery across a number of different areas at DfE including higher education, international education, teacher training, early years and private office.

As Lead Policy and Research Analyst at Jisc, I monitor and analyse higher education policy developments and advise Jisc on their impact on its data collection and publication responsibilities. I regularly engage with sector stakeholders to assess evolving user needs and identify opportunities for the enhancement of HESA data in response to data requirements. I work across a number of policy areas, including international students and transnational education, widening participation, and lifelong learning. Regarding lifelong learning, I have recently worked on bringing LLE-related changes into the HESA Student collection to capture LLE data requirements.

​Derek joined the Student Loans Company (SLC) in 1999 and was appointed to the Executive Board in 2001. Since then, he has held several executive roles, including Director of Operations​.

Derek is responsible for the reforms to higher and further education student finance set out in the Government’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, including the development and implementation of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE).

Before joining SLC, Derek was a practicing solicitor and holds a law degree from the University of Strathclyde, and an MBA from the University of Glasgow​​

Helena Vine is Head of Public Affairs at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, the UK’s independent, expert quality body. In her role, Helena leads the team responsible for QAA’s policy, public affairs, press, and data insight work. Prior to joining QAA, Helena worked in public affairs at youth charity, Impetus.

Professor Harriet Dunbar-Morris PFHEA, NTF is Deputy President and Chief Academic Officer at South East Technological University (SETU), Ireland, and a Professor of Higher Education. Before joining SETU, she was Provost and Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic at the University of Buckingham and held senior roles at the universities of Portsmouth, Bradford, and Bath, as well as sector roles at UCAS and the 1994 Group.

Harriet’s work focuses on student experience, student–staff partnership, and evidence-informed educational change. She has a particular interest in the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, which she has argued must be understood not only as a funding reform but also as a pedagogical and institutional challenge. As a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford, she explored how universities can design flexible, career-long education around real, rather than imagined, student lives. This work led to Designing for Real Student Lives: a toolkit for leaders, developed through sector collaboration and co-creation.

Her broader research includes curriculum and assessment, student belonging, lifelong learning, and institutional approaches to student success. She is a Principal Fellow and National Teaching Fellow of Advance HE.

Marianne Readman is Group Head of Higher Education for Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group (ENDC), with responsibility for higher education strategy, quality, and partnership development. She has a particular interest in widening participation, student engagement, and creating successful progression pathways for non-traditional learners. Her work focuses on strengthening collaborative partnerships and enhancing the student experience across the higher education sector.

Gareth Smith is Chief of Strategy and Student Life at University Academy 92 and has been at UA92 since it opened in 2019.  UA92 is a new “disruptor” institution founded by the “Class of 92” and Lancaster University and is based in Old Trafford, Manchester.  The institution has grown from 83 students in 2019 to C.1400 in 2026; with almost 1/3 of the institution’s degree students studying on an accelerated course.

Gareth was formerly Director of Student Life at the University of East London, Head of Student Affairs at CU Scarborough, Head of Youth Strategy and Engagement for the Labour Party and CEO of Podium the body that led HE engagement with the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Mark brings over a decade of senior leadership experience in further and higher education. Before joining Capital City College (CCC) in 2025 as Group Principal – Adults & Higher Education, he served as Deputy Chief Executive at a further education college group, where he led significant improvements in organisational performance and promoted greater collaboration across colleges, aligning with regional and national skills priorities. Mark also serves as Non-Exectutive Chair of Swim England Qualifications an aquatic sporting awarding body working across England and Wales.

Sam is Director of Lifelong Learning at the University of London, where he works at the intersection of education, innovation, and institutional strategy. With more than two decades of experience in online and transnational education, he has played a leading role in shaping new models of accessible, flexible learning designed to widen participation and meet the needs of learners across different stages of life and career.

His current work focuses on rethinking how universities can open access to high-quality education through stackable lifelong learning models, and more flexible routes into and through higher education.

Alongside his leadership roles, Sam is recognised as a thought leader in the future of higher education, particularly in relation to access, innovation, and the evolving relationship between universities, technology, and social change. His work combines strategic leadership with a strong commitment to education as a public good: creating models that are academically rigorous, globally relevant, and accessible to learners who have traditionally been underserved by higher education.

Mary is an expert in Lifelong Learning (LLL), the Secretary and a Trustee of Universities Association for LLL, the UK representative on EUCEN (pan-European LLL Association), on the Editorial Board of the Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning Journal, on the Board of Walsall College and the Wolverhampton Adult Education Service. She has expertise experience in leadership and management of LLL departments and employer-responsive HE provision. Until late 2022 she was Director of Access and LLL at the University of Wolverhampton where she led a pilot LLE Project. Mary has published two papers on the LLE and its crucial role in promoting adult participation in HE. She is now a freelance consultant.