Partners and Supporters

Current Partners

Advance HE helps all kinds of higher education organisations be the best they can be, by unlocking the potential of their people. We are from the sector, not for profit and our work is driven by our belief in the transformative power of higher education for people, places and society. We are higher education experts with a particular focus on teaching and learning, governance, leadership, and EDI.

Our membership provides a range of research, knowledge and resources exclusive for members, as well as accreditation for teaching and learning and equality charters that aim to advance gender and race equality in higher education and research.

advance-he.ac.uk
@AdvanceHE

Anderson Quigley (AQ) brings nearly a decade of experience in supporting leadership recruitment across the education sector. Our specialist independent higher education practice works closely with independent, private, alternative, and investor-backed higher education institutions, as well as joint ventures, pathways organisations, and ed-tech businesses. We deliver executive search, interim leadership, board appointments, and strategic talent consultancy.

We have a deep understanding of the private and alternative higher education landscape, including its regulatory environment, commercial dynamics, and the leadership capability required to succeed. We understand where senior talent sits and which leaders can successfully transition into environments that are both highly regulated yet strongly student and customer focused.

As of 2026, AQ has delivered more interim and permanent leadership and executive appointments into the independent higher education sector than any other UK search firm. This experience enables us to support institutions as they navigate regulatory complexity, scale sustainably, and balance academic integrity with strong business performance.

andersonquigley.com
@Anderson Quigley

Applied Inspiration are experts in access and participation regulation and plans, with decades of experience in strategy, development, delivery, research and evaluation. 

Our SEER (Specialist Evidence, Evaluation & Research) service supports smaller, specialist and new providers meet OfS requirements relating to data analysis, monitoring, evaluation and research for access and participation plans.

Applied Inspiration also provide consultancy services to develop and draft Access and Participation Plans (APPs). This includes strategy development, leadership, cross-institutional collaboration, communications, Plan drafting, and OfS approval. We also offer smaller APP reviews to providers who wish to develop their own Plans but need expert input in particular areas / final stages. 

Finally, we undertake project-based work including evaluation and research projects, reviews on practice and strategy, and coaching to staff delivering access and participation work, as well as offering special toolkits relating to, e.g. measuring educational gain, equality impact assessments and student involvement. 

appliedinspiration.co
@AppliedInspiration

Bevan Brittan is an award-winning UK top 100 national law firm. We have an exceptional team of specialist higher education lawyers, including 14+ partners and 40+ lawyers. Many of our team have joined from in-house higher education positions, which enables us to provide well informed, pragmatic legal solutions, while delivering value for money.  

We work with independent higher education institutions, universities and colleges, providing a full range of legal services, including: education law (including public law, student disciplinary and academic misconduct processes); student welfare and complaints; corporate (including M&A, joint ventures and partnerships); commercial; employment; immigration; pensions; litigation; regulatory; IT and data protection (including AI); and procurement and subsidy advice.

bevanbrittan.com
@BevanBrittanLLP

Blackbullion, the home of student money, is the award-winning financial ecosystem changing the lives of over 425,000 students. 

Trusted by 100+ higher education providers and businesses to save time and money while improving recruitment and retention.

The ecosystem includes financial education, a budgeting app, the UK’s largest hub of student support funds and scholarships, the leading end-to-end funding solution for universities and colleges, and an early warning system to identify at-risk students. 

Over £41 million has been distributed to students through Blackbullion to date.

blackbullion.com
@Blackbullion

Coole Insight Ltd is the home of students’ union development, driving sector improvement through collaboration, expertise, and insight. We work hard in our pursuit of getting the right thing done by people, and by organisations. We embody the transformational power of the student movement, and share our lived and work experience of this power to maximise the potential of elected student leaders, professional staff teams, and students’ unions as organisations.

cooleinsightltd.co.uk
@CooleInsight

Counterculture are higher education experts. We work with higher education providers and students’ unions where we have undertaken governance reviews, developed strategies, developed portfolios, reviewed security arrangements, helped with communication plans, pitched for research funding, and much else in between. While this is what we do this is not who we are.

We are a creative firm that takes policy seriously. James Coe, who leads our higher education work, is a highly regarded expert in higher education with specific expertise in research, innovation, and place based policy. He is Associate Editor for Research and Innovation at Wonkhe and a published author on higher education. The wider Counterculture team is passionate about higher education, students, and education policy, and work every day to support institutions and their places.

counterculturellp.com
@CounterculturePartnership

Ding Learning are specialists in creative education and learning design. Our aim is simple: to help higher education providers deliver exceptional learning experiences. We believe that higher education should be defined by its commitment to quality learning experiences, and not merely by its ability to conform to external standards. Our mission is to empower providers to leverage the factors that improve outcomes and engagement.

ding.global
@DingLearning

EdAd Ltd is a team of consultants - Dr Liz Bell, Paul Featonby, Andrea Robertson and Rachel Wallace - with substantial experience working at senior levels within the higher education sector in admissions, change transformation and policy/strategy. We are passionate about supporting the education sector to survive and thrive in complex, challenging and fast-changing environments. We have worked with a wide range of clients both UK and international on: the review/redesign of admissions policies and processes; TEF submissions;  definition of optimum student journey, analysis of demand for current and potential new courses, evaluation of student recruitment marketing, and review of CMA compliance.

@EdAd

Eversheds Sutherland is an international law firm with 74 offices in 35 countries. Our dedicated team of specialist education lawyers advise private and publicly funded HE providers across a full range of domestic and international legal, HE governance and regulatory matters. Issues on which we currently support providers include EDI (including combatting sexual harassment), registration and regulation, student and staff immigration, student accommodation, consumer law and the CMA, establishment of overseas operations, and joint ventures and collaborations.

eversheds-sutherland.com
@EvershedsSutherland

Grant Thornton has been invested in the provision of professional services to the UK’s higher education sector for several decades and is a leading provider of audit, tax and advisory services to higher education providers.

grantthornton.co.uk
@GrantThornton
 

As the UK’s first ever integrated provider of payroll, pensions and workplace benefits services, the Harding Hub offers gold-standard financial prosperity and holistic wellbeing services especially formulated for education environments. The organisations we serve report improved colleague satisfaction, reduced staff churn and better recruitment capability, all as a result of the enhanced employee value proposition delivered by the Harding Hub. Our members work in partnership with our clients to turn their universities, colleges and schools into environments in which their people are happy, healthy and financially secure. For more information on how we can help, contact us at [email protected].

hardinghub.co.uk
@Harding Hub

Jisc is a not-for-profit organisation providing world-class digital solutions for education and research. For over 30 years, Jisc has pushed boundaries, encouraging organisations to adopt and use cutting-edge digital technologies.

Our cloud, cyber security and connectivity services enable you to enhance the digital experience of your staff,  allowing you to focus on the learner experience.  As an impartial provider, Jisc reinvests profit to support the public good, providing services, advice and support, always putting our customer’s needs first.

jisc.ac.uk
@Jisc

Pearson is the world's leading learning company, helping people realise the life they imagine through learning. Pearson PTE is a world-leading provider of English proficiency tests, recognised by governments, higher education providers, and test takers worldwide for study, professional and migration purposes. PTE sets the standard for excellence and reliability. Through continuous investment in research and innovation, we ensure our scores are secure, accurate, and trusted.

pearson.com
@Pearson

Pinsent Masons has one of the most established Higher Education teams in the UK and a long-standing national reputation for providing market leading advice to the university and private higher education sector, which has been built up over more than 20 years. They are trusted advisers to over 70 Higher Education providers and are ranked Tier 1 by Legal 500 and Chambers.

Pinsent Masons provides a full service offering to the sector and have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the OfS regulatory regime, both in terms of advising clients looking to register with the OfS for the first time or gain degree awarding powers, but also in terms of ensuring on-going compliance with the conditions of registration.   

pinsentmasons.com
@PinsentMasons

On paper Shakespeare Martineau is a full-service law firm providing legal services to companies, institutions, government departments, families, and people throughout life and in business. But we offer so much more. Expertise, commerciality and relationships are at the very heart of what we do. Our multi-disciplinary team delivers a broad range of specialist legal services, with standout expertise within education, including independent providers. Our purpose is clear and our ambitions are unlimited: we want to unlock potential in our people and clients, inspiring confidence, growth and development.

shma.co.uk
@SHMAlaw

Tribal Group plc is a pioneering world-leader of education software and services. Its portfolio includes Student Information Systems and app technology; a broad range of education services covering quality assurance, peer review, benchmarking and improvement; and student surveys. We work with higher education, further and tertiary education, schools, Government and state bodies, training providers and employers, in over 55 countries. Tribal Group’s mission is to empower the world of education with products and services that underpin student success.

tribalgroup.com
@Tribal

Current Supporters

Alkhemy is a dynamic consultancy specialising in student engagement, wellbeing and capacity-building across the UK and Irish higher education sectors. We partner with institutions, students’ unions and sector bodies to deliver independent advice services, bespoke training and strategic support. Our mission is to disrupt outdated models of engagement and empower institutions to create inclusive, student-centred cultures. With a focus on reducing burnout, strengthening representation and amplifying student voice, we bring fresh thinking and practical solutions to some of the sector’s toughest challenges. Whether you need agile delivery or long-term transformation, Alkhemy is here to make it happen—with heart and impact.

alkhemy.org.uk
@Alkhemy

Barclays is a leading banking partner to education providers across the UK. From local nurseries to global research universities we can help deliver outstanding student experience and outcomes. Supporting businesses turning over more than £6.5m pa, Barclays Corporate Banking has the banking excellence you’d expect with the data and insights you don’t. We look beyond banking to help you see what really matters. Through our dedicated sector and regional specialists, and the power of the wider Barclays network, we can act on those insights together. We can provide you with innovative financing solutions that help you achieve a more expansive, better-connected future for your institution.

barclayscorporate.com
@BarclaysCorporateBanking
 

Celcat Timetabler software offers solutions that provide the actionable data you need to enhance decision-making and ultimately generate significant savings. Are you currently facing the challenge of being asked to "do more with less," and finding it increasingly difficult to effectively balance your institution's resources? What impact does the lack of readily available, real-time data have on your critical decisions regarding resource allocation and cost optimisation? Could this be hindering your strategic planning? Our seamless integration and optimised scheduling can contribute to improved student retention and success. Ready to transform your timetabling?

celcat.com
@Celcat

Falmouth University has been re-thinking the shape of higher education for 120 years and delivering high-quality online teaching since 2016, ahead of the post-pandemic trend. Our online PGCHE enables HE colleagues to achieve this internationally recognised qualification alongside their work commitments. Condensed into just two study blocks and utilising our award-winning Virtual Learning Environment, students are supported to gain the confidence, knowledge and pedagogical fluency to respond to the rapidly evolving sector and develop as a creative, competent and committed practitioner in higher education. Invest in your institution’s teaching expertise with a flexible, online PGCHE from one of the UK’s leading creative universities.

falmouth.ac.uk
@Falmouth University

GatenbySanderson is the UK’s leading people advisory firm across public services, not for profit and education. Working within complex, challenging and highly scrutinised environments we deliver executive search, interim leadership and leadership development and consultancy. Our specialist education team is relentless in their commitment to placing and developing exceptional academic and professional services leaders and non-executives, who exemplify innovation, collegiality and transformation. Whether identifying the next Vice-Chancellor, placing interims, devising top team or board development programmes, creating more inclusive teams or driving through organisational change initiatives, we partner with organisations to provide future-ready leadership, improve board performance and accelerate change.

gatenbysanderson.com
@GatenbySanderson

For students with ADHD, autism and anxiety, our fast-track solution delivers assessments and practical support, such as rental laptops, site licences, and assistive tech training within days. 

This helps learners stay on course and thrive. We offer higher education providers a sustainable, inclusive, and legally compliant model that ensures timely adjustments for disabled and neurodivergent students.

microlinkpc.com
@Microlink PC (UK) Ltd

Sable International’s UK University Immigration Compliance Solutions (UICS) division helps higher education providers navigate the complex compliance, visa, and immigration landscape with ease—allowing your institution to focus on education. We deliver peace of mind by acting as a trusted partner who safeguards your sponsorship licence, ensures you remain fully aligned with immigration law, and reduces institutional risk. With over 30 years of immigration expertise, Sable International has built a reputation for proactive, client-focused service. We pride ourselves on strong partnerships with institutions, offering both operational and strategic compliance support that keeps your university ahead of regulatory requirements and confident in every intake.

sableinternational.com
@Sable International

Simac IDS delivers cloud-based student engagement management through its Presto platform, enabling rapid deployment and real-time attendance tracking, analytics, early intervention workflows, and seamless system integration. Built for scalability and privacy, Presto supports a range of collection methods, including PrestoChippo, for secure, sustainable engagement. Our solutions support over 280,000 students across diverse institutions, with proven success at universities. With offices in the UK and the Netherlands, we combine local expertise with sector knowledge. Simac turns data into actionable insights to streamline operations, improve retention, and support student wellbeing - delivering real impact.

simac-ids.com
@simacids

TechnologyOne is a global Software as a Service (SaaS) company. Their enterprise SaaS solution transforms business and makes life simple for higher education providers by providing powerful, deeply integrated enterprise software that is incredibly easy to use. The company takes complete responsibility to market, sell, implement, support and run solutions for customers, which reduce time, cost and risk. OneEducation, its student-centric, end-to-end ERP SaaS solution for the higher education sector is used by more than 50 per cent of the UK’s universities. The comprehensive and scalable software platform integrates seamlessly, providing a holistic approach to managing finance, student records management, human resources, procurement, payroll, asset management, and other key areas of higher education administration.

technology1.co.uk
technology-one

UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, is the UK's shared admissions service for higher education. Our services support learners by providing information and guidance in progression to university, college, or apprenticeships. We support 1.5 million students every year to explore higher education, employment and apprenticeships and manage almost three million applications for undergraduate courses at over 380 universities and colleges across the UK. We also provide a range of research, consultancy and advisory services to schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies, and employers, including apprenticeships.

ucas.com
@UCAS

VWV is dedicated to supporting higher education providers to develop and grow through strategic insights, innovation and collaborative partnerships. With a deep understanding of the complexities within the higher education sector, we provide the legal expertise needed to navigate regulatory landscapes, support academic and teaching provision and foster productive relationships.

vwv.co.uk
@vwv

Further details

Download our Partner and Supporter packages to find out more.