Professor Katie Normington, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, De Montfort University

Professor Katie Normington joined De Montfort University as Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive in 2021. 

At DMU Katie has led the development of The Empowering University strategy.  A central element has been the incorporation of block-mode teaching designed to enhance employability, sustainability, and equality. 

Katie has guided DMU’s international expansion, including the opening of new campuses in Dubai and London, and partnerships in Cambodia and Kazakhstan. She has also overseen the creation of seven new Research and Innovation Institutes, reflecting DMU’s ambition to strengthen research, innovation, and global engagement.

Nationally, Katie is the Universities UK lead for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), shaping sector responses to this major government reform. She is a Trustee of UCAS, and in 2025 was invited to join a government Taskforce on tackling sexual harms and misogyny in higher education. She also sits on a government group regarding FE/HE collaboration.

Her commitment to equality and inclusion has been widely recognised. In 2023, DMU became the first UK university to be awarded the Silver Race Equality Charter by Advance HE. The university also serves as the United Nations Academic Impact global hub for Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - the only UK university to hold such a role. 

Scott Isaacs, Head of Academic Partnerships, University of Hertfordshire

Scott is an experienced Further and Higher Education professional with more than 20 years’ experience in teaching, academic management and partnership oversight.

As Head of Academic Partnerships at the University of Hertfordshire, he is responsible for the oversight of academic quality across the University’s extensive partnership network, which currently includes 14 UK partners and 22 transnational education partners operating across 28 countries. He provides guidance and support to academic schools and partner institutions on engagement, quality assurance and regulatory compliance.

Scott chairs several University committees relating to academic partnerships and oversees the Collaborative Partnership Leaders assigned to each partner programme. He also reports annually to the University’s Audit and Risk Committee on the monitoring and management of subcontractual partnerships.

In 2026, Scott led the development of the University of Hertfordshire’s Subcontracting Information Source in response to the introduction of OfS Condition E10. This work brought together relevant policies, procedures and assurance arrangements to demonstrate how the University identifies and manages risks to students and taxpayers arising from subcontractual partnerships.

 Dr Debbie McVitty, Editor, Wonkhe

As Wonkhe editor Debbie is responsible for Wonkhe’s commentary and analysis on higher education across the website, email briefings, podcast and events. Debbie is interested in the social impact of HE, learning, teaching and curriculum, institutional change and innovation, and in bringing to light diverse and under-represented voices in the HE policy debate. 
 
She has previously worked in policy and communications roles at Universities UK, the University of Bedfordshire and the National Union of Students. She is an honorary fellow of the School of Education at the University of Birmingham, a fellow of The Post-18 Project, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Institute of Teaching.

Dr Julian Westwood, Director, S Squared Insights Limited 

Julian is a Higher Education pricing specialist who identifies and mitigates multi million pound risks hidden within fee setting and discount setting practices. He supports universities to recover unrealised surplus, strengthen pricing governance and redesign scholarships to deliver measurable ROI and recruitment impact. As Co Founder and Director of S Squared Insights, founder of the Student and Market Insight Unit at The University of Manchester, and Head of Market Insight at Lancaster University,  Julian brings a unique blend of market insight, financial analysis and strategic risk expertise to institutions seeking greater control over their fee and discount strategies.

CHEIA is committed to providing training and development opportunities for its members. Our conference counts towards your CPD.