Nadia Ness, Executive Director of Transformation, University of Glasgow

Nadia Ness is Executive Director of Transformation at the University of Glasgow. Our conversation covers a wide range of topics about prioritising and leading change across the University, and the focus that Nadia places on people and partnership to deliver change well. With the earlier part of her career having been in senior roles in the corporate sector, including at Ikea, we also reflect upon the similarities and differences between that environment and leading change in HE. And on the theme of change and transformation, we additionally take a brief detour to talk about Nadia’s recent experience of stepping out of the workplace for a period of maternity leave, and some of the perspectives on change that she has since brought back. This episode is brought to you by SEAtS, the Education Operations Platform trusted by universities, colleges, and education providers worldwide. If your timetabling, attendance, compliance, and campus operations are spread across multiple systems, SEAtS brings them together on one AI-powered platform built on Microsoft Azure and natively integrated with Microsoft Teams and Power BI. From day one, it's audit-ready and designed to simplify operations while improving student engagement and institutional performance. Leading institutions have increased retention by up to 20%, protecting millions in tuition revenue while helping thousands more students stay on track. To start a pilot or discuss your requirements, visit seatsone.com. The Association of Higher Education Professionals and the British Universities FInance Directors Group, BUFDG, are both proud to support Job Shadowing HE as a valuable source of professional insight.