We are excited to welcome our keynote speakers to HELOA National Conference 2026. They will be providing a wealth of knowledge to delegates in attendance. Explore the webpage below for more information on our keynotes as well as information and timings of the session they will be delivering.
Wednesday 14 January – 1:15pm
Genia Garrity | Director of Information, Advice and Guidance | UCAS
Genia Garrity leads UCAS’s Information, Advice and Guidance strategy, helping over a million students and their supporters navigate the journey to higher education.
She has delivered key initiatives to empower students, including the UCAS Historical Entry Grades tool, the Scholarships search, and a range of communications designed to build confidence and informed choice.
With a background in marketing and digital engagement, Genia has driven personalised communication programmes for applicants and now leads UCAS’s personalisation programme. This work focuses on creating tailored pathways to level the playing field and equipping schools, parents, guardians, and carers with the tools to fully support students.
Ben has been at UCAS for over a decade and has been described as a ‘leading figure of higher education admissions policy’, with his knowledge in this area ‘second to none’.
During his time at UCAS, Ben has led the response and engagement around every major political event that could impact on student progression, including Brexit, admissions reform, qualification reform, Scottish independence, general elections, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, which involved forming part of three separate ministerial taskforces.
Ben has also overseen the delivery of UCAS’ key policy outputs, including Unpacking Qualification Reform, the first major report on schools’ response to qualification reform, Where Next?, a leading piece on student decision making, What happened to the COVID cohort?, the definitive assessment of the impact of the pandemic on student progression, Starting the Conversation, UCAS’ landmark piece on student mental health, and most recently, Next Steps, a first of its kind report looking at the sentiment of LGBT+ students as they progress to university or college.
Outside of work, Ben is a school governor and can often be found searching for his ball on the golf course.
Professor Ken Sloan | Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer | Harpur Adams University
Professor Ken Sloan joined Harper Adams as Vice-Chancellor on 1 November 2021. Ken has extensive national and international experience in strategy, leadership, governance, professional, business development and commercial activities.
Previously, Ken was at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, serving as the inaugural Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise and Governance). As a member of the University Executive, he was responsible for providing University-wide leadership and strategic support for the creation and acceleration of major partnerships, government relations, precinct development, new revenue creation, commercialisation, innovation, entrepreneurship, strategic intelligence, group governance and institutional risk.
Ken has previously held roles as Registrar and Chief Operating Officer at the University of Warwick; as a Business Development Director, Universities and Higher Education, with SERCO; and as Special Advisor to the Stephen A. Schwarzman Education Foundation, based at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. He continues to serve as a panel chair for the Schwarzman Scholars annual selection process.
Ken has chaired and served on the boards of a number of institutional subsidiary companies, boards and international fundraising and development trusts. He chaired the boards of Monash Investment Holdings and Monash College, the Audit and Risk Committee of the IITB-Monash Academy and the Monash Technology Transformation Institute (Shenzhen) Executive Committee. He served on the boards of BioCurate Pty Ltd, Warwick University Enterprises (Australia), and as Chair of the Victorian Heart Institute Strategic Advisory Board. He served as sector representative on the Federal Austrade Agriculture 4.0 Steering Committee and previously as Chair of the Coventry Partnership, ethics adviser to Coventry City Council, Chair of Governors of Woodway Park School and Community College, governor of the WMG Academy for Young Engineers and a board director of the Midlands Arts Centre. He was chair/ member of the University of Warwick’s fundraising trusts in Singapore, South Africa and Hong Kong.
Ken graduated with an MA (Hons) from the University of Glasgow, an MBA from the Warwick Business School, and is a member of CPA Australia. He is a Fellow of the Association of Higher Education Professionals and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA). He is also a member of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers and the Institute of Directors.
Professor Sloan was invited to give the ANZ Journal of Surgery Lecture in 2021 and this lecture was published in the Journal later that year.
Professor Sloan currently serves as the Chair of Guild HE and on the Board of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) where he is also Chair of Finance and Audit Committee. He sits on the Telford Town Fund Board for Levelling Up, and is Chair of the Steering Group for Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site. Ken also sits on the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the West Midlands, is a fellow of Entrepreneurial Leadership and a member of WonkHE’s Post-18 Project.
Meet Alim Kamara, the storytelling superstar! Alim is a wizard who blends tradition with a modern twist, making him one of the coolest storyteller around. Even Her Majesty Queen Camilla called a fantastic storyteller after witnessing and joining in his performance. He’s not just about telling tales; he’s all about sharing adventures filled with success, perseverance, and resilience.
He was born in the UK, but he spent his childhood in Sierra Leone, which gave Alim the vip backstage passes to the most insightful shows in town, thanks to the legendary Djelis, who sprinkled life lessons into their stories like magic dust.
Think of Alim as your adventure guide on a journey of growth. His performances are like thrilling treasure hunts, where you’ll discover tools to unleash your imagination and express your unique personality. Get ready for a storytelling ride like no other!
