Reflecting on the 2025 Professional Services Conference

• The Professional Services Conference returned to the Examination Schools last month, bringing together colleagues from across the University for a day of conversation, connection and collaboration. 
• This year’s theme, Efficient, Effective and Connected, highlighted the innovative ways our professional services teams are embracing new technologies, adapting ways of working and strengthening community to improve how services are delivered
• There is an opportunity to catch up on some of the sessions including the Registrar’s Update.

Shaka reflects on the opening of the conference and one of the sessions

Making time for conversations

I arrived early at the conference; for me the magic of these events is the chance to reconnect with familiar faces as well as to meet new colleagues over coffee (and the all-important cookies). These informal conversations, whether with close teammates or staff from different divisions, are a reminder of the value of stepping outside day-to-day routines to learn from each other. 

Setting the scene

The day started with the Registrar’s Update, which included an introduction to the proposed Professional Services Programme. As a HAF, I’d already had some briefings about the programme, so the Q&A was especially interesting. This provided a space to think about opportunities, the challenges of driving efficiency while also ensuring that improvements genuinely make a difference for professional services staff. I’m still working out this tricky balance between delivering efficiencies and making our work more rewarding – something we can all continue to reflect on in our own roles as leaders. 

Learning in practice 

The session I was most excited about was up next (it was also the final part of the day that I was able to attend): the workshop on the workload management toolkit. This offered genuinely useful stuff – practical tools to support better workload management across teams. The lively Q&A discussion covered topics including the importance of people and processes, workload conversations, setting boundaries and the impact of high volumes of change. The session showed just how relevant and applicable these resources are to colleagues’ everyday challenges. I snapped a few slides to share with my team – the session was also recorded so if you missed out you can catch up using the link below. 

Having watched the Registrar’s Update online, Alex joined the conference in-person for the workshop sessions; she shares her thoughts on the rest of the day

Digital innovation for a connected future

The first sessions I joined covered a slice of the digital innovation and tools that we have access to at Oxford, starting with the session on working smarter using digital tools (including AI and automation). Like, I think, lots of other people, I’m just starting to explore and experiment in this space, so it was great to hear some simple practical examples of how some of the tools we have can deliver real gains in time-saving and reducing manual work. You can catch up on a CI Showcase version of this session. 

I was already aware of the ‘Smart Campus’ but it was interesting to hear from Trevor Payne, Director of Estates, about the potential that digital transformation has to help manage the estate in a more joined-up way and identify where and how space and energy could be used more efficiently. The work that Trevor described really feels like it could turbo charge the Collaboration principle of Professional Services Together, and it was good to hear others in the room similarly enthused. 

Oxford’s shared values 

Next was an update from the People team on the work to agree a shared set of values for staff across the University. This was interesting to learn about, as a desire for the University to have clearer shared values came through as a theme from quite a few people in the consultation on the University’s next Strategic Plan (which I am currently working on). There’s definitely a balance to be struck in making sure that values work for as many people as possible (and mesh with the values that many departments and colleges have already got in place) while not being so bland and generic that they fail to convey our unique Oxford-ness. It will be interesting to see how this work unfolds. 

Making AI work for you 

I then had a very quick catch up with a colleague (the conference is great for this!) before the final keynote session from Professor Michael Wooldridge on Making AI work for you.  As ever, an amazing reminder of what the world-class teaching and research that Oxford is renowned for looks like – this was a thrilling ride through the history of AI and machine learning, with some helpful practical advice on the limitations and pitfalls as well as significant opportunities of AI.

All in all it was a really stimulating and enjoyable day – online and in person – and a great chance to connect with professional services colleagues and their work. The conference also reminded us both of something more fundamental: that our collective strength as a professional services community lies in our ability to support each other, share ideas and stay connected.

Catch up on demand

Across the day, 12 sessions explored practical ways of working more efficiently, effectively and connectedly. If you were unable to attend the conference, you can catch up on the following sessions: 

• Registrar’s Update – opening plenary
• Workload Management – a session exploring key workload challenges across the University, including an introduction to the Workload Management Toolkit 
• The Digital Estate – this session explored how digital solutions are reshaping the way we plan, manage and sustain our physical environment 
• Enabling talent to thrive: the power of internal mobility – explore how peer and social learning can drive greater effectiveness, confidence and engagement in their roles 
• Making AI Work for You – Michael Woolridge, Professor of Computer Science, delivered an engaging keynote on AI

If you have any questions or feedback which you would like to share on the conference, please email uascommunications@admin.ox.ac.uk.