Introducing a new President & Vice‑Chancellor and resetting leadership communications

Case study

Professor Ivison followed a long‑serving predecessor, so expectations were high and scrutiny inevitable. Internal insight showed that many students felt disconnected from senior leadership, while staff feedback pointed to a desire for greater transparency and a more direct tone.​

The first year would set the direction for his tenure and offered a genuine opportunity to reset how leadership showed up.​

Challenge

Three priorities shaped my work:

• Increase leadership visibility across staff and students

• Make leadership feel more approachable

• Create space for genuine dialogue, even on difficult topics​

Any approach needed to work across diverse audiences, including frontline colleagues without desk access and external stakeholders and remain sustainable beyond the first 100 days.​

Approach

1. Ground leadership communication in insight

Before Professor Ivison’s arrival, I ran student focus groups and reviewed staff survey data. The message was consistent: people wanted openness, clarity and less formality in how the University communicated.​

Professor Ivison was aligned with this ambition and wanted his communications to feel authentic, personal and conversational. That alignment allowed me to design a new tone of voice and leadership communication formats with intent, rather than defaulting to inherited styles.​

2. Design formats that change behaviour

I developed a structured communications model for his first year, including:

• A four‑part LinkedIn introduction video series

• A student‑led introductory interview

• Monthly staff video vlogs

• Weekly written staff updates with a more conversational tone

• “Oxford Road Chats” – walking interviews with student leaders

• Ask Me Anything sessions

• Hybrid town halls with podcast follow‑ups

• An early campus tour including frontline Estates and Facilities teams​

Formats were chosen deliberately: student‑facing content was mobile‑first and informal, while staff communications balanced strategic clarity with accessibility. The Oxford Road Chats became particularly significant. Student leaders shaped the dialogue, reducing the perceived distance between leadership and students.​ 

This work was recognised with Silver for Best Student or Alumni Engagement Initiative at the 2025 HEIST Awards and received a Certificate of Excellence at the 2025 IoIC Awards for Best Leadership Communication Programme.

3. Build feedback loops and support under scrutiny

The programme evolved in response to engagement patterns: vlogs shifted towards thematic discussions and when town hall questions exceeded available time, deeper podcast conversations were created to continue the dialogue.​

Staff message open rates rose from 40% to 46%, Oxford Road Chats generated 500,000+ views in nine months (averaging over 62,000 per video) and Ask Me Anything sessions received more than 200 pre‑submitted questions. Alongside proactive content, I advised on messaging during politically sensitive and divisive moments, ensuring tone stayed clear, measured and consistent across channels, with staff feedback describing the shift as more balanced and human.​

Want to learn more? I talk through the approach in detail on Gareth Hughes’ Higher Education Comms Podcast.

Impact

Within the first year:

• Leadership visibility increased across core staff and student audiences

• Student engagement and recognition of the new President and Vice‑Chancellor improved

• Staff open rates strengthened on key messages

• Town hall attendance doubled after moving to hybrid delivery

• Frontline teams were included early and intentionally

• The programme was delivered using internal expertise and organic reach​

More importantly, the tone of leadership communication shifted: it became more open, more direct and more present in everyday university life.​

Why this matters

Leadership communication shapes culture. When it is consistent and grounded, trust builds. This case shows how structured, insight‑led communication design can reset how leadership is experienced across a complex organisation and support transition during a leadership change.