2021 Chairperson Awards

CEO MONTHLY / CHAIRPERSON AWARDS 2021 13 , Most Innovative Higher Education Chairman (UK): Martin Roots Expede Group believes that no one should feel alone and that no one should be left behind. It delivers this vision directly through its products, services and people, and indirectly through the charities and student-led entrepreneurial projects it supports – locally, nationally and across the globe. Expede Group comprises four strategically-aligned companies, each providing complementary services and products, that together hope to improve the lives of the young. Expede Consulting provides IT-enabled business change services to support the digital transformational aspirations of the higher education sector – providing the foundation for improved student engagement and experience. Expede International supports international students to find the right university for the next stage of their academic development and supports universities with their digital marketing outreach to that student audience. Freshers Festival Group connects students with the There is a great divide in this world between the haves and the have nots, between those who find themselves in the position of privilege with access to quality education and opportunities for social mobility and those who are deprived of the very tools they need to change the hand that life dealt them. Expede Group supports every 16–25-year-old to be the very best they can be: socially, educationally and vocationally – so they feel great about themselves and the impact they will have on those around them – through knowledge, experience and building a sense of community. brands they love through large- scale live experiential events and digital marketing. YADA Campus, Expede Group’s flagship community engagement platform provides universities with the tool to ensure every student has access to information and services to make the right decisions; it profiles and monitors engagement levels; and it nudges students along a better engagement pathway should they be found wavering. Expede Group’s hope is that it reduces student drop-out rates across the sector (currently set at an average of 6.3% in the first year of study at a cost of £9 million a year for a university) and help every student’s mental wellbeing through the inevitable low points in the student journey. Expede Consulting’s staff play a vital role in its offering and although there are four companies, it’s one team. The company strives to make sure its team feels appreciated and valued. Its people work together, sharing their skills and experiences to cross boundaries, to meet the needs of customers and to help the Group succeed. They take the time to stop and acknowledge where the company came from, so they don’t miss just how impressive the climb is. Its people are encouraged to think outside of the box. They are proud to be an innovative team of creative problem solvers. Each individual enjoys going above and beyond the brief to help others succeed. This is in combination with an attitude that is professional, passionate and committed towards clients. The company believes in promoting a service that is fun and memorable. While there’s always a time and a place to celebrate individual accomplishments, no single person is bigger than the team. Each team member is guided by solid moral compasses. They stand for what is just and right and hold themselves to a high level of ethical standards. They seek out, embrace and get (un)comfortable in knowing that if they are not continuously learning, evolving and improving – they are falling behind. The diversity and alignment of the Group has enabled its people to weather the COVID-19 storm. The consultancy remained strong, whilst its international and events-based businesses were obviously more impacted. However, the team was able to put downtime to a good use – It took its Fresher Festival online, and began working with universities to market their institutions globally even though students weren’t able to travel. Expede’s YADA Campus platform was born out of the need for universities to monitor student engagement irrespective of the environment as the pandemic took a real and significant toll on many students – many lessons were learned, and its products and services will be better for it in years to come. Ultimately, Expede Group’s growth strategy is based on building all its services, supported by YADA Campus, which it believes will revolutionise the way universities manage student engagement going forward – enabling them to react quicker when engagement drops and provide the interventions students will need to ensure their success as they move through their student journey. Company: Expede Group Contact: Martin Roots Email: [email protected] Website: www.expede.consulting Aug21831