In my last newsletter of 2024: a new global sport partnership, supporting scholars at risk around the world, our winter degree ceremonies, new senior staff appointments and a look back on our achievements this year.

New global partnership agreement to drive equality in sport  

Earlier this month we agreed a landmark international partnership with The Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport (the GO) to drive the elevation of activities connected to women’s sport.

The GO initiative commissions and collates research and expertise to advance gender equality and empower women and girls in and through physical education, physical activity and sport. For example, it supports a programme that uses football as a vehicle to help girls in Nepal discuss the personal, cultural and social issues they face. The GO originated from Loughborough’s UNESCO Chair in Sport, Physical Activity and Education.

Loughborough is the first UK-based university to enter a partnership with the GO and will build on the already successful research and innovation projects related to advancing gender equality in sport globally delivered by the University’s Health and Wellbeing of Women in Sport cluster.

This exciting development cuts across several of our strategic aims: Sporting Excellence and Opportunity, EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) and Research and Partnerships, as well as our Sport, Health and Wellbeing theme. Working in collaboration with organisations such as the GO is critical to developing a truly global and coordinated approach to tackling systematic gender inequities in sport.

Group established to support students and academics at risk

With so much unrest in the world right now, it can be difficult to know what to do in response. We offer support to those within our own community who are affected or concerned by ongoing conflicts, but we must also consider how we might help those who are directly impacted in the countries. 

For many years now Loughborough has been part of the Cara (Council for At-Risk Academics) network, allowing us to offer sanctuary and support to academics from around the world. Cara is a lifeline for those who need urgent help to escape discrimination, persecution, violence or conflict. It also supports academics who choose to continue working in their home countries despite serious dangers, and higher education institutions whose work is threatened or compromised. 

In recent years, Cara’s Fellowship Programme has seen an almost 400% increase in appeals for help, driven by crises in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Sudan and, most recently, the Middle East. In 2023, more than 220 Cara Fellows were placed in institutions across the UK. At Loughborough we have twinned with Beketov National University in Ukraine as part of a Universities UK International initiative to enable campuses to stay open, academics to continue their teaching and research, and students to carry on their studies. Loughborough’s project with Beketov involved digital modelling and information management to aid the planning and delivery of post-war reconstruction.  

It is vital that we try to support both staff and students who are caught up in challenging environments and to help us do this we have formed the Loughborough University for Students and Academics At Risk Group (LUSARG), chaired by Professor Malcolm Cook, to put in place plans for temporary refuge for those from the higher education community around the world. The forms of support we offer through LUSARG will vary and may include financial support through short-term fellowships or scholarships, assisting academics and their families with seeking accommodation, and access to learning resources. 

Our relationship with Cara and our own Students and Academics At Risk Group are central to our strategic focus on fostering Vibrant and Inclusive Communities and to our vision of becoming a University of Sanctuary.

Celebrating achievements at our winter graduation ceremonies

Last week we welcomed more than 1,000 students, their friends, families and supporters to campus for the winter graduation ceremonies. As always, it was wonderful to see so many proud, happy faces, despite the distinctly grey weather. 

At the congregations we awarded Honorary Doctorates of the University to three people in recognition of their contributions in their respective fields. Three-time Olympic gold medallist Adam Peaty OBE was recognised for his outstanding contribution to swimming and mental health advocacy. England team manager Serina Wiegman was honoured for her contribution to women’s football, particularly her part in winning the 2022 European Championships. And Professor Rachel Cooper OBE from Lancaster University was recognised for her achievements in design, in particular her work on sustainable urban design. 

We also awarded University medals to Andrew Selby from the School of Design and Creative Arts, Jonathon Riall, who is the Head of ParalympicsGB Performance Services, and Steve Varley, our Ambassador for the Climate Change and Net Zero strategic theme. 

It is always an honour to recognise the work of individuals who have contributed so much to our University and society more broadly. 

I know teams right across the University work very hard to ensure that everyone who attends our graduation ceremonies has an enjoyable day. Thank you to you all for everything you do.

Senior staff appointed

I’m pleased to announce the appointment of two senior members of staff at the University, following extensive recruitment searches. 

Helen Pennack will join us in March as our Director of Marketing and Advancement, the institution’s senior marketing and communications leader, and Professor Aidan McGarry has been appointed to the role of Dean of Loughborough University London. 

Helen will lead the strategic and operational development of our regional, national and global reputation, our brand presence and market position to support delivery of the objectives in our strategy.  

Helen has a wealth of experience within the higher education sector. She is currently Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at the University of Nottingham, where she provides strategic marketing and communications leadership for the University and leads the External Relations department. Prior to her appointment at Nottingham, Helen was Director of Marketing and Communications at the University of Warwick, where she created the University’s first marketing function. 

Aidan joined the University in 2018, through our Excellence 100 academic recruitment drive, as Reader in International Politics, becoming Professor three years later. In 2021 Aidan was appointed Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and became Acting Dean of Loughborough University London in September 2024.  

Before joining Loughborough University London Professor Aidan McGarry was a visiting scholar at Columbia University, New York, the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence, the European Centre for Minority Issues in Germany and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.  

I’m pleased to announce the appointment of two senior members of staff at the University, following extensive recruitment searches. 

Helen Pennack will join us in March as our Director of Marketing and Advancement, the institution’s senior marketing and communications leader, and Professor Aidan McGarry has been appointed to the role of Dean of Loughborough University London. 

Helen will lead the strategic and operational development of our regional, national and global reputation, our brand presence and market position to support delivery of the objectives in our strategy.  

Helen has a wealth of experience within the higher education sector. She is currently Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at the University of Nottingham, where she provides strategic marketing and communications leadership for the University and leads the External Relations department. Prior to her appointment at Nottingham, Helen was Director of Marketing and Communications at the University of Warwick, where she created the University’s first marketing function. 

Aidan joined the University in 2018, through our Excellence 100 academic recruitment drive, as Reader in International Politics, becoming Professor three years later. In 2021 Aidan was appointed Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and became Acting Dean of Loughborough University London in September 2024.  

Before joining Loughborough University London Professor Aidan McGarry was a visiting scholar at Columbia University, New York, the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence, the European Centre for Minority Issues in Germany and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

I am sure you will join me in congratulating both Helen and Aidan on their appointments. I look forward to working with them both on the next phases of development for Loughborough University London and our marketing, communications and advancement activity.

My reflections on 2024

As another year draws to a close, I wanted to reflect on some of our achievements, successes and milestones over the last 12 months.   

It has been a challenging year, both for us and the sector as a whole. I recognise we have had some valued colleagues leave us through the Cost Reduction Scheme, and whilst this has contributed positively towards our financial sustainability, it will impact on workloads. We all therefore need to think more carefully about how we prioritise our work and think creatively about the way in which we do things. 

But the actions we are taking mean that Loughborough remains in a strong position, and we have continued to make good progress against the aims and themes of our University strategy.  

In the national league tables, we cemented our position amongst the UK’s leading universities, notably moving up to 6th place in the Complete University Guide 2025. 

We began the roll out of DigiLabs, which uses new technologies, including virtual reality, holograms, AI and robotics to enhance the way our students learn. 

We received our largest ever research funding award of £57m from the UK Government for the University’s Sustainable Transitions: Energy, Environment and Resilience Centre (STEER) to help accelerate the roll-out of improved, climate resilient infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa and the Global South. 

The OnCampus Loughborough programme ran for the first time this year, enabling 230 international students to develop the academic skills they need to study degree programmes at Loughborough.  

At the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer, Loughborough-associated athletes brought home an amazing 35 medals – 11 gold, 10 silver and 14 bronze. 

With our long-standing partners, Rolls-Royce plc, our experts in the National Centre for Combustion and Aerothermal Technology helped to develop hydrogen combustion engine technology, an industry first that could revolutionise air travel in the future and a huge step towards achieving net zero aviation. 

And start-up businesses founded by two of our Design graduates secured Innovate UK Unlocking Potential awards, receiving a grant funding and tailored business support to help them accelerate their businesses’ growth trajectory. 

These are, of course, just a few of the highlights; our Annual Review and Financial Statements publication gives further details of what we achieved.

Thank you for everything that you have contributed to the University’s success over the last 12 months. Whatever you are doing while the University is closed, please enjoy the holiday, relax and take a break from work. I wish you a very Happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the new year.