Over the past 20 years, UK higher educational fundraising and wider external engagement functions have seen somewhat of a transformation. Ben started this period as a standalone development officer in a business school, and over 20 years later is a member of the LSE university leadership team, with responsibility for overseeing a £350m philanthropic campaign ‘nibbling at the heels of Oxbridge and the Ivy league’. So, what lessons might be learnt of the past two decades – not only successes, but failures, and the benefit of hindsight? Ben will not only reflect on his service at Warwick, Oxford and LSE in the UK, but through his insight through chairing the Ross Group (the top 25 universities fundraising in the UK and Ireland), his membership of the CASE Europe Council, and his early visits to the Nordic region in the early 2000s, meeting with prospective students and alumni.

This closing session will provide a candid discussion about how the UK went about replicating the North American approach, what was relevant, what could have been undertaken differently, and what this might inspire for world-leading colleagues in the Nordic region and those in a wider global context. Ben will pose questions, reflect on the significant role of government commissioned reports, how professionalism, collegiality, expertise and leadership buy-in have been a constant, and how we might re-think the mass alumni engagement model, to one that is more sophisticated, globally focussed and draws upon institutional expertise - to deliver a fundamental shift in cultural, institutional and income success.

As the conference draws to a close, this session will impart to us the benefit of looking back, looking forward and what adaptations will work for us in our different organisations, as we seek to create a step change and deliver success, regardless of our current resources.