Victoria Holbrook

As Assistant Director, Consulting, Governance and Insight, Victoria leads the development of Advance HE’s consultancy and insight to meet the strategic change needs of members and clients in their rapidly evolving operating environments, including our sector-leading work supporting governance effectiveness, and student surveys. In doing so, she brings nearly twenty years of expertise in higher education policy, strategy, and regulation (including twelve years at the English HE arms-length government bodies HEFCE and the Office for Students) as well as perspectives from serving on the Boards of a Multi-Academy Trust, a small University, and a private higher education provider. Victoria oversees a wide range of developments including nationally significant sector projects both in the UK and overseas as well as client delivery such as governance effectiveness reviews. She speaks at conferences and events on a wide range of topics concerning contemporary governance, leadership, and culture challenges in complex policy contexts. She has a keen interest in global governance practice across the public, charity and corporate sectors including action to achieve board diversity and inclusive leadership.

In her role at HEFCE as Regional Consultant, Victoria cultivated relationships and resolved regulatory, funding and policy matters with Boards and senior teams at institutions across the South West. She also oversaw national work to support good governance in the English sector, working with a range of stakeholders including CUC and AHUA. For OfS, Victoria led the development of its first strategy for student information and undertook complex registration casework, gaining insights into the functioning of the new English regulatory framework at both sector and provider levels.

She has a wide range of experience in devising and implementing policy and projects across areas including research policy, widening participation and health education. Before HEFCE, she worked at the Arts and Humanities Research Council, European Parliament and local government. Victoria read Law and French at UWE Bristol and later achieved MSc Public Policy from the University of Bristol.

Victoria loves a good walk on the moors or by the sea, preferably followed by some excellent local food and drink. Failing that, you’ll find her attempting to grow things and furnishing family and friends with (award-winning) jams and chutneys. She is also a keen supporter of Parkinson’s UK.