He has supported institutions across the higher education sector to embed sustainability, societal impact and partnership into the core of their mission, strategy and operations. This includes approaches enabling universities and the sector to:
- make their operations more sustainable while building resilience in an operating environment of growing complexity and risk
- be leaders in the transition to a sustainable economy
- maximise, identify and communicate the positive impacts and value they create through their education, research and ability to bring people together
- develop holistic, future-informed and grounded strategies and plans at the whole-organisation and local levels.
Tom joined SUMS in 2022 from King’s College London’s Directorate of Strategy, Planning & Analytics, where he developed high-value initiatives across the university including its corporate strategy, planning framework, and climate and sustainability action plan. Earlier roles at King’s included positions in King’s Business School and School of Global Affairs.
After completing his BA in Modern Languages at the University of Oxford, Tom took his postgraduate studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and completed his PhD in Linguistics there in 2014. He is a qualified Practitioner in PRINCE2 (project management), MSP (programme management) and MoP (portfolio management), and most recently completed a certificate in Sustainable Finance from the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership.
How has Tom recently supported universities and other organisations?
- University of Northampton: Strategy 2023-2027
- University of London: Sustainability Strategy
- University of Essex: Culture Change for a Sustainable University (delivered in partnership with EAUC)
- Ulster University: Materiality Assessment
- University of Oxford: Benchmarking Environmental Sustainability Resources across UK Universities
- The Royal Society: Environmental Sustainability Baseline and Related Services – comprising environmental sustainability baseline and support with strategy, decarbonisation pathway, risk assessment and adaptation plan, training and engagement, monitoring framework (delivered in partnership with EAUC and Wild Business)
A lover of languages and mountains, he is passionate about a sustainable future and helping people to achieve their potential. He sits on the Board of the London Doughnut Economics Coalition, a community interest company working towards a London that supports human flourishing within the planet’s environmental boundaries.
Tom’s latest publications on strategy, planning and sustainability in HE:
- Understanding the benefits and costs of what universities do (2024)
- Integrating climate into strategy and planning: Where are we? Where are we going? (2023, in partnership with the Higher Education Strategic Planners Association)
- Climate change will affect every part of universities’ work. Here’s what they need to do (2023, with Jennifer Summerton)
- Delivering Strategy: Why You Need a Holistic Approach (2022)
- Developing An Effective Strategy in Higher Education: The Critical Stages for Success (2022)