Becoming Leeds Beckett University - Victoria Sanderson * Clare Jackson

Becoming Leeds Beckett
University: Fostering a
community of change
Victoria Sanderson, Head of the Strategic
Planning Support Service &
Clare Jackson, Planning & Projects Manager
Strategic Planning Support Service

Name change quiz
Test your brand knowledge - Can
you fill in the blanks in our name
change and brand quiz?

Name change & brand quiz answers
1. Lloyds pharmacy
2. John Lewis

3. Snickers
4. Starburst
5. Pepsi
6. Google

Other institutions have braved this before us…
7a. University of Central England (changed to
Birmingham City University in 2007)
7b. Thames Valley University (changed to University of
West London in 2010)

Brand confusion…
8. Ferrari
9. Costa Coffee
10. Lego

PART B: Discussion point
(5mins)
How do brand changes make us feel?
What behaviour or concerns might
this spark in customers/stakeholders?

Community
Who are we to our
stakeholders?
Business
Social commentators
Charity
Enterprise hub
Knowledge
generator
Voluntary support
Personal support
Advisor
Service
user
Publisher
Creator/producer
HomePeer
Sponsor
Professional
practitioners Experts
Service provider
Research
institute
Competitor
Customer
Employer
Trainer
Partner
Sports
Centre
Economic contributor
Support
network
Experience provider
Social enterprise
Dependent
Funder
Proprietor
Tennant Consumer
Friend
Client
Neighbour
Educator
Social hub

What concerns may our stakeholders
have?
Will employers
recognise our
awards?
Will our business
processes remain the
same?
Will quality change?
Will we still be the
same organisation?
Will they have a say in
the choice of name?
Will contractual
arrangements remain
the same?

community of change
How we engaged all of our
stakeholders in our name change
journey…

community of change
• Why change our name?
• Stakeholder consultation
• Taking our stakeholders with us
• What difference has it made?
• What next?

Why now?
Institutional reasons
 Strong progress against our Strategic
Plan and KPIs
 Out grown our current name
 Completed curriculum reviews and
rationalised our portfolio
 Embedded graduate attributes
 Increased international applicants
 Increased our tariff
 One of three Leeds Universities
 Seeking Customer Service
Excellence & Investors in People
Gold accreditations

Why now?
External environment
 New fee regime
 ‘Market competition’ and need for
distinction
 Distinctive names have been used by
other post-92 Universities e.g. Sheffield
Hallam, Nottingham Trent and Oxford
Brookes amongst others

Why?
The rationale for the name change
The message we shared with our stakeholders
during and after our the name transition:
We are one of the most popular universities in the
UK and we would like a name which is distinctive
(i.e. there are four other metropolitans) and reflects
our ambition in a competitive global market.

Stakeholder consultation
Why did we engage stakeholders in the
choice of name?
 To develop our relationships with them
 To support our application
 To capture & listen to both positive
and negative feedback
 Answer questions & minimise
confusion
 To start a significant
journey of change
– & bring everyone
with us!

Name suggestions from our stakeholders
100Potential names
Geographic Northern People
Shortlist
Leeds Headingley University
Leeds Beckett University
Leeds Ridings University
Lowest risk and highest
opportunity combinations.
Title Risk Opportunity level
Aire High Very low
Beckett Mid High
Headingley Low High
Ridings Mid High
Rose Very High High

Students
Staff
Applicants
Alumni
Honorary Graduates
Funding Bodies
Charities Commission
HE & FE Institutions
Partners, schools, colleges & organisations
Professional, statutory & regulatory bodies
Local MPs
Leeds City Council
Other affected by name change
Reviewing our shortlist
3.2%
Response
rate
Formal consultation
28 May – 28 June 201345450 Stakeholders
contacted

The favoured choice
Board approval
19 July 2013
Mostpositive & leastnegative
comments

Getting the green light!
Privy Council approval granted November 2013
Leeds Metropolitan University
to become
Leeds Beckett University
on 22 September 2014

Key successes in our
consultation process
 Visible leadership from our Vice Chancellor
and senior management;
 staff & student focus groups;
 fluent staff and student communications on
progress;
 a long lead time helped to decrease costs;
 logging stakeholder concerns to address in
name migration project;
 gaining Privy council approval to provide
awards that reference both names during the
transition phase – in response to student
feedback!

Taking our stakeholders
with us:
Our Name Migration
project
Project aims:
 To ensure a seamless transition to the new
University name;
 to minimise disruption to our business
processes and interactions;
 to ensure all of our stakeholders are
appropriately informed and engaged.

Taking our stakeholders with us:
Name Migration timelineproject
Nov
2013
Dec
2013
Jan
2014
Feb
2014
Mar
2014
Apr
2014
May
2014
Jun
2014
Jul
2014
Aug
2014
Sep
2014
Oct
2014
20 November 2013 - 29 October 2014

Taking our stakeholders with us
Project Governance
 Group established ahead of formal
approval to undertake scoping.
 Vice Chancellor’s Group
representation and Project Sponsor.
 Representation from Corporate
Management Team, departmental
heads and middle management.
 Monthly meetings – swift decision
making, horizon scanning & close
scrutiny of risks and issues.
 Standing item on Corporate
Management Team meeting
agenda.
Highly visible leadership
Swift decision making
Immediate staff updates
Strong customer focus
Foresight

Project focus
To do
To
inform
Current students
Alumni
Applicants
Prospects
Contractual partn
Customers
Suppliers
Media
Other
stakeholders
Educational
partners
International recruiters
External
systems &
websites
External
dependents
Staff & student cards
Trademarks/Ltd
companies
Regulatory
framework
Awards
Branded goods
Disposal
Signage
Financial arrangements
Systems
Legal
Hoodies
Staff & prospective
staff

What wasn’t included
 Name change consultation
 Brand distinctiveness
 Evaluation of the impact of
the name change
Decision
20 Nov
Staff
20 Nov
Students
21 Nov
Media
21 Nov
Student
FAQs
22 Nov
Staff
bulletin
25 Nov
Alumni
Mag
29 Nov
VC Staff
email
9 Dec
Initial comms timeline:

Current students
Name change post
exam boards and at
start of new
academic year
Consultation
with SU on
certificate
wording
Awards to
reference both
names during
transition period
New student cards
for all with SU logo
Financial support
for SU and
Athletic Union
re-branding
Signage
updated after
Graduation
Student facing
systems prioritised
for updating
Free Leeds Beckett
hoodie for all campus
students

Current students
Open forum with
VC and Secretary
& Registrar
www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Regular
communications via
multiple channels
Postcard provided
for students studying
with an educational
partner
Bespoke
communications for
placement, Erasmus
and study abroad
students.
Website pop-up
including name
change rationale
Student FAQs

Applicants & prospects
Applicant letter
to explain the
rationale
73%
read rate
On email to home
and EU students &
all comms over 50%
Stand to reference both
names and system to
acknowledge planned
change
Leeds Beckett
prospectus launched
March 2014
Bespoke comms to
international
students
New Be Beckett
TV ad launched
Agents conference
briefing April 2014

Staff
Corporate
Leadership team
review of project
highlight report
All staff to get a
new campus
card and hoodie
Practical guidelines
supplied on a
designated staff
intranet pageRegular staff
communications
IT services led audit
of systems requiring
updates
Mail out to 9,000
stakeholders

Mail out to:
3208+ suppliers
3416+ customers
2500+ other contacts
407 schools
Other stakeholders
Externally facing
systems
prioritised
Legal
consultation
Name change
email contact
point
External
signage
Press
interviews
Opportunistic
promotions
29 pieces of
coverage on
launch day

What difference has it
made?
Some intended outcomes:
 A sea of Leeds Beckett hoodies;
 A continued sense of community;
 Coordination with our brand identity;
 Improved aesthetic of our estate and signage;
 Positive feedback from international students

What difference has it
made
Some unintended outcomes:
 Increased confidence in our management
structures to deliver significant change;
 Engagement in our Project Management
Framework;
 Better engagement in staff communications;
 Greater understanding of our IT infrastructure;
 Sense of spring cleaning.

What next?
Starting position
 New name
 Successful QAA review
 Relatively stable financial position
 Increased REF profile
 Only University to hold Customer Service Excellence and
Investors in People Gold accreditations
 New DVC Academic & 2 new Deans
 New Chair of our Board of Governors
 Strong brand identity

What next?
On the horizon…
 New VC starting September 2015
 New Strategic Plan
 Really owning our name
 Building upon our distinctiveness
and reputation
 Maintaining our strong ‘people-
focussed’ workforce and
customer ethos

Becoming Leeds Beckett University - Victoria Sanderson * Clare Jackson

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