Heads of University Management & Administration Network in Europe

HUMANE Seminar

Redefining Talent and HR strategies: “A must” to drive strategic changes in universities

Hosted by the University of Turin (IT)

October 16-17, 2025

Recruiting, retaining and replacing highly educated talents and specialist staff has become a major challenge in universities, in a context of financial constraints, geopolitical instability and shifting societal expectations.

Change management, digital skills and people leadership are some of the key skills to support strategic delivery, at a time when digitalisation and Artifical Intelligence are moving at a fast pace, requiring profound organisational and service transformations.  To deal with daily challenges while embracing new opportunities for organisational growth, universities need specialised skills and expertise to deliver services efficiently: risk management, (cyber) security, artifical intelligence, stakeholder engagement and EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion), to name only a few.   

Professional service leaders are prioritising investments to build the right capabilities, expertise and skill development.  The focus is on improved staff processes and experiences to enhance the employee value proposition, to attract and retain staff.   Succession and development plans are key to take a sustainable long term view on talents.

The seminar will cover these issues, looking at how to:

  • Align the HR function with the overall university strategy
  • Structure HR to respond to changing needs with agility: strategic renewal, resource and capability responses, from the perspective of the competences required in institutions
  • Build career frameworks and pathways for professional services staff  
  • Create impactful organisational cultures and workplaces with and for people 
  • Address the higher education recruitment and retention crisis: leadership development,  succession planning, diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition and recruitment (offering attractive opportunities for young people who have different expectations; the value proposition of working in a university: making a difference and impact in the world) 
  • Maintain experience and expertise in professional services (when many staff are coming up to retirement age in some universities)
  • Leading intergenerational workforces with different expecations: work-life balance, remote work  
  • Rethink work and HR in the age of Artificial Intelligence

This seminar will be ideal for senior leaders and managers of university professional services and HR professionals interested in enhancing their institution’s people strategies to foster a growth in their university.

Staff from HUMANE Member Institutions and Residential School Alumni benefit from the members rate of €670 (for non-members the fee is €920 – see below). The fee includes the catering within the programme (coffee breaks, lunch on Thursday and Friday plus the Thursday dinner). It does not include travel or accommodation.

Non HUMANE Members may attend if they meet the following criteria: they are from a higher education institution that delivers degree programmes in at least two of the three Bologna cycles (BA, MA, doctorate). Non-member applications are subject to review before acceptance. The Secretariat will apply the correct fee.

Save the date and register here.