Sam Bayley has been Head of Faculty Planning and Strategy at the University of Hull (United Kingdom) since February 2024. He joined the Higher Education sector in 2010 at the University of York, where he held various roles supporting timetabling, accommodation, and curriculum projects. Sam found great enjoyment in running academic departments and turning around underperforming units through an empowering collaborative leadership approach; before moving into senior leadership positions at Faculty level and leading major transformation projects. He moved to Manchester Metropolitan University in 2022 as Director of Faculty Planning & Strategy before moving to his current position.
Sam has always been passionate about developing effective professional services teams and demonstrating how these teams can add strategic value to universities. He is a qualified mediator, as well as having mentored and coached colleagues from all over the UK. He holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Administration and Management, and an MBA from the Open University. At York, he was elected as a staff governor and sat on the University Council.
Sam is at AAA representing the Association of Higher Education Professionals (AHEP; previously known as the AUA). Sam was a Trustee of the organisation between 2014-2020 and has been widely involved in AHEP’s work – as a network coordinator, mentor on the Postgraduate Certificate, and peer reviewer for the Perspectives: Policy & Practice journal. He has presented at a number of AHEP conferences.
Outside of work, Sam is a Trustee for an animal welfare charity and a volunteer management consultant for other charities. He is a football match official in the professional/semi-professional game. He loves to travel, see wildlife, and drink red wine, making South Africa a perfect destination.