SESSION OVERVIEW
Governance has a branding problem.
Too often, governance is viewed as the enemy of creativity. Innovation is exciting. Governance is bureaucracy. Innovation creates possibilities. Governance creates paperwork.
But what if we’ve got it completely wrong?
The most innovative organisations are often not those with the fewest rules. They are the organisations with the clearest governance frameworks, allowing people to confidently experiment, take risks and make decisions.
In an era of AI, increasing accountability, student safety obligations and growing institutional scrutiny, student experience professionals are being asked to be more innovative than ever while simultaneously being more responsible than ever. This session challenges the myth that governance and innovation are competing priorities and explores how effective governance can become a powerful enabler of creativity, experimentation and sustainable change.
Through practical examples, interactive discussion and hands-on activities, participants will learn how to move beyond compliance-driven thinking and design governance approaches that create trust, empower action and support extraordinary student experiences.
Because governance doesn’t ask, “Can we innovate?”
It asks, “How do we innovate responsibly?”
Session Outcomes:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Reframe governance as an enabler of innovation rather than a barrier to it.
- Identify the characteristics of high-performing environments that balance governance and creativity.
- Apply practical governance principles that support experimentation, innovation and calculated risk-taking.
- Recognise governance practices that unintentionally stifle innovation and redesign them to create better outcomes.
- Explore emerging governance challenges in student experience, including AI, student safety, data and trust.
- Develop actionable strategies for creating “guardrails not handcuffs” within their own teams and institutions.
PRESENTER
Jessica Elliott is the Chief Operating Officer at the University of Newcastle Students’ Association (UNSA), where she leads organisational strategy, governance, risk, compliance, operations and organisational development. A qualified lawyer with a background in social science, Jessica brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective to leadership, culture and organisational
performance.
Throughout her career, Jessica has worked alongside boards, student leaders, executives and staff to navigate complex environments, drive meaningful change and build high-performing organisations. She is passionate about creating
thriving, values-driven cultures where people feel empowered to contribute, innovate and lead with purpose.
Her work focuses on helping organisations balance accountability with creativity, strategy with execution, and organisational performance with human-centred leadership. Jessica has a particular interest in governance as an enabler of innovation, leading people through change, student leadership development and building sustainable cultures that foster trust, engagement and impact.