Sarah Beavon

Sarah Beavon is a senior university executive with over 20 years’ experience leading large-scale organisational, digital and operational transformation across higher education. As Chief Digital & Student Experience Officer at Canterbury Christ Church University and a member of the University’s Senior Management Team, she leads a broad portfolio encompassing Digital & Technology, Library Services, Academic Registry and Student Services.

Her focus is on creating reliable, connected and inclusive services that improve the student experience while enabling a more effective and sustainable University. She has a strong track record of leading complex transformation, including enterprise systems modernisation, corporate services transformation and the redesign of services, operating models and processes. Her approach brings together people, process, policy, technology and data to deliver sustainable organisational change.

Sarah has held a number of national leadership and governance roles within higher education, including serving as Treasurer and Trustee of UCISA. She is an advocate for women in technology, coaching and mentoring, and inclusive leadership, and was named in Computing’s IT Leaders 100 in 2025, recognising the UK’s most influential technology leaders.

She is known for collaborative and pragmatic leadership, with a particular interest in how universities can simplify the student journey, strengthen their operational foundations and use digital, data and AI to improve outcomes for students, staff, and institutions.