Overview
Andy Youell has over three decades of experience in higher education data, systems and regulation; this has included working for funding councils, sector bodies and HE providers. He spent two decades as a member of the Executive team at HESA leading on data specifications, data management, systems development and external engagement; he joined the HESA Board following the merger with Jisc in 2023.
Andy has experience as a CIO, CDO and Data Protection Officer. He has extensive consultancy and project experience working with HE providers, systems suppliers and government bodies across the world.
Andy was a member of the independent review of qualification grades that was commissioned by the Welsh Government following the 2020 exams fiasco. He also led a review of HE student statistics across the UK for the Office of National Statistics.
Andy was a founding member of the DfE HE Data Taskforce, which considered issues of data burden and duplication across HE. Prior to that, he was a member of the DfE Information Standards Board. He's a regular contributor to higher education policy forums and a speaker at conferences and events in the UK and internationally.
