Episode 42: Emergency services, student occupations and intelligent regulation

For episode 42 of the podcast I am in conversation with Khadir Meer, Chief Operating Officer, Registrar and Clerk to the Board at SOAS, University of London. Unusually for the podcast this is the first time we have talked too so it's an interesting way to meet. Khadir has only been in the role for nine months having previously worked as COO and Deputy Chief Executive of the London Ambulance Service.  Working in the NHS during the pandemic was clearly hugely challenging and stressful and Khadir was understandably excited therefore by the opportunity for a change of direction and the different kind of pressure you get in higher education. 

There was already a connection with SOAS and Khadir relates a fantastic story about the impact of a visit to the university as a 13 year old and an encounter at a lecture with an elderly professor teaching Urdu poetry. As COO he has a wide range of responsibilities across professional services and governance and observes that there is a different level of pace and intensity to emergency healthcare where response times are measured in seconds and minutes to a sector where responses are usually in months and years.

We talk about the distinctive nature and history of SOAS, its diversity and the political dimensions of university life, including the very particular experience of managing student occupations, something which was certainly new to Khadir. 

The challenges of the post-pandemic return to work are a key concern and we explore the different dimensions of this at SOAS as well as the issues around blended learning and the need to sustain a vibrant campus environment.

Finally we cover the big topic of sector regulation and involvement in the activities of AHUA. It's a really interesting discussion and I hope you agree it is well worth a listen.