How Martin Rodenby Will Help Universities Maximise Technology Investments and Long-Term Transformation Outcomes
Universities aren’t short of technology. They are short of time, capacity and the certainty that every technology investment will deliver lasting value. That’s why ensuring we focus on customer excellence in terms of outcomes and relationships is essential.
It’s also why Martin Rodenby has joined Ellucian as Director of Customer Excellence.
Martin joins us after leading enterprise technology teams at The University of Sheffield, Nottingham Trent University, De Montfort University and the University of Derby. Martin’s career also includes experience as a technology partner to universities, most notably in relation to student information systems implementation and transformation.
Martin, Could You Tell Us About Your Higher Education Experience?
I really admire what higher education does in terms of its mission, its impact within communities and the way it opens doors for young people, and I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some very talented teams throughout my career.
Having been on both sides of the fence – as a customer and technology partner – I’ve seen first-hand what it takes to deliver transformation that brings sustained value for university stakeholders.
There are challenges, certainly. Higher education is under pressure not least from resource constraints and higher student expectations. However, I genuinely believe that through technology and digital transformation we can collectively help to meet these challenges and continue to deliver the educational and research outcomes our communities need.
How Does Your Experience Help You Support Higher Education Institutions?
I have lived through the challenges of the last few years with university colleagues. I empathise with the new challenges we face as a sector. Using these experiences, I can bring the voice of the customer into all we do at Ellucian.
I want to help universities to not only adopt technology, but also enable them to create better outcomes for students and colleagues alike. I have experienced first-hand the power of technology used well within a university setting.
Choosing to come to Ellucian was very deliberate on my part, I wanted a role where I could make a significant difference across the sector. Ellucian appeals to me because I believe fully in its strategy and mission. The product set and related capabilities are what our sector needs, and I was keen to support Ellucian’s journey in the UK.
Ellucian tools allow universities to add value quickly by releasing the time and capability for people to engage more closely with the data. When I was at Nottingham Trent University, for example, we worked in partnership with Ellucian to streamline administrative and student processes, removing friction and giving people valuable time back. In our current context giving colleagues and students time back to focus on value adding activities is genuinely transformative.
How Should Universities Navigate Modernisation Programmes?
Successful transformation comes from being outcomes orientated, with people, process, data, and technology. Clarity on the outcomes and associated value is critical. That comes from genuinely understanding our customers and working in authentic partnership with them.
You have to find out what value looks like to students as well as research teams, academic staff, and professional services colleagues – and make sure digital transformation delivers that value.
The road to digital transformation is not always easy, we all know there can be bumps along the way. But when customers invest in Ellucian, they not only benefit from our deep higher education expertise and experience, they are also partnering with hugely innovative technology teams. This allows, for example, an adoption of Ellucian AI capability to deliver value in a much more rapid way than has previously been the case.
A large-scale digital transformation is always exciting, particularly at go-live. What follows afterwards is critical to long term success too. We must continue to work in partnership to drive more and more value from the investment and from the relationship. This continuous leveraging of value, and improving outcomes, is what I find truly exciting.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
I’m really looking forward to spending time with our customers and listening carefully to what they need from us next. Higher education is a close and highly collaborative community, and I want to make sure we continue learning from the conversations taking place across the sector.
Throughout my time in higher education, I’ve seen how valuable it is when institutions share ideas, experiences, and practical lessons. I want to bring that same spirit of collaboration into my role at Ellucian by staying close to the customer community, engaging with sector groups and events, and helping universities turn transformation plans into meaningful outcomes.
Ultimately, my focus is on being accessible to customers so I can represent their needs internally at Ellucian. It is also about being accessible across Ellucian teams to ensure we have that focus on customer excellence in all we do. In terms of outcomes, I want to help ensure customers are genuinely delighted by the Ellucian experience.
Find out how you can connect with Martin in person at upcoming Ellucian and sector events.
