Sarah Browning
Associate Consultant
s.browning@reading.ac.uk
Sarah brings expertise in strategic communication development and delivery. Her work identifies how an effective communication approach will support an institution’s overall strategic ambitions. She has a strong understanding of HE audiences, both within and beyond the sector, and the ways in which this insight contributes to successful transformation.
Sarah joined SUMS as an associate in 2024, having been a communications consultant for not-for-profit, HE and research organisations for over 20 years. Since 2017 she has written the SUPC and SUMS annual impact reports.
She devised and delivered the internal communications strategy for a major curriculum innovation change programme for the University of Southampton and advised Imperial College London on a similar programme. As a result, staff were engaged to deliver more interdisciplinary modules and students were enthused to sign up for broader learning experiences. She has worked extensively with the University of Reading on communications and change projects ranging from embedding new researcher handbooks to changing procurement processes and knowledge transfer programmes.
While working with the Leadership for Personalised Care programme at NHS England, she has supported them to develop and implement a strategic communications plan, as well as writing a FutureLearn course for them that attracted 750+ learners in the first year. Other clients that have benefitted from adopting her strategic communications recommendations include Dementia UK and Cancer Research UK.
In 2021 Sarah founded Time for Kindness, a programme to inspire people to ‘see kind’ in the world and teach them to make noticing it a habit. Programme activities, keynote talks and workshops inspire positive wellbeing and resilience, which is beneficial to individuals and to the organisations they work for. She is also a member of the Organisation for Responsible Business.