In this episode of the Room to Grow podcast, David Tymms is joined by sector heavyweights Paddy Jackman and Mark Allen to unpack the mounting pressures reshaping UK higher education—and what they mean for student housing.
From collapsing real-term funding to shifting student behaviours, rising numbers of commuter students and the impact of the Renters Rights Act, the trio dives deep into the realities now confronting universities and PBSA operators alike.
Whether you’re a university leader, developer, investor, or operator, this episode explores how funding cuts, policy reform, and affordability pressures are redrawing the student living landscape.
Paddy Jackman began his career as a Royal Naval officer before moving into US retail and then pivoting into the higher education sector in 1999 as Commercial Services Director at the University of the Arts London, where he pioneered partnerships to expand student housing, including negotiating Unite’s first London leases. As a director at Imperial College, he led a £175M capital development programme to enhance the student experience. He has held leadership roles at Ardingly College, University of Birmingham, CLV, was latterly CEO at Unipol, and is currently a Non-Executive Director at Essex University Campus Services. Paddy chairs the Property Week Student Housing Conference and continues to be a respected voice in the sector.
Mark Allen brings over three decades of leadership across higher education and the private sector. He was a founding director of UPP Group, where he helped grow the business into the UK’s largest on-campus student housing provider, investing £2B and developing over 50,000 student rooms. Today, Mark is Executive Director at Sure Start Ventures, a startup investor, and sits on the Council of the University of Roehampton, where he also chairs the Health, Safety & Welfare Committee. He is a non-executive director at Student Crowd and previously served on the University of London Advisory Board.
David Tymms is a Strategic Advisor to the Board at QX Global Group with over 30 years of leadership in student accommodation. He formerly served as COO at iQ Student Accommodation, where he helped scale the business and played a key role in its £4.7B acquisition by Blackstone. Prior to that, he was Director of Residential Services at LSE, leading major innovations in university housing. David brings deep expertise across both public and private PBSA, with a focus on strategic growth and operational excellence.
