Messiah Odinma

Messiah is a seasoned higher education professional with extensive experience in student success, specialising in retention, outcomes, financial inclusion, engagement, and the end-to-end student journey. With experience across five diverse higher education institutions, his career has focused on advancing equitable access, participation, and success, particularly for underrepresented and vulnerable student groups.

Currently serving as Associate Dean of Student Journey at The University of the Arts, London, Messiah provides strategic leadership across the student lifecycle, ensuring policy, practice, and services are aligned to deliver inclusive and impactful student experiences. He has previously served as Head of Student Finance at the University of Hertfordshire, contributing to the Access and Participation Plan (APP) steering group and leading initiatives to strengthen financial support, continuation, and student outcomes.

Earlier roles at King’s College London, the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, and the University of East London included leading work to address attainment gaps and delivering targeted support for care-experienced and estranged students.

Messiah has played a key role in developing sustainable support frameworks for care-experienced and estranged students and currently serves as Chair of the AccessHE Care Experienced and Estranged Students Forum, championing collaboration, student voice, and sector-wide improvement in access, support, success, and progression for care leavers.

He brings a strategic, evidence-informed perspective and remains committed to improving outcomes for vulnerable and underrepresented learners.