On 8-9 October 2024 the leadership of ACA member organisations gathered in Brussels for two days of discussions and peer learning in the context of ACA’s 4th Strategic summit “Strategic planning, enhanced advocacy and leadership development –  national agencies’ updates.” More than 40 representatives from Europe and the United States, including external guests, shared the most important developments within their respective agencies and national contexts. The rich programme begun with a welcome by ACA President Gro Tjore, followed by a summary of the most relevant insights from recent and ongoing projects by the ACA Secretariat members Irina Ferencz, Veronika Kupriyanova, Martin Bogdan and Courtney Hartzell. The Summit  facilitated a high-level peer-to-peer exchange on strategic topics. 

Throughtout several panel discussions the following topics were discussed: 

• the latest data and key evidence on various aspects of international higher education;  
• novelties related to internationalisation strategies, at national and agencies’ level, and their implementation in shifting times; 
• strategic approaches to participation in membership organisations such as ACA; 
• essential thematic updates on members’ work with Ukraine, their role in and vision of the European Universities Alliances, etc.; 
• anticipating developments in the broader political context and enhancing advocacy work, and;  
• exchanging on different approaches to leadership development. 

Along many engaging discussions, sessions and networking opportunities, the programme featured insights from external speakers Thomas Estermann and Anna-Lena Clayes-Kulik from the European University Association, on leadership development in modern times. They reflected on the needs and desires of higher education leaders, emphasising major transformation topics such as digital transformation, sustainability, and the climate crisis, which university leaders must address. 

 The past years of constant crises were discussed, including COVID-19, geopolitical tensions, societal challenges, and the effects of climate change impacting universities in certain regions, as well as internal resistence to change within institutions. They stressed that today’s university leaders require different skills compared to 10-15 years ago, and their survey results underscored the importance of communication, followed closely by open-mindnedness, conflict resolution, integrity, listening and empathy. Additionally, focus group discussions revealed that skills such as coaching, team building, decision-making, reslience, visionary thinking and inspiration are now essential for effective leadership. Other key points highlighted the importance of shared leadership across the institution, emphasising the combination of academic leadership and professional support leaders working together. Regarding leadership styles at universities, it was emphasised that while culture and context play a significant role, survey results indicated that autocratic leadership styles are less effective in the university sector. However, it was also highlighted that flexibility and adapting leadership styles to the situation are essential.