When Unite Students, the UK’s largest provider of purpose-built student accommodation, undertook its digital transformation, ERP was only one piece of a much bigger picture. With 65,000 students across more than 150 buildings in 20 UK cities, the challenge wasn’t just about implementing a new finance or HR system. It was about rethinking how digital technology could connect people, property and processes to improve the student experience.
In our recent AssureERP webinar, James Maunder, Director of Digital and IT at Unite Students, described how their ERP deployment was part of a broader transformation - one that spanned property management, customer experience and data strategy.
Beyond ERP: A connected transformation
For Unite Students, the ERP rollout was driven by both push and pull factors. The push came from ageing systems that needed replacement; the pull came from an ambition to deliver better, more responsive services. As James explained, “Those push drivers were largely technological in nature… The pull drivers were around people within the organisation recognising that we could achieve our mission in more modern, integrated, and responsive ways.”
The ERP deployment, built on Oracle Fusion, ran alongside significant investments in Salesforce, new low-code integration platforms and an upcoming property management system. The aim was to unify data, improve visibility and deliver services that met rising expectations from students, who expect the same seamless experience they get from consumer brands.
Reframing technology as business change
One of James’s key reflections was that the project initially put too much focus on technology. “We were way too technology-focused at the start… No conversations were around what business outcomes we were seeking.” Over time, the focus shifted from systems to value - what Unite Students calls its “digital property agenda,” where ERP, CRM and property systems now work together to deliver better outcomes for both students and staff.
Learning and agility at scale
Unite’s transformation was underpinned by a learning mindset. As James noted, “A big implementation is a learning exercise. You know a lot more at the end of the programme than you knew at the beginning.” That meant embracing iteration, adapting to change and recognising that minimum viable product (MVP) doesn’t mean minimal functionality. James reflected that the team learned through experience what “viable” really means - a reminder that transformation is as much about organisational learning as delivery.
The journey also prompted a redefinition of what the technology function does. “A technology function that supports cloud-hosted, continually improving platforms is a very different organisation from one that manages point systems hosted internally,” James said. This shift from maintenance to enablement, reflects a broader cultural change across the organisation.
The role of AI and automatio
Unite Students is now exploring how AI and automation can enhance the student experience and improve internal efficiency. As James explained, “We’ve put a lot of investment into improving our data sets so we can now start getting value out of these platforms and explore what artificial intelligence, which is baked into all of them, can do for us.” Whether it’s automated testing or predictive insights, Unite sees these capabilities as tools to build smarter, more proactive services.
Lessons for leaders
For transformation leaders in both public and private sectors, Unite Students’ journey highlights key principles:
• ERP is not the destination - it’s part of a connected ecosystem.
• Start with business outcomes. Technology is the enabler, not the goal.
• Adopt a learning culture. Expect to adapt and iterate.
• Leverage AI and data - modern platforms deliver insight as much as efficiency.
Watch the full webinar to hear James Maunder discuss how Unite Students integrated ERP within a wider digital strategy and how those lessons apply to large-scale transformation across both private and public sectors.