External Trustee

Background

I live in the London Borough of Greenwich with my partner Sandra. The borough is multicultural and multilingual and we are active in the community.

I have two daughters, one who is working and taking a degree apprenticeship. My other daughter has just started her final year at the London College of Fashion (University of the Arts London) studying for a degree in Fashion Marketing.

My career is one that has been dominated by education. While I spent 16 months working for two school related Government bodies in the mid-1980s, most of my experience has been in higher education. I have always had a commitment to equality and widening participation.

Skills

I can offer a range of skills that I hope would be of benefit. I have experience of discussions and negotiations at strategic levels within organisations and can offer strategic leadership skills based on the range of characteristics I have developed at two different universities.

I am able to offer you a clarity of vision in relation to the tasks that I am involved in as well as financial management expertise over a large number of years. I have knowledge of Planning; Stakeholder management; Risk management and the analysis of data for decision making.

A significant amount of my time has been spent in the management of change. I am a strong communicator and have experience in conflict resolution and building strong collaborative relationships. I am committed to equality and diversity and to ethical behaviour, honesty, independence of thought and sound judgement.

I believe that my own values sit happily alongside the values and mission of the Students’ Union. I believe that I can contribute something to the strategy, policy financing and functioning of the Students’ Union.

I have significant amounts of experience in relation to staffing and setting strategic objectives as well as financial management and legal matters related to higher education.

Employment and Education

I am currently the Director of School and College Engagement at Canterbury Christ Church University, responsible for 17 staff within the department of Marketing and Communications. This work includes responsibility for both the school and college liaison staff and those involved in raising aspirations and widening participation. I am also one of the two Assistant Directors of Marketing and Communications with a range of student recruitment related roles within the Department.

From July 1997 until November 2017 I was Director of Admissions at CCCU with experience of undergraduate, postgraduate, full-time and part-time study. This responsibility included applications from the EU and overseas fee-paying countries.

Before that I worked at the University of Greenwich in similar roles between 1985 and 1997.

My degree is in History from the University of Wales (what was the University College of North Wales, Bangor). I was Student Union President from 1980 to 1981.