Biographies

» Susan Ambler BA ACA

Susan Ambler is Head of Financial Accounting and Control within the Finance department. She has responsibility for budgetary control, financial accounting and taxation within the University along with reporting to HEFCE and HESA on financial matters. Susan trained at a small audit practice and then qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG where she worked as an audit manager for small business clients. She then worked as a Finance Director for a small private sector firm before moving to the University in 2003 where she has held a series of roles within Finance.

Susan outside interests include walking, swimming and running and she also holds a Level 2 British Sign Language qualification.

» Dominic Anderson

Dom is the Vice President Academic Affairs for the Students' Union. He is taking time out from his degree study of BA History. Dom hopes that upon completing his undergraduate degree he can go and study politics at Masters Level.

Dom is passionate about widening access to Higher Education and has vowed to always keep this on the agenda as he believes that education has the ability to empower people and change people's lives and outlook for the better. This is why he got involved with the Students' Union.

Dom has been involved in politics on a local level campaigning for the Labour party during the Parliamentary elections and local council elections and hopes one day to run for a council position himself

» James Beckett BA Hons

James Beckett is the President at the University of Derby Students' Union. He has gained a BA Honours Degree in Architectural Venue Design and Digital Innovation with Upper Second Class Honours. After his Officer Trustee role he plans to complete an MSc Degree in Sustainable Architecture and Healthy Buildings. James also has a passion for music and film.

During his time at the University of Derby, James has been actively involved in the Students' Union. He started by playing for the American Football team and then went on to hold positions of Vice President, then President of the team and he also served as Sports Officer. He received the Students' Union Sports Personality of the Year award in 2010.

James has an ambition to go into teaching so that he can share the knowledge he has learnt during his time at the University of Derby and also the professional expertise he gained while working as a designer at an interior design company GMP Design Associates where he delivered projects from concept to completion.

» Neil Calvert BSc

Neil Calvert has held senior leadership posts at King Edward VI School in Lichfield and George Spencer School in Nottinghamshire, and is currently Headteacher at The Long Eaton School. The school, which has specialisms in Science and Applied Learning and has been judged twice as Outstanding by Ofsted, most recently in 2009, is one of the first in Derbyshire to convert to Academy status.

Neil is a member of the National Headteacher Steering Group for Specialist Science Colleges, and was recently elected to the National Executive Committee of FASNA, the Foundation and Aided Schools and Academies National Association, which is a leading organisation in championing school autonomy and educational innovation.

» Professor John Coyne

Professor John Coyne is Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of The University of Derby.

Prior to joining the University of Derby, John was Pro Vice-Chancellor of De Montfort University responsible for academic operations. He was also Chairman of De Montfort University South Africa and a board member of FTMS De Montfort in Malaysia. He spent three years as Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law and seven years as Head of the Business School. He held the Bass Professorship of Business as the founding Head of the Leicester Business School.

Professor Coyne is an economist by original discipline, but has worked extensively in the fields of Small Business, Business Policy and Human Resource Management. His early career was at the University of Nottingham, where he was variously a member of the School of Management and Finance and the Department of Industrial Economics and Warden of Cripps Hall. He was a founder and Co-Director of the Centre for Management Buy-out Research and has consulted for a diverse range of companies, banks, venture capitalists and institutions.

» The Venerable Dr Christopher Cunliffe MA DPhil 

Christopher Cunliffe was installed as Archdeacon of Derby on Saturday 29 April 2006. Christopher began his ordained ministry in the Diocese of Derby when he was Assistant Curate at St Mary and All Saints Church in Chesterfield (the famous Crooked Spire) from 1983-1985. He worked alongside his wife who was also a Curate at the church in one of the first job-share arrangements in the Church of England.

In 1985 he became Chaplain of Lincoln College, Oxford, until 1989, when he became Chaplain of the City University and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. In 1991 he took a post in the Church of England's Advisory Board of Ministry, Westminster, which involved co-ordinating vocation and selection conferences for people seeking ordination. From 1997-2003 he was Director of Ministry in the Diocese of London and has been Chaplain to the Bishop of Bradwell in the Diocese of Chelmsford since 2004.

Christopher's wife, Helen, is currently an Archdeacon in the Diocese of St Albans and the couple are the first husband and wife Archdeacons in the Church of England. They have two grown-up children, Edward and Jacob. Christopher is a keen historian, with a doctorate in the subject and a continuing interest in research and writing. He also has an interest in African history and culture, stimulated by recent visits there. To relax, he enjoys reading fiction and poetry, listening to music, and watching sport.

» Olivia Dean BA Dip Ed Management

Olivia Dean was Strategic Director at the Joseph Wright Centre and Clerk to the Corporation at Derby College from 2004 until her retirement in 2006. During 2006-7 she served as Acting Assistant Dean and Head of Further Education at the University of Derby Buxton.

Olivia gained a Teacher's Certificate at Homerton College of Education, Cambridge before taking a BA degree with the Open University and a Diploma in Education Management at Derbyshire College of Higher Education. She taught at Olive Eden School, Lees Brook School and Hatton School between 1968 and 1989 before taking a series of Assistant Principal posts at Derby Tertiary College, Wilmorton. In 1997 she became Clerk to the Corporation and was also employed by Derby PRIDE Limited and Derby City Council.

Olivia was a member of the Derbyshire Learning and Skills Council from 2001 to 2005 and has served as a representative on two national examination boards. She has also worked for the voluntary sector as a board member of the Padley Group and a board member of the Community Education and Training Association.

» Mrs Elizabeth Fothergill BA MA

Chairman: FE Governance Committee

Elizabeth Fothergill gained an honours degree in Library and Information Studies in 1974 and an MA in Management in 1982. She is Managing Director of Pennine Healthcare, one of the UK's leading privately owned manufacturers of single use sterile disposable healthcare products. The company has a wide ranging sales base, including the majority of the UK hospitals and an extensive export market, with sales to over 70 countries worldwide. The company employs over 300 people and is located at City Gate, Derby.

Elizabeth is an elected member of the Council for the Association of British Healthcare Industries, having also sat on the Health Industries Task Force in its preparation of a major report for the Department of Health.

Elizabeth is a member of the Department of Justice, Southern Derbyshire Advisory Committee and a Trustee of Derbyshire Careline. She is Chair of the Trustees of Derwent Stepping Stones, a neighbourhood nursery, training and community development centre in the Derwent ward of the City. She is also a non-executive director of Derby Cityscape, an organisation established to address the regeneration of Derby City Centre

» Mr Ian Gibbard BSc Econ ACMA

Chairman of Finance, Employment and General Purposes Committee

Ian Gibbard graduated from the London School of Economics in 1971 and qualified as an accountant whilst working for the Ministry of Defence in London, where he became chief accountant of an engineering business. He joined The Post Office initially as head of finance in East Anglia before relocating to Derbyshire in 1986 to manage a number of IT change programmes, including the automation of the UK's 17,000 post offices.

Ian was subsequently appointed as a Director of Royal Mail IT organisation, where he had responsibility for business strategy, finance and HR before taking the commercial lead on a £2bn outsource of the company's IT services in 2003. He has subsequently provided consultancy on business transformation and IT strategy.

Ian is a non-executive director of an NHS Primary Care Trust and a trustee of the High Peak Citizens Advice Bureau.

» Chris Hughes BSc HonDLitt

Chairman of Governing Council

Chris has recently retired as a Business Development Director with GCap Media, at the time the country's largest commercial radio company owners of Classic FM and over 50 local radio companies nationwide.

After graduating in Chemistry from Sheffield University in 1971 he went to the BBC as a studio manager in the overseas services, from there he worked in local and network radio as a presenter and producer with a particular interest in politics, finance and agriculture. Chris moved to Nottingham in 1980 as Programme Controller at Radio Trent and subsequently became Managing Director. He oversaw the growth of the company into Leicester and Derby and as the industry consolidated moved into National Operations specialising in mergers and acquisitions and business analysis.

He is a director of both the Nottingham Community Foundation and one of the country's leading peer led community initiatives Nottingham's Prostitute Outreach Workers. He has recently joined Age UK, the newly formed charity combining the strengths of Age Concern and Help the Aged as a national trustee and special representative on the Board in Northern Ireland.

His personal passion is birding, travelling extensively in Europe and Asia and is treasurer of Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers.

» Ms Joanne Kay

Joanne Kay is a partner with Freeth Cartwright LLP in Nottingham. She worked for Eversheds (London) and Nabarro Nathanson (London) before joining Freeth Cartwright in 1993. She was appointed partner in 2001. Joanne is a member of the Law Society, The Association of Women's Solicitors, The Industrial Society, The Employment Lawyer's Association and the Institute of Directors. She provides advice in the areas of employment law, equal opportunities, organisational change and change management.

Joanne has a deep interest in education and is currently a director, trustee and governor of St Joseph's School in Nottingham.

» Councillor Andrew Lewer BA

Andrew Lewer grew up in and around Ashbourne and, after taking his A levels at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in the town, went on to study History at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and then Downing College, Cambridge. Upon returning to Derbyshire he worked in local history and also television and film history publishing. He was first elected to Derbyshire County Council in 2005, became Leader of the Opposition in 2007 and Leader of Derbyshire County Council in 2009. Andrew is currently the youngest County Council Leader in the country and has a particular interest in the arts and heritage. In addition to the County Leadership, he is a Derbyshire Dales District Councillor, Chairman of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site Partnership, a Director of the National Stone Centre, a Director of the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust and a member of the East Midlands Leaders' Board. 

» Dr Antonios E Platsas LLB LLM PhD

Antonios Platsas has been appointed as a Lecturer in Law at the School of Law and Criminology of the University of Derby in January 2008. Prior to this appointment he briefly acted as the comparative law tutor at Trinity College/ University of Dublin, where he conducted his main research for his doctoral thesis. 

Antonios has studied in a number of countries for his qualifications. These include the UK, Germany, Ireland and Greece. He holds a PhD in law convergence methodology from Trinity College/ University of Dublin. He also has an LL.B. in European law from Coventry University and the University of Potsdam and an LL.M. in international business law from the London School of Economics. As a result of his education, his legal background is bijural in that he has studied both civilian law as well as common law in the countries in which he has attended higher education.

Antonios is interested in a number of areas of legal research. These include: comparative law, European law, international law, law reform, legal sociology and legal theory. He also has a keen interest in the field of legal education and in the field of educational reforms which need to be taken in the discipline of law. In 2008-2009, Antonios acted as a Research Associate on Law and Globalisation under the 'Juan Celaya' Grant scheme for the International Institute for the Sociology of Law, Spain.

Antonios Platsas participates frequently in conferences related to his field of research and is actively engaged with the writing of works related to comparative law and legal research methods.

» Peter Richardson FCIB MBA

Peter is Chairman of Derby Cityscape and Chair of Derbyshire 2012 Games Management Group. He was formerly Director and Chief Executive of The Derbyshire Building Society. He has spent his working life in building societies. He joined The Derbyshire in January 1997 as Operations Director, after holding several executive appointments with Nationwide. Then, two years later he was appointed Chief Executive a position which he held until he took retirement in 2008. In addition to his Masters Degree in Business Administration he has also attended Harvard Business School in the USA.

Peter is married to Avril and has two daughters - Clare and Jane. Peter is a member of Kedleston Park Golf Club and an active keep-fit jogger, marathon runner and cyclist.

» Ms Andrea Robertson-Begg

Andrea Robertson-Begg is the Faculty Quality Manager for the Faculty of Arts, Design and Technology. Her role enables her to work with and along side a large cross section of colleagues within the University. She has responsibility for the management and implementation of quality, standards and enhancement activity within her Faculty. She plays a strategic role within the University by representing her Faculty at a number of University committees such as the University Quality Enhancement Committee, University Research Degree Ethics Committee and the Quality Managers Advisory Group. She has successfully supported colleagues preparing for a variety of internal and external QAA audits and Professional Body accreditations.

Andrea graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1990 specialising in Holography. She was awarded the Global Award for Excellence in Holography. Early in her career Andrea was a freelance fine art photographer and holographer working as an artist in residence in a number of regional Schools and Colleges. She exhibited her photographic and holographic work both nationally and internationally (in Japan, Canada, Russia, Spain and France). She was the Chairman of Stirrup and Company for a number of years who were trustees of the John Downton Trust specialising in fine art consultancy. In recent history she was the Vice Chair of the Board of Governors and the Chair of the Quality and Standards Committee for the British Theatre Dance Association. Andrea has worked in both universities and colleges of further education as a lecturer and programme leader in Photography, Film and Video. She is the External Examiner for BA (Hons) Photography at Bolton University. Finally, she is a subject mentor (in photography and digital imaging) for the University CPD Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching.

» Mr Martin Rogers BSc FCA

Chairman of Audit and Risk Committee

Martin Rogers is a chartered accountant and is currently Managing Partner for Mazars LLP, the accounting and business advisory firm. He is also a director of a number of other businesses. Prior to this he was a director of Ascot plc and the senior partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Derby

» Councillor Evonne Williams

Cllr Evonne Williams is 38 years old and has been a Derby City Councillor since 2000. She is currently Cabinet Member for Children and Young People. Evonne is married and has a young daughter. She spent several years in the Army in the Intelligence Corps, serving in the UK, Northern Ireland and Bosnia. On leaving the Army she worked as a training adviser for a large railway company. Evonne is also currently a non-executive Director NHS Derby City (PCT) and she is a peer member of the improvement and Development Agency (IDeA).