The Governing Council consists of at least 15 and no more than 24 members, of whom a majority shall be independent and shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
In recognition of the historical contribution of the Church of England to the University, at least one Independent Governor will be appointed by the Council following consideration of a recommendation for appointment by the Lord Bishop of Derby.
The Vice-Chancellor, for as long as s/he holds office as the Vice-Chancellor
Two members of academic staff put forward by the Academic Board
Two further staff, one of whom is a non-academic member of staff
Two student Governors put forward by the Students’ Union
Register of Interests and Related Parties
The Governance Office compiles and maintains a register of interests and related parties for Directors and members of the Governing Council. This is reviewed on a quarterly basis. View the up-to-date Register of Interests.
Diversity and Inclusion
We collect statistics on the composition of our Directors and members of the Governing Council. This is reviewed on an annual basis. Download the latest diversity statistics for Governing Council and its co-opted members below.
Manal Al Sarraf BSc, Chair of Audit & Risk Committee
Manal was appointed as an independent member of the Governing Council in August 2022. She is an audit, risk and compliance professional in Bahrain’s telecom and fintech sectors. She has advised the board and senior management for over 15 years on audit matters, governance, balancing risks, and controls while achieving their strategy. She was also the founding member of the Parent Community Committee for the British School of Bahrain for eight years. She was the treasurer for three of those years, representing the parents of the school and helping raise funds for the community.
Manal is the Director of Compliance at Batelco, headquartered in Bahrain. She is a Certified Public Accountant from the USA and Certified Internal Auditor from the Institute of Internal Auditors (USA).
Mahad Ali MSc, Co-Chair of Student Voice Committee
Mahad was appointed as an Independent Member of Governing Council in June 2023 following his appointment as a co-opted member of the Skills Committee in August 2021. He became Co-Chair of Student Voice Committee in July 2025. He is the Executive Director of Grant Giving at independent charity the Commercial Education Trust. Prior to this, Mahad was the Director of Programmes at Career Ready, a national social mobility charity, where he managed a team of twenty regional managers overseeing the delivery of 11-19 programmes to 69,000 young people every year.
Mahad has also worked as Head of Education and Research at WorldSkills UK and was a Trustee of the De Paul Trust, a youth homelessness charity. He also used to help lead and implement strategic youth employment whilst working at the Greater London Authority.
Anshika Anshika, Co-Chair of Student Voice Committee
Anshika is a Student Representative Governor. She was elected President of the Union of Students for the academic year 2025/26. She is currently pursuing her MSc in International Business and Human Resource Management.
Anshika became involved with the Union of Students during her time as a student, actively participating in various events and initiatives that aim to uplift and empower the student community. She has also contributed significantly through her involvement in university-level sports and student representation roles, using every opportunity to support her peers both socially and academically.
Anshika is passionate about enhancing the student experience. Her key manifesto points focus on fostering HOPE (happiness, opportunities, passion, and equality) within the Union, ensuring every student feels truly represented and supported. Her vision is to create a more inclusive, vibrant, and academically supportive campus environment by strengthening Union engagement. This includes expanding the Union’s presence to other campuses, so that no student feels left behind or unheard. Anshika is committed to enriching educational opportunities, amplifying student voices, and building a connected and empowered academic community.
Dr Mark Bacon BSc, PhD
Mark was appointed as an independent member of the Governing Council in November 2025 and is a member of Audit and Risk Committee. He has worked in Higher Education since 1997, initially as a research scientist, before moving into senior management roles. He has developed and delivered a portfolio of projects in the UK and overseas delivering collaborative partnerships with industry, business and universities. This has included the creation of business incubators, joint research and development facilities, collaborative PhD programmes, a strategic EU programme on responsible innovation, a collaboration with Guangdong Department of Science and Technology and the creation of a new business school building.
From 2019-25, Mark was Chief Operating Officer at Keele University. He led a team responsible for estates, IT, student services, governance, research support, student recruitment, portfolio development, external relations, fundraising, strategic planning and service transformation. In this role, he led a series of transformation programmes, including a new operating model for professional services and investment in a new digital service platform for students.
His non-executive roles have focused on growing environmental technology sectors, commercialising university IP and science park investment. Mark was a Director of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and is currently a local authority governor at Belper School and Sixth Form.
Ade Brant BSc
Ade was appointed as an Independent Member of the Governing Council in December 2024 and sits on the Performance, People & Resources Committee. Ade is Group Information Technology Director at Barratt Redrow, the UK's largest housebuilder. He has held senior technology leadership roles at global companies in the energy, financial services and pharmaceutical sectors and a number of software and digital technology providers.
Ade holds an honours degree in computer science from Leicester De Montfort University. Passionate about education, he has continued to engage in executive education at Cambridge University, Cranfield Business School and the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin.
Ann Carter-Gray BSc MRICS
Ann was appointed as an Independent member of the Governing Council in December 2023. Until her early retirement in October 2024, Ann had worked for The Cabinet Office for over 13 years, latterly as the Head of Places, encompassing: Head of Estates, leading the strategic management of the Estate to meet the accommodation needs of the department and the delivery of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy; and Programme Director, the Locations Programme, successfully moving significant numbers of Cabinet Office roles out of London and into the regions.
Ann previously worked in the Government Property Agency (GPA) where she worked as Programme Director, leading the Government Hubs and Whitehall Campus Programmes. Ann has also worked in the Government Property Unit of The Cabinet Office, playing a major role in the development of the early Government Estates Strategies, conceiving the idea of Hubs and the Whitehall Campus. Ann began her civil service career in 2000, with roles within the Department for Trade and Industry, working on business support, grants, strategies and campaigns to support small businesses and enterprise education.
Ann spent 17 years in the private sector, starting her career with Great Universal Stores Plc. Ann qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 1990 whilst working for the Boots Group Plc, working in a variety of property and strategic asset management roles.
Ann is currently a Member of Chapter / trustee of Southwell Minster Cathedral and also a Governor of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Dr Sarah Charles BA MA Ed.D FHEA
Sarah was appointed as an Academic Board member representative on Governing Council in September 2021. She is the Head of the Institute of Education (ITE) and leads a team of academic staff and managers in the field of Education. The Institute offers a range of courses and has collaborative working arrangements with schools and colleges locally, nationally and internationally.
Sarah teaches a range of modules, supervises Doctoral students and is an active researcher. Her work focuses on motivating the next generation of educators to strive for excellence in their chosen profession. Her current research explores ITE student preparedness to address homophobic bullying in primary and secondary schools. She also has a keen interest in gender issues.
Gurpreet Dehal BA MSc MRes, Chair of Governing Council
Gurpreet was appointed as an independent member of the Governing Council and as Chair-Elect in September 2021. He became Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the Governing Council in August 2023, having previously held the roles of Vice-Chair of the Governing Council and Chair of the Remuneration Committee. He has been involved in Higher Education since 2010, first as a Council Member at Royal Holloway, University of London, and then in a national regulatory role. This was initially as a Board member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England and then subsequently with the Office for Students from its inception in 2018.
His non-executive experience includes trusteeships with multi-academy trusts and with a counselling charity, as well as Board roles in defence, infrastructure and finance. He has also advised the government on improving access to dormant assets for the public good.
Gurpreet's earlier career was in risk management, financial planning and business leadership for global trading and lending businesses. These included organisations such as Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse, where he was a Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer.
Tony Edwards BA ACA, Chair of Performance, People & Resources Committee
Tony was appointed as an Independent Member of Governing Council in April 2019. Until April 2022 he was Vice President and General Manager of the European gas cylinder business unit of Luxfer Holdings plc, headquartered in the East Midlands. Before joining Luxfer, Tony spent two years as Corporate Development Director for Renold plc and 11 years as a Managing Director in international B2B manufacturing groups headquartered in the East Midlands.
Tony is a chartered accountant, having qualified whilst at Price Waterhouse, then spending 14 years in a variety of increasingly senior group, divisional and operational financial roles with Rio Tinto plc, Norcros plc and the Filtrona division of Bunzl plc. Tony has a degree in Accounting and Finance from Nottingham Trent University and served as a Governor there for 11 years up to July 2016. He was a non-executive director of Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust from August 2022 until July 2025.
Katie Guyler
Katie was appointed to Governing Council as a non-teaching staff member in April 2024. She has held a series of roles within the University since joining the organisation in 2011, and is currently Student Policy and Regulations Manager, part of the Registry leadership team. Katie is responsible for the management of the Student Policy and Regulations team, and of student case work, including academic appeals, student complaints, student conduct (including professional conduct) and Academic Offences. Katie’s team also look after the maintenance, development, and support for the application of the University’s Academic Regulations. She is a member of the Association of Higher Education Professionals, the Association of University Administrators, and the Academic Registrars’ Council – Practitioners Group Membership/Engagement.
Dr Ruth Larsen PhD
Ruth was appointed to Governing Council as teaching staff governor in April 2021. Since joining the University of Derby in 2005, she has held a series of roles within the department of Humanities. She is currently a senior lecturer in History and the programme leader for the undergraduate History programmes. Ruth teaches a number of modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, covering a wide range of topics, including the history of the body, material culture studies and research methodologies. Her research expertise is in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British history and she has published widely on gender history, the history of the aristocracy and the country house.
Ruth is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a member of the Royal Historical Society and is part of the editorial board for the journal Midland History. She is committed to excellence in learning and teaching and was named the University Lecturer of the Year in 2010; she is especially dedicated to supporting undergraduate students to develop their distinct academic voice, in pedagogies of engagement, and championing students as co-creators. She has experience of being a school governor at both primary and secondary schools and is currently an active member of the East Midlands Centre for History Learning and Teaching.
Stephen Marston BA, Vice-Chair of Audit & Risk Committee
Stephen was appointed an independent member of Governing Council in August 2023. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire from August 2011 to July 2023. He had previously been Director General, Universities and Skills, at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Before then, he was Director General for Lifelong Learning and Skills in the former Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and prior to that he was Director of Skills Group at DfES.
Stephen joined the Department for Education and Science in 1983, where he worked on a range of schools, Further Education, Higher Education, and finance issues in various posts across the Department. He worked in the Cabinet Office Economic Secretariat in the early 1990s. Between 1998 and 2002, he worked in the Higher Education Funding Council for England as Director for Institutions.
Stephen is currently a Non-Executive Board Member of the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research Wales, the Student Loans Company, and the West London NHS Trust.
Ebrahim Matthews BCom, BA
Ebrahim was appointed as an Independent Member of Governing Council in November 2025 and sits on the Enterprise, Skills and Industry Committee. Having joined Pearson in 2016, Ebrahim is the Senior Vice President of International Higher Education, and was previously Chief Product Officer of Pearson’s English Language Learning division, Senior Vice President of English and Global Schools Courseaware and Managing Director of Pearson South Africa.
Ebrahim has over fifteen years’ experience in the financial services sector. Prior to joining Pearson, Ebrahim was the Managing Director of Diners Club Africa and held several executive leadership positions at Standard Bank and Mastercard.
Ebrahim holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Economic and Human Resource Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial Sociology. He also has professional business qualifications from City University of London Business School and Ashridge Business School in the UK, as well as UC Berkeley and Northeastern University in the US.
He has extensive experience in the development of corporate and consumer business strategy, business performance and strategic partnerships. He has a strong track record of growing businesses and building multicultural teams.
Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL BSc PhD CPsychol
Professor Kathryn Mitchell is Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Derby.
Prior to joining the University in September 2015, she was Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of West London with special responsibility for academic provision and quality across the University. She has also held senior positions of Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic and Student Support Services and Dean of Students at West London.
Professor Mitchell was a Wellcome Fellow at the Institute of Psychiatry, London and has studied at the Universities of York and London. She has worked at the University of Chicago, the Rockefeller Institute, New York and the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel.
Kath is a Chartered Psychologist and played an active role within the Institute for Practice and Interdisciplinary Research (INSPIRE), supervising and directing a range of research programmes.
In April 2019, Kath was appointed one of five new Deputy Lieutenants of Derbyshire. She was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to education in the 2022 New Year's Honours List. She is Chair of the Derby Priority Education Investment Area.
Marianne Neville-Rolfe CB, Vice-Chair of Governing Council and Chair of Remuneration Committee
Marianne was appointed as an independent member and Vice-Chair of the Governing Council in August 2023. She is also Chair of the Remuneration Committee. She has extensive experience in non-executive leadership in higher education, first at the University of Bolton as an independent member and then as Chair of the Board, and subsequently at Middlesex University where she was interim Chair of the Board, having previously chaired the Audit and Risk Committee.
Her earlier career was as a civil servant in the trade and industry departments, with responsibilities including industrial support and European policy. She had senior regional leadership roles in the North West and the South East, with wide responsibilities for regeneration and economic development. She in particular promoted and supported the involvement of universities working in partnership with business, local government and local communities to deliver a more equitable and sustainable future.
Samuel Oluwadare
Sam is the Vice President (Education) at the Union of Students, University of Derby, and serves as a Student Governor. A passionate advocate for student success, Sam has been involved in student leadership since 2014, beginning as Financial Secretary of the Students’ Union at Osun State University, where he earned his first degree. He has an MA in Literature from the University of Lagos and is currently completing an MSc in Information Technology at the University of Derby.
With over three years of experience as a Software Developer, Sam has worked with companies both within and outside the UK. He was part of the team that developed the first prototype of an AI-powered Digital Twin System for the East Midlands Combined County Authority, integrating causal analysis of data and semantic structuring of response to support strategic decision-making across different sectors.
In his current role, he is focused on championing solution-driven initiatives to address students’ academic needs, launching a TED Talk-style platform to inspire and connect students with industry professionals, and creating meaningful career engagements and networking opportunities for students even while they are still on campus.
The Very Reverend Dr Peter Robinson
Peter was appointed as an Independent Member of Governing Council in April 2021 and is the Church of England nominee. He is Dean of Derby and moved to the city in 2020. Based at Derby Cathedral which he leads, Peter is a member of the Bishop of Derby’s senior staff team. Previously Peter served in suburban North Tyneside, the inner city of Newcastle upon Tyne and in Northumberland where from 2008 he held the post of Archdeacon of Lindisfarne, leading the Newcastle Diocesan Strategy for the rural church.
Peter is leading Derby Cathedral to engage with the communities of both Derby City and the County of Derbyshire by developing the Cathedral’s arts, culture and heritage offer alongside its existing choral excellence. Peter is committed to partnership working: he is the independent chair of the Derby City Poverty Commission and a member of the City’s Stronger Communities Board. He is developing strategic relationships with the faith sector across Derby and Derbyshire, and working closely with the Multi-Faith Centre which is based in the University. His educational interests include overseeing the Cathedral’s relationship with Derby Cathedral School. Peter holds a doctorate in Divinity from Durham University and is an experienced contributor to theological education and training within the church, both as a theological educator and as a leader of governance.
Geoff Tranfield BA FCIPD
Geoff was appointed as an Independent Member of the Governing Council in December 2024 and sits on the Performance, People & Resources Committee. His career has been spent working on how to best optimise the performance of people in a variety of technically demanding, fast paced, geographically and culturally complex businesses.
Starting in the public sector, he subsequently worked in the rail, automotive, energy, utilities, manufacturing and technology sectors, culminating in transformation roles leading HR functions in UK and US companies, including IMI Plc, Venterra Group and Hess Corporation. Structural, corporate and individual change, improvement and development have always been constant themes.
Zhuofang Wei MSc
Fang was appointed as an Independent Member of Governing Council in August 2021. She has over 15 years of professional experience largely focused on risk management at sell-side institutions (companies that issue, sell or trade financial securities). In 2014, she built a 20-people London team for a financial technology start-up providing treasury and risk management platforms for multi-billion-dollar global hedge funds across all investment strategies which was later acquired by markets operator ICAP.
Fang began her career at Goldman Sachs FICC (Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities) division as a strategist on the commodities derivatives desk and worked in the high-tech consulting division at Accenture in Silicon Valley. She currently serves as the Chief Risk Officer for System Two Advisors LLC.
Fang received her BA in Mathematics from Princeton University and MS in Computer Science from Stanford University. She also sits on the board of Princeton Association UK. In addition, she has advised the board of trustees of London Air Ambulance on their digital transformation strategy.
John Yarham BA, Chair of the Enterprise, Skills & Industry Committee
John was appointed as an Independent Member of Governing Council in May 2021. He is Interim Chief Executive of The Careers and Enterprise Company, the Government’s body for careers education in England.
John’s career in the skills sector over the last 25 years has been largely driven by his passion for promoting social mobility and providing excellent standards for career guidance and opportunities for young people and adults. Throughout his career, he has gained extensive knowledge of skills policy, from a central Government angle with the Learning and Skills Council, local Government from being Director of Economic Development at Nottingham City Council, and from a provider position through his role as CEO of the Futures Group. He has occupied chair and vice-chair roles in charities, schools, trade associations and awarding bodies, sits on the UCAS Advisory Council and is a Leadership Fellow at St George's House Society of Leadership.
Co-opted members
Sue Bennett BA FCIPD
Sue was appointed as a co-opted member of Student Voice Committee in September 2025, having been an independent member of Governing Council for five years from February 2020 until that time. She was originally co-opted to Governing Council to join the University’s Student Affairs Committee (now Student Voice Committee) in April 2019. Sue has held a number of senior leadership roles in higher education, most recently as Director of Student Careers and Skills at the University of Warwick. Prior to that Sue was Director of the Learning and Development Centre at that university.
Between 2015 and 2018 Sue also held the roles of Vice President, Trustee and Board Member of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), a membership organisation for higher education students’ career development and graduate employment professionals.
Sue left the University of Warwick in 2018 to pursue a portfolio career. Sue is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD).
Simone Bolshaw MA
Simone was appointed as a Co-optee to the Audit & Risk Committee in April 2025. She had previously been an independent governor from July 2023. She is a Deputy Director at the Department for Education (DfE) leading on the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, a transformation of the Higher Education funding system. Simone brings nearly 15 years of expertise in developing system-level strategies and overseeing large-scale policy programmes and delivery.
She led a strategic review of the Student Loans Company; co-ordinated Covid-19 emergency responses in the HE sector; oversaw the implementation of a Change Programme for DfE’s Skills Group; and developed elements of the HE reform consultation and Lifelong Loan Entitlement policy. She recently completed a Masters degree with a specialist interest in AI-human reasoning and is passionate about transformational policy design and the ethical use of technology.
Professor Helena Gillespie PFHEA
Professor Helena Gillespie was appointed as a co-opted member of Audit and Risk Committee in November 2025. She is a Professor of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education at the University of East Anglia in Norwich and currently holds a role on the Student Experience and Education Executive of Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Inclusion, leading projects related to the Access and Participation Plan, improving outcomes for disabled students and student mental health.
Helena is a lead quality assessor for the Office for Students. Her current research projects relate to interventions to support student mental wellbeing and in student financial support. Helena teaches on undergraduate programmes in education.
Prior to working in Higher Education, Helena was a schoolteacher and maintains contact with the school sector through her membership of a Multi Academy Trust Board. In her spare time, she is a cricket fan and is a trustee of Norfolk Cricket Foundation.
Richard Hulland BSc, MSc, MCIWM
Richard was appointed as a co-opted member of the Audit & Risk Committee in April 2024. He is currently the Chief Risk & Assurance Officer for Veolia in Northern Europe and is a board member of Veolia Northern Europe Executive Committee (ExCo), setting the vision and strategy for the business to achieve a positive safety and risk culture. He is also trustee for the Veolia Environmental Trust in the UK.
Richard started his career as an apprentice at Rolls-Royce, studying at Derby. He actively worked with different industry sectors including manufacturing, construction, highways and railways, waste, recycling, water and energy in the UK and different regions across the world.
He is a chartered member of Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM) and has chaired a number of industry forums, including the Environmental Services Association (ESA) Strategic Health & Safety Forum.
Idris Abiodun Tayo Olufowobi
Idris was appointed as a co-opted member of the Strategy, Finance and Planning Committee (now Performance, People & Resources Committee) in August 2022. He is currently the Finance Manager for Protective Sportswear Ltd a company which aims to encourage athletes of all ages and abilities to wear the correct protection through innovative products and designs. Formerly he was Chief Financial Officer of Forte Upstream Services Ltd (FUSL), a company providing services to help oil exploration companies achieve their oil and gas production quota. He is a Chartered Accountant with over a decade of professional experience in financial reporting, procurement, treasury management and internal control/audit which cuts across Oil and Gas, Financial Services and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods sectors.
Prior to joining FUSL, he was the Group Treasurer of Forte Oil Plc (now Ardova Plc) managing the group’s investment portfolio and liquidity, including coordination of periodic review of foreign exchange policies to hedge exchange difference volatility. He is working on his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Aston Business School and holds a degree in Accounting from the University of Lagos.
Nicola Swaney
Nicola was appointed as a co-opted member of the Skills Committee in July 2023. In her current role as Head of External Affairs at D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in Nottingham, Nicola leads external public affairs, stakeholder engagement, marketing and communications across the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham & Nottinghamshire region.
Nicola has over 30 years’ experience in education and skills. Prior to joining D2N2 LEP in March 2023, she worked at Rolls-Royce in Derby for over 18 years, leading the company’s global education outreach strategy and STEM Ambassador employee network to enthuse young people about STEM and diversify the talent pipeline.
Before Rolls-Royce, Nicola worked at the Department for Education in London for 10 years, where she formulated and delivered national policy in international education relations, schools capital programmes, teacher development and professional qualifications.
Social inclusion is a key priority and Nicola was a member of the Derby Opportunity Area Board from 2017 to 2022. As a Teach First Leadership Coach since 2015, she has supported many leaders in Teach First schools in disadvantaged areas across England.
Adrian Walters FCA CMIIA
Adrian was appointed as a co-opted member of the Audit and Risk Committee in April 2024. He brings a wealth of experience in audit, accounting, risk management, governance, and regulation to the Committee.
Adrian is a Chartered Accountant with a background in data and financial services, and has an executive role as Chief Internal Auditor with Secure Trust Bank PLC. Before this he was Head of Internal Audit with Experian PLC, and prior to that he was a Director with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. In an earlier career he was a secondary school maths teacher, and recently served as Chair of Governors in a Local Authority primary school.
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