Governance at UCA

Independent Member

Jeremy Sandelson is a senior business leader and longstanding supporter of the creative arts.  A partner at leading international law firm, Clifford Chance, he was head of its global Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice from 2009-2017, having previously been Managing Partner in the UK and the Middle East.  Jeremy has more than 30 years’ experience of resolving disputes in the UK, covering a wide range of commercial disputes with emphasis on financial disputes involving investment banks, corporate and regulatory investigations; his experience encompasses the management of business risk, crisis and reputation management, corporate governance and business culture.

As well as being a distinguished figure in the commercial world, Jeremy has played a major role in the governance of a number of prestigious arts institutions, serving on the Boards of the Royal College of Art, where he chaired the audit committee;  London Print Studio, which he chaired; Hampstead Theatre; and The Clore Duffield Foundation.

Jeremy was educated at the University of Cambridge. 

He is the Chair of Governance & Nominations Committee and a member of Remuneration Committee.

Independent Member

Chris Rachlin has held senior executive positions in risk and finance at a number of major financial institutions as well as non-executive positions in two major suppliers to the financial services industry.

Chris trained as a chartered accountant and joined PricewaterhouseCoopers for ten years working on banking and public sector assignments in London, India, Australia and the rest of Europe.

Over the last 19 years Chris has focused his career on Operational Risk and has held Group and Country level Operational Risk Head roles at HSBC, Barclays, Mizuho International and RBS. Most recently, while at HSBC, Chris led their programme to improve risk management oversight of their third party suppliers. Additionally, he has a strong interest in and led programmes at HSBC and other banks to improve corporate governance. He has spoken at a wide range of conferences on the topics of risk and governance.

Chris spent almost five years as a non-executive member of the Audit Committee of iPSL , the market leader in cheque processing across the UK, and was previously a non-executive director of Vaultex UK Ltd, one of the UK’s leading cash processors.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and a graduate of the University of Southampton.

Chris is the Chair of the Employment & Finance and Remuneration Committees. As Deputy Chair of the Board, he undertakes the key functions of a ‘senior independent governor’ identified in the Committee of University Chairs’ Higher Education Code of Governance.

Independent Member

Iain Barbour has extensive finance experience, having held senior executive and board roles at several major financial institutions advising some of the world’s leading investors in their efforts to provide efficient and effective infrastructure finance; this has incorporated extensive work facilitating the finance of student accommodation and other campus facilities at some of the UK’s leading universities.

Iain’s financial services expertise has been recognised across the industry, leading to his appointment to various global industry association boards to promote positive and constructive engagement between regulators, market participants and stakeholders. He has served on the boards, including the finance and audit committees, of several companies based in Germany, the US, Canada, Mexico, and the UK.

Iain currently serves as Senior Independent Director of Financial Guaranty UK, as a trustee of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and as a trustee of the Actors’ Benevolent Fund. His previous non-executive experience includes being Chair of Governors of Alleyn’s School, a trustee of The Dulwich Estate charity (which focuses on educational opportunity) and Chair of the Almeida Theatre Corporate Council.

Iain holds a BSc (Econ) with Honours in Economics and Accountancy from the University of Hull, and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.

He is a member of the Employment & Finance and Remuneration Committees.

Independent Member

Sarah Bell is an independent communications consultant, supporting purpose driven organisations to build and protect their brands. Sarah was previously the Director of Media and Corporate Affairs at Nesta: a global innovation foundation that focuses on challenges such as how teaching human skills like creativity, collaboration and problem-solving to prepare young people for future work in a more automated economy, and how a strong creative economy can be protected and grown. During her almost two decades of experience developing and leading integrated communications for organisations to grow, manage and protect their brand and reputation, she has delivered creative, high impact campaigns that bring together disciplines across the communications mix, including PR, corporate affairs, content development, events, marketing and brand development.

Sarah is a Trustee of Innovations for Learning, a charity which links primary school readers who require support with trained corporate volunteers. She holds a BA (Hons) in Media and Public Relations from the University of Westminster.

Sarah is a member of Governance & Nominations Committee.

Independent Member

Emma Buckby has over ten years of international business development experience in the not-for-profit and education sectors, most recently at International House London where she was Director of Marketing and International from 2014 to 2018.  Working across a range of businesses in the international sector, and with a number of universities and other education providers, she has principally been involved in increasing engagement with internationalisation strategies and opening up new business opportunities.

Emma holds a BA (Hons) in Hispanic Studies and Japanese Studies from the University of Stirling and a PhD in Caribbean Literature from the University of the West Indies, together with professional qualifications in teaching English as a foreign language and marketing. She is a member of both the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and speaks Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Italian, French and Creole.

Emma is a member of the Employment & Finance and Remuneration Committees.

Staff Member (Academic Board Nominee)

With more than 15 years of leadership and management experience in global strategy, academic planning and business development in the higher education and private sectors, Professor Jules Dagonet is UCA’s Director of School, Fashion & Textiles. 

Prior to joining the University Jules held senior international business development, marketing and student recruitment roles at Istituto Marangoni and London Business School, where she had previously attained an MBA in Innovation, Change Management & Entrepreneurship, having originally qualified as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the Grande Ecole Vétérinaire de Maisons-Alfort in France. 

Jules has also been the managing director of a consulting company providing market research, market entry strategies and other advisory services to public and private sector educational organisations, and has worked for a charity.

She is a member of Governance & Nominations Committee.

Independent Member

David Edwards has successfully led and transformed IT operations in the public and education sectors, most recently as Director of ICT at Cardiff University, and before that in Department for Transport Shared Services. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of SeV Consulting Ltd, an independent management and ICT consultancy providing services to a number of UK and European universities and private sector organisations.

An angel investor in several start-ups and early-stage companies (primarily tech and biotech), David has a particular interest in cybersecurity, cyber-warfare and cyber-defence, and in particular its impact on international relations. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, the British Computer Society (Chartered Information Technology Professional), the Chartered Management Institute, the Institute of Leadership and Management, and the Institute of Directors; and an elected member of Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

David is an Independent Member (ICT) of the Cardiff & Vale University Health Board, and has studied with the University of Wales, the Open University, and the University of Geneva.

He is a member of the Audit & Risk Committee, and is the Safeguarding Governor & Board Champion Against Harassment and Sexual Misconduct.

Independent Member

Samantha Foley is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants and was the Chief Financial Officer at the University of Reading from 2017 to 2022. This followed a long career in the Civil Service, including 10 years as a National Audit Office government auditor in roles that included Head of Financial Audit Policy. Samantha subsequently worked in finance roles at the Home Office, HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS),where she was latterly the Chief Financial Officer. At DCMS, she undertook successful senior stakeholder engagement and relationship management at Ministerial, Board and non-executive level across 50 organisations, including national museums and galleries, and was Chair of the Group Investment, Finance and Borrowing Committees. In 2015 she established the Government Finance Academy to provide a cohesive learning and development offer for 14,000 finance professionals across the Civil Service.  

Samantha has expertise in managing a large investment and loan portfolio, extensive land and property holdings, and student facilities. She led the establishment of a business park including major film studios in Shinfield (south of Reading) and a cultural quarter featuring the British Museum and Natural History Museum. At the University of Reading she was also involved with the oversight of activities in China, Malaysia, South Africa, Germany and India, together with the development of student residential schemes in the UK.

A keen choral singer, Samantha has been Chair of trustees for The Whitehall Choir. She is currently a governor of the Windsor Forest Colleges Group of four further education colleges in Berkshire, and Chair of its Resources Committee.

Samantha holds a BA (Hons) in English Literature & American Studies from the University of Keele.

She is a member of the Employment & Finance and Remuneration Committees.

Independent Member

Following an academic career which saw him hold teaching and research positions at Christchurch Polytechnic, the University of Canterbury – both in New Zealand – and the University of Bath, Stephen Hampson has worked in the corporate sector for over 20 years. This has seen him lead several global technology companies and establish an investment company to support the creation of new technology companies from publicly-funded research. Stephen has held governance roles in more than a dozen early-stage businesses plus publicly listed companies. He is currently Investment Director at Oxford Capital and a non-executive director of CORE Education, a charitable not-for-profit company that provides public services for the education sector in New Zealand.

Stephen is a member of both the Institute of Directors and the International Chartered Governance Institute (a Chartered Company Secretary). He gained his undergraduate and doctoral degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Canterbury, and is currently studying for an Executive PhD at Bayes Business School, City, University of London.

Stephen is a member of Audit & Risk Committee.

Independent Member

Chris Lawrence is a business adviser with a deep commitment to organisations that combine public value and commercial objectives, helping them to build new revenue generating capabilities without compromising on their social and public service obligations. A qualified accountant, he began his career in audit roles at KPMG and London Transport before moving into management consultancy, gaining extensive experience in media and education at Price Waterhouse Coopers, the BBC, Siemens, Cognizant, the British Standards Institution and at Avid Technology. As well as working with fully commercial organisations, Chris has delivered projects for a wide range of not-for-profit clients, including universities and assessment bodies, broadcasters and trade associations. 

Chris holds an MA (Cantab) from Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, and an MPhil from the University of Birmingham, both in History.

He is a member of the Employment & Finance and Remuneration Committees.

Independent Member

Independent Member

Independent Member

An experienced Whitehall leader and strategist, Kate McGavin is Policy Director (jobshare) in the UK Infrastructure Bank, having previously been Devolution Director (jobshare) in the Cabinet Office, leading for the UK Government on the development of policy in relation to devolution, EU Exit and intergovernmental relations. Prior to this she undertook a number of roles in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), most recently as Deputy Director, Art, Libraries & Digital Culture, and before that, Deputy Director, Media & Creative Industries Policy. In the former role Kate advocated for the Creative Industries to be prioritised in the Government’s Industrial Strategy, securing a sector deal and delivering the Bazalgette Report which saw £150m new funding for the sector; she was also an active champion and critical friend for the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC), helping to develop its business case for £80m of new investment to develop eight creative clusters across the UK, and sitting on its Advisory Committee. More recently, Kate worked with Arts Council England (ACE) to develop a shared programme of work with the Department for Education in support of cultural education. She has been senior government sponsor for major arm’s length bodies such as ACE, the British Film Institute, Ofcom, and the BBC.

Kate graduated from Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, with a first class BA (Hons) in English Literature.

She is a member of Governance & Nominations Committee.

Independent Member

Professor Tim McIntyre-Bhatty joined Bournemouth University as Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 2011, having previously been Assistant Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Newport Business School at the University of Wales, Newport. With a disciplinary background in economics, he has also held academic, management and leadership roles at the University of East London and the University of Northampton.

Tim is an experienced board member and has served on the Board of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), the Advisory Committee for Degree Awarding Powers, the QAA Higher Education Review Group, and the UK Academic Integrity Advisory Group. He is currently chair of trustees for AIMCommunity, an educational charity supporting under-privileged children at risk of being not in education, employment and training. Tim has acted in an advisory and consultative capacity on national body reports and has chaired and presented at national and international policy events including for the European Commission and the European University Association. In 2020 he was appointed as a reviewer for the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. He has been an invited Fellow of the Strategic Planning Society and is a member of the British Computer Society.

During his career, Tim has contributed to and led a range of knowledge transfer, consultancy, and income generation projects. He served as global region editor for the journal Chinese Management Studies, and has previously been closely engaged in research concerning the match of graduate skills and employer needs in regional labour markets. His track record extends to successful collaborations at both national and international levels with partners across Europe and in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Tim holds a first class degree from the University of Central England in Birmingham, a teaching qualification from University College Northampton, and a PhD from the University of Bristol.

He is a member of the Audit & Risk Committee.

President & Vice-Chancellor

Professor Jane Roscoe comes to UCA with a prolific career to date in both higher education and the broadcasting industry. As President & Vice-Chancellor, Jane oversees the overall operation of UCA in the UK and internationally.

Prior to joining UCA, Professor Roscoe was Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chair in Creative Industries at the University of Greenwich from 2021-2024, and before this held leadership roles at the University of the West of England, Bristol, and the London Film School. Outside of academia, she has also shaped the television schedules across Australia, as Head of Channels and Head of International Content at SBS (Special Broadcasting Service).

Jane has a wealth of academic and industry leadership experience from both higher education and the creative industries and she has a global network of connections. She will drive forward the University’s strategy and bring insight and knowledge to continue to make UCA a great place to work and study.

As an executive leader in higher education, Jane has transformed the academic framework and student experience by conducting curriculum reviews, improving modules and assignments and optimising workload balance and time management.

She implemented a student success strategy, centred on the journey from applicant to alumni, to support teams and embed best practices to enrich the student experience. 

Jane also has a strong track record in supporting and developing people throughout her broadcasting and academic career. This includes overseeing the creation of a talent pipeline, introducing a new pathway for professional practice and initiating coaching and leadership programmes. The impact of her involvement has helped to reduce gender and ethnicity pay gaps and develop more inclusive and diverse leaders.

With a PhD in Film and Television Studies, Jane has published many works and continues to collaborate on scholarly activity. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, a member of BAFTA, the Royal Television Society, the Academy of Arts and Sciences, the International Design Organisation, and a board member at the Barbican Arts Centre, among many others.

Jane is a member of the Employment & Finance and Governance & Nominations Committees.

Independent Member

A chartered accountant with more than two decades of experience, Randip Singh has worked in both the UK and the USA across technology, professional services and energy sectors. He is currently the Deputy Chief Financial Officer at YouGov, a global public opinion and data company, where he leads all group reporting and transactional processes. During his career he has been an external auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers and has led an internal audit team at Centrica North America.

Randip has been a non-executive director of the Texas Diversity Council, a charity that supports companies to be more inclusive and helps minorities to navigate their careers. He is a Maths, Operational Research, Statistics & Economics graduate of the University of Warwick, where he is currently a member of the Finance and General Purposes Committee.

Randip is the Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee.

Student Member (Students’ Union President)

Cassie is one of two Presidents of UCA Students’ Union for 2023-24.

Cassie studied Illustration and Animation at UCA Canterbury, before graduating with a first and being elected by the student body to be a President of UCA Students' Union.
 
They have attended a summer school on advanced sciences and engineering at Yale, after receiving outstanding results in their exams. They were also accepted to Strathclyde University to study prosthetics and orthotics but left the field of biomedical engineering for a long-standing love of the arts.
 
Cassie's work within the Students' Union has been focussed on championing student rights, revitalising the academic representation system, and supporting UCASU as Chair of the Board of Trustees during a year-long turnaround period.
 
They currently sit on over 10 committees and boards across UCA.

Staff Member (Co-opted)

Chris Wraith is currently the Senior Academic Leadership Partner at UCA, where he works with the team at London College of Contemporary Arts to enhance the organisational culture and performance of the institution. Previously he was Head of School, Further Education, and Head of the Rochester Campus, having worked in FE at the University for two decades. A Safeguarding First Response Officer, Chris has extensive committee experience including membership of Academic Board, Learning & Teaching Committee, and Academic Quality Committee.

Chris graduated from Loughborough University in 2001 with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art, and went on to study for an MA in Printmaking at the Royal College of Art; he also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in the Creative Arts from UCA. A practising fine artist, he is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Member of the Society for Education & Training.