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Board of governors

Ebubechi Blessing Azunna

Dean BensonStudents' Union President (International), Ebubechi is originally from the eastern part of Nigeria and completed courses in international studies and diplomacy as well as international history and diplomacy at the University of Benin before embarking on a Criminal Investigation course here. She chose to study at Teesside University because it meant she would be able to be close to her brother, the course was affordable, and she was excited by the range of opportunities available in Teesside.


Dean Benson

Dean BensonCEO, Visualsoft


Ada Burns, Chair

Ada BurnsAda was Chief Executive of Darlington Borough Council until 2018 and prior to moving to the north east in 2005, occupied senior positions in London Councils. She has played leadership roles in the Tees Valley and in the North East, and has experience in governance of FE and Sixth form institutions. Ada is currently a Non-Executive Director of the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and a Trustee of a community arts centre in Barnard Castle.


Dann Cooley

Dann CooleyOperations & Facilities Manager, National Horizons Centre


Professor Paul Croney OBE

Professor Paul Croney OBEVice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Teesside University.


Blessing Ihuoma

Blessing Ihuoma Students' Union President (Wellbeing), Blessing considered her many options carefully before happily settling on a BSc in Psychology here at Teesside University, a decision she says she has always been glad she took. She has been heavily involved in student life throughout her time here, working as a member of student staff for both the University and Students' Union in customer-facing/ support-based roles and serving as a Course Representative.


Tim James

Time JamesSenior Lecturer Crime Scene Science, School of Health & Life Sciences


Dr Nick Johnson

Nick JohnsonNick is currently Chief Strategy Officer at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult with over thirty years of experience delivering sustained value creation through the commercialisation of science and technology. Nick's previous senior roles include Commercial Director, Centre for Process Innovation Ltd; Strategic Marketing Director, Johnson Matthey; and Strategic Marketing Director, Catalent. Nick currently holds Non-Executive Director position at Life Science Index Limited.


Yasmin Khan

Yasmin KhanDirector/trustee of the Teesside-based Halo Project charity; National Advisor to the Welsh Government on Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence; Alumna of Teesside University.


Professor Geoff Layer OBE

Professor Geoff Layer OBEVice-Chancellor's Adviser, Coventry University; formally Vice-Chancellor, Wolverhampton.


Scott Martin

Scott MartinScott is a Fellow of the Institute of the Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He is currently employed as Executive Director of Resources at Karbon Homes with responsibility for finance, treasury, people and organisational development, ICT and digital transformation. His previous positions have included senior finance and general management roles within the housebuilding sector.


Daniel Moore

Daniel MooreDaniel is currently a Senior Lecturer from the School of Health and Life Sciences where he leads our chiropractic provision. In 2024 Daniel was awarded National Teaching Fellowship by Advance HE for making an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession. Daniel sits on the Education Committee of the General Chiropractic Council and Education Task Force for the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health (G-MUSC). Passionate about the transformative potential of higher education, Daniel engages in research and knowledge exchange projects focused on the impact Teesside University can have, both in the Tees Valley and internationally as far afield as Malaysia & Chile


Joel Mullan

Joel MullanJoel is Director of Analytic Learning, a specialist consultancy focused on global education and skills policy and research. Joel's particular expertise relates to educational planning and financing, TVET and school-to-work transitions, and edtech. He has worked extensively with UN agencies, governments, NGOs and educational institutions. Originally from Middlesbrough, he previously worked on skills policy development for the Mayor of London, and in strategy for the edtech agency Jisc.


Kate O'Sullivan

Kate O'SullivanKate is the founder of K8OS Leadership & Coaching Ltd and offers significant operational and leadership experience with the Sports, Higher Education, Chemicals, and volunteering sectors. Kate has a number of non-executive roles and is the former Deputy Chair of British Rowing.


Alfredo Ramos

Alfredo RamosAlfredo Ramos is Investment Director at the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, where he leads the organization's investor engagement and investment strategy. Alfredo has forged his career in highly entrepreneurial settings, bringing deep tech investment expertise from both investor and entrepreneur perspectives. A multilingual senior executive with over 15 years of experience in business leadership, strategic planning, and consulting across diverse industries and geographies, he substantially contributed to the scale-up and exit of high-growth innovative technology companies as a key member of the executive leadership and established corporate venturing operations from the ground up.


Richard Rollison

Richard RollisonRichard has held various roles within the Scottish Government since 2007 and is currently Director of International Trade & Investment, Scottish Government with lead responsibility for Scottish Government policy and delivery on international trade and investment including leadership and management of staff. Richard is currently a Board Member of the Scottish Ballet.


Dermot Russell, Deputy Chair

Dermot RussellGroup Chief Financial Officer, PD Ports. Formerly: Northumbrian Water Group; Grainger Trust plc; Deloitte Haskins & Sells (later Coopers & Lybrand Deloitte)


Claire Vaughan

Claire VaughanClaire is currently Legal Director at Johnson & Johnson MedTech UK & Ireland. Prior to taking up her current role, Claire's previous senior positions have included Senior Corporate Counsel, Establishment Labs Inc, Vice-President Commercial Legal, Sage plc, and Global Lead Commercial Counsel, BioRad Laboratories Inc. Claire is currently a Director and Trustee of the Great North Air Ambulance Service


Godfrey Worsdale OBE

Godfrey Worsdale OBEDirector, Henry Moore Foundation. Formerly: Director, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead; Founding Director, MIMA, Middlesbrough; Director, Southampton City Art Gallery; Director, Cultural Instructions, London. Trusteeship: Northern Art Collection.


 
 
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