Board of governors
Ebubechi Blessing Azunna
Students' 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
CEO, Visualsoft
Ada Burns, Chair
Ada 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
Operations & Facilities Manager, National Horizons Centre
Professor Paul Croney OBE
Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Teesside University.
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
Senior Lecturer Crime Scene Science, School of Health & Life Sciences
Dr Nick Johnson
Nick 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
Director/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
Vice-Chancellor's Adviser, Coventry University; formally Vice-Chancellor, Wolverhampton.
Scott Martin
Scott 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 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 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 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 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 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
Group Chief Financial Officer, PD Ports. Formerly: Northumbrian Water Group; Grainger Trust plc; Deloitte Haskins & Sells (later Coopers & Lybrand Deloitte)
Claire Vaughan
Claire 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
Director, 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.
