Board of governors
Emmanuel Ahiabuike
Students' Union President (International)
Professor Safwan Akram
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.
Professor Mike Greene
Mike is Chief Executive of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council having previously served as Chief Executive of Scarborough Borough Council prior to which he held senior leadership role across local authorities in the North of England. He brings significant expertise in strategic leadership, regional regeneration, partnership development, and public service transformation, together with a strong commitment to the economic and social development of the Tees Valley.
Daniel Harland
Students' Union President (Home)
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.
Rosie Jones
Academic Staff Representative
Yasmin Khan CBE
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
Geoff, born in Corbridge and a Newcastle Polytechnic graduate, has held various academic and leadership roles including Vice-Chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton from 2011 to 2021, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Bradford, and Professor of Lifelong Learning at Sheffield Hallam University. He has contributed significantly to widening participation in higher education whilst working for the Higher Education Funding Council, held several regional board memberships, and served as founding Chair of the Disabled Students Commission (set up by the Universities Minister in 2019) and as Disability Access Ambassador in 2021. Currently, he works in a strategic advisory role at Coventry University and holds leadership positions at Fircroft College and the Workers Education Association. Geoff is also a Principal Fellow of the HE Academy and a Vice-President of Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club.
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.
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 BEM
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 and Chair of Resources Committee
Dermot is a chartered accountant and was the Group Chief Finance Officer at PD Ports, a major employer in the Tees Valley from 2006 to 2022. Prior to taking up employment with PD Ports in 2000, Dermot held senior positions with Northumbrian Water, Grainger Plc and Deloitte Haskins & Sells
Professor Mark Simpson
Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Teesside University.
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.