Leadership Foundation

Rebecca Nestor is regional co-ordinator for the South-East and Eastern regions of England and an honorary associate, Oxford Learning Institute, University of Oxford. She has been interim Director of Programmes for the Leadership Foundation (LF) and has also undertaken a number of projects for the LF.

Rebecca has particular interests in equality and diversity issues and in academic leadership. Her first degree is in English Literature. She has an MBA from the Open University, is a chartered fellow of the CIPD, and is qualified in the use of the personality preference tools Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Team Management Profile for individual and team development. She was a member of the Leadership Foundation working group on succession management, which in 2006 published guides and case studies, and in 2011 wrote updates of this work as part of a Small Development Project.

Since taking up the regional co-ordinator role she has organised free regional events and tried to keep in touch with as many colleagues as possible in the region.] Rebecca also works as a freelance consultant for clients within the higher education and charitable sectors. More information about Rebecca and her work can be found at www.learning-for-good.co.uk

Judy Harris is Adjunct Professor at Thompson Rivers University (TRU), British Columbia, Canada, and was the first Visiting Scholar to be hosted by the Open Learning division of TRU in 2010. She has been in education-related employment for more than two decades (County of Avon LEA, University of Cape Town, Institute of Education [University of London]).

Her Master’s degree (University of Manchester) was in the Management and Administration of Higher and Further Education. She completed her PhD (Open University) in 2005. Her professional experience and research interests lie at the multiple intersections of further and higher education, non-traditional learners, community, industry, profession, occupation and workplace. These have taken different empirical expressions over the years, most particularly Widening Participation, the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Work-based Learning, and have spanned academic, policy and practitioner dimensions in the UK and in South Africa.

As a freelance researcher, she has recently acted as a consultant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Salford and is an international advisor to a South African Qualification Authority national research project on RPL.

Judy co-edited (with Per Andersson) Re-theorising the Recognition of Prior Learning (Leicester: NIACE) (2006). A companion volume Researching the Recognition of Prior Learning will be published in June 2011.

Wilma Martinelli, Director, Centre for Career and Skills Development, City University London and President Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (Agcas).

Wilma has been President, Chair of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services since August 2008. She first joined Agcas Board in 2004 as Profession Development Coordinator and then went on to become Vice President and President Elect.

Wilma has been Director of The Centre for Career and Skills Development at City University London since April 2002. Prior to City she spent 14 years at London Metropolitan University where she held several roles within the Careers Service, latterly as Guidance Development Manager. She is widely known for her work in skills development and has been was involved with several national mentoring programmes since the early nineties.

Wilma has 20 years of private sector experience her early working career began in administration and retail. Several retail management positions followed by self employment led her to the perceived safety of the public sector. She has commercial experience working with plc boards and holding non executive positions in public organisations. In addition to her commitment to equality and inclusion she brings passion and experience on the skills agenda.

Wilma is actively engaged in employability, skills and widening participation projects. She is a member of both London East Thames Gateway (LETG) and London West, Central and North (WECAN) area AimHigher partnership committees. Wilma also serves on; the Board of the Association of Graduate Recruiter (AGR), the Council of the Association of University Administrators (AUA), HECSU Board and the Advisory Board of the Student Volunteering Initiative. She is a member of the Graduate Employment Forum and an on the advisory forum of Lord Browne’s Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance she is also involved with the National Student Forum.

Shobi has a long career in the education sector – from secondary school teacher for History and English, FE lecturer and programme manager for initial teacher training, business and management development and now, since 2004, Learning and Development Manager at University of East London (UEL). Here, she has a pivotal senior management role with HR Services that supports UEL strategic intention to inform the HR strategy which includes objectives for organisational learning and development.

Responsible for a generous budget and support staff in the learning and development unit, she has extensive and well developed business partner relationships with the University Senior Management team including the Vice-Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellors and all Deans of Academic Schools and Directors of Support Services. This enables her to respond to institutional priorities and needs through an annual, institutional wide learning and development programme as well as initiating OD interventions. One of her major achievements has been the use of Development Centres to develop the future leaders of UEL and the Development Centres have been given a resounding 'thumbs up' by academic and professional colleagues working in the support services - a comment from a Professor sums up the Development Centres as a '"high point' moment in my own occupational life in UEL and has had and will continue to have the effect of raising the occupational, social, intellectual & indeed thereby the overall fiscal capital of the University".

Currently, Shobi is working on a key OD project with the Chair of Governors, the interim Secretary and Registrar and an external consultant to review the effectiveness of the Governing Body and to implement a development programme to support the leadership role of the Governing Body.

Shobi is qualified as a teacher, has a Masters degree, is a Chartered member of the Chartered Institutes of Personnel and Development, Institute of Management, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has been jointly chairing the Staff Developers Network for the London region with Steve Rathborn of Imperial College for nearly two years. This year she is also doing an OD Practitioners programme at Roffey Park to enable her to understand and develop extensively OD tools and interventions.

Shobi hopes that her seconded role to the Leadership Foundation, as regional co-coordinator for London will not only benefit the universities that are represented in London but will also support her own continuing professional development.

Lynne Howlett is Newcastle University’s Leadership and Management Development Adviser, employed to facilitate the development of its most senior leaders in line with the University’s business goals and priorities which includes identifying leadership talent and supporting and developing these leaders for the future. She works to ensure that Newcastle University has key leaders in place with the necessary skills to take the business forward over the next 5-10 years.

Lynne’s current areas of interest include leadership talent management processes, leadership frameworks, development centres and executive level coaching. She works on a collaborative Academic Leaders Programme with Durham University and the Leadership Foundation and has recently contributed to a number of sector working groups looking at succession management for leaders in Higher Education. Currently she is project managing a Hefce funded research project into civic leadership. Her work in the field of leadership succession won Lynne a Leadership Foundation Fellowship and a Times Higher award for Outstanding Contribution to Leadership and Management Development.

Lynne’s previous experience in human resources and training and development was gained in retailing and manufacturing with the John Lewis Partnership and Cussons UK Ltd, a manufacturer of toiletries and household products where amongst other things she gained the British Psychological Societies Level A and B licence to use a range of psychometric tools.

Lynne holds a degree in English from Newcastle University, a Postgraduate qualification in Human Resource Management and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She is currently studying to become a qualified coach. Lynne’s part time work is supplemented by occasional associate/consultancy work which includes her role as Regional Coordinator (North East) for the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.

Until 2005, Stuart worked as the management development manager at the University of Central Lancashire, leading on a number of significant organisational change and leadership development initiatives across the university. He has been an associate of the Leadership Foundation since its inception in 2004, and is the Leadership Foundation regional coordinator for north-west England and Northern Ireland.

Stuart is able to help senior teams develop a strong and clear vision, and to focus their attention on supporting the achievement of that vision through their engagement with people. He is concerned to ensure the alignment of strategy with culture, and with supporting the development of the leadership and communication required to effect significant and sustained change. While at the University of Central Lancashire Stuart facilitated a series of significant cultural, leadership and organisational change initiatives.

Stuart works as a consultant, coach and facilitator, mainly across the UK higher education sector, and specialises in team, organisation and leadership development. He is especially interested in cultural change across organisations, and the transition of individuals as they become effective leaders.

Simon is Head of Staff Development at the University of Bath, where he is responsible for strategy and co-ordination of learning and development for all staff. He is particularly interested in fostering a systems approach to organisational development, and enjoys moving in the spaces of an organisation to connect people and processes that would otherwise not come together. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Simon has a first degree and PhD in geology. He spent 12 years researching, teaching and consulting in the earth sciences in Universities and for the international oil, gas and mining industries, which involved a good deal of exciting foreign travel. In 2002 he made the move to staff development, which didn’t.

As a scientist making maps and collecting samples, Simon was highly motivated by the opportunity to see what’s around the next corner, and he is looking forward to doing this in the south west now that he has an excuse to visit colleagues across the region.

Ginnie is the Programme Director for key Leadership Foundation open programmes, Senior Strategic Leadership, Preparing for Senior Strategic Leadership, Leading Departments and Introduction to Head of Department. She acts as co director for Scotland and represents the Leadership Foundation on a number of UK-wide committees, and has provided in-house consultancy on a range of topics for a number of HEIs. She is also qualified to administer a number of diagnostic tools (including the Transformational Leadership Questionnaire, TLQ) which are key components of many programmes.

Ginnie joined the Leadership Foundation in 2007 following nine years as Director of Training and Development at the University of Stirling. Having previously worked at the University of Aberdeen and in the financial services sector, Ginnie is well-versed in the nuances of the Scottish higher educational sector and accustomed to working across diverse organisations at all levels. Whilst her professional interests are leadership and management development, her various roles have covered diversity and equal opportunities, organisation development and the implementation and management of change.
 

Jean Chandler joined the Leadership Foundation as Associate Director, Scotland in August 2012, with a wealth of experience in leadership and management in higher education. Her most recent appointment was as deputy director of HR (staff and organisational development) at the University of Glasgow, where she was responsible for the strategic leadership and management development of senior academics and directors of professional services.

Jean has significant experience of leading and developing bespoke programmes in learning and organisational development and is passionate about leadership and management development in the sector. She has extensive experience of using different development tools to help groups and individuals gain and share their knowledge and learning in a practical and supportive way. Jean is also keen that people enjoy learning in a creative and supportive environment, with an element of fun, to ensure people get the best out of each session.

Committed to her own professional development as well as others’, Jean has a master’s in management and leadership learning (MAMLL) and is a chartered member of the Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). She is also working towards a level 7 executive coaching qualification accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) and is accredited to deliver Myers-Briggs personality profiling.

Teresa's main responsibilities will include keeping in touch with the leadership and organisational development needs of Welsh higher education institutions and developing programmes and initiatives for them.

Teresa has recently completed six years as Pro Vice-Chancellor at Cardiff University, where she is currently an Associate PVC and a Professor in the School of Social Sciences. She has also chaired two high profile Commissions of Inquiry on higher education funding and student support for the Welsh Assembly Government.

Speaking about her appointment, Teresa said:

“I am delighted to have this opportunity to work with the Leadership Foundation and colleagues across Wales to enhance leadership in our higher education institutions. The sector faces some serious challenges and imaginative and bold leadership, drawing on the best training and consultancy from the Leadership Foundation, now and in the future will be essential”.

Yr Athro Teresa Rees CBE AcSS FLSW

Mae prif gyfrifoldebau Teresa'n cynnwys cadw mewn cysylltiad ag anghenion sefydliadau addysg uwch Cymru o safbwynt datblygu arweinyddiaeth a threfniadaeth, gan ddatblygu rhaglenni a mentrau iddyn nhw.

Yn ddiweddar mae Teresa wedi cwblhau chwe blynedd fel Dirprwy Is-Ganghellor Prifysgol Caerdydd, lle mae’n Athro yn Ysgol y Gwyddorau Cymdeithasol. Mae’n gynghorydd arbenigol i Gyfarwyddiaeth Ymchwil y Comisiwn Ewropeaidd ac mae wedi cadeirio dau Gomisiwn Ymchwil o bwys i Lywodraeth Cymru ynghylch cyllid addysg uwch a chymorth i fyfyrwyr.

Wrth siarad am ei phenodiad, dywedodd Teresa:

“Dwi wrth fy modd yn cael y cyfle yma i weithio gyda'r Sefydliad Arweinyddiaeth a chydweithwyr ledled Cymru i wella arweinyddiaeth yn ein sefydliadau addysg uwch. Mae’r sector yn wynebu heriau o bwys a bydd arweinyddiaeth ddewr a llawn dychymyg, sy’n defnyddio’r hyfforddiant a’r ymgynghoriaeth orau sydd ar gael gan y Sefydliad Arweinyddiaeth yn hanfodol, nawr ac yn y dyfodol”.

Becky Bull commenced her career working in higher education as an Editorial Assistant for the Regional Studies Journal whilst following part-time postgraduate study at the University of Sussex. She joined the Management of Small Higher Education Institutions Network (MASHEIN) Project, a Hefce funded project based at Bishop Grosseteste University College, in 2002 as the Project Officer. In this role she explored the distinctiveness of small institutions, their management and leadership, and models of collaboration and partnership. She disseminated the findings in a project report submitted to Hefce. In 2003, with other members of the MASHEIN team, she successfully secured follow-on funding from Hefce to identify the feasibility of a joint staff development project for small institutions. Following the success of this project, the MASHEIN team made a successful bid for continued funding to the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. Becky’s role was re-designated as MASHEIN Project Manager in 2007, reflecting her increased responsibilities arising from the development of the MASHEIN network and the expansion of its programmes and activities.

From January to May 2007 Becky was seconded to GuildHE on a part-time basis as a Policy Support Officer with responsibility for the areas of Employer Engagement and the United Kingdom Arts and Design Institutions Association (UKADIA). Within her own institution she served on the Research Group from 2003 – 2009 and the Research Ethics Group from 2008 - 2009. She has been a member of the Leadership Foundation’s Membership Advisory Group since 2008.