Board of Governors

Clive is from Liverpool and was a Senior Executive with Barclays for 30 years before becoming an independent management consultant specialising in transformational change management. He has a Master’s in Business Administration from Kingston University.

Clive is passionate about higher education, especially the role it plays in enabling students to secure and enjoy fulfilling employment in a fast changing world.

Appointed as an Independent Governor in 2017, he has been Chair of the Board since November 2022.

Clive is also Chair of all of Edge Hill’s subsidiary companies and of the Governance and Nominations Committee besides being a member of the Remuneration Committee.

Having completed a second headship of 12 years at Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School, Louise is currently an educational consultant, registered inspector with the Independent Schools Inspectorate, Magistrate and executive coach. With a degree in Computer Science and Maths, Louise has also a Master’s Level 7 in Coaching and Mentoring, a Master’s in Education and the National Professional Qualification for Headship. In 2012 she was the President of the Girls’ Schools Association and was vice chair of the Independent Schools Council from 2012-2015. She is also a governor of Westholme School, Blackburn as well as a Trustee for the charity Liverpool World Centre.

Louise was appointed as an Independent Governor in September 2014 and took on the role of Deputy Chair of the Board in November 2022. She is Chair of the Remuneration Committee, and a member of the Governance & Nominations Committee.

Mike’s career of 38 years was spent within the NHS. He was a Director of Finance/Chief Finance Officer for three separate NHS organisations in the North West. More recently, Mike has served as a Non-Executive Director at North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, where he served on Board and both the Audit and Quality committees.

Mike is a qualified accountant and has been a member of CIPFA since 1987.  He joined the Board of Governors in September 2021 and has served as Chair of the Audit Committee since November 2022.

Helen started working at Edge Hill in 2002 following her graduation from the University of Nottingham.

Initially specialising in student assessment and awards, Helen went on to become the University’s Academic Registrar before creating a new department as Director of Governance & Assurance in 2021. In this role, Helen is responsible for ensuring that the University operates within an environment conducive with the OfS regulatory framework. She has specific oversight of academic quality and standards, corporate governance and student casework.

As Clerk to Governors, Helen is responsible for providing independent, authoritative advice, guidance and administrative support to the Board of Governors. She also ensures their ongoing compliance with the various statutory, regulatory body and other legal obligations.

An advocate of professional development and sharing best practice, Helen regularly sits on national advisory boards, and is presently supporting the QAA to develop best practice in promoting academic integrity. She is well-connected within the sector having recently been Chair of the National Assessment Practitioners’ Group and is currently acting as External Reviewer for Staffordshire University’s Degree Outcomes Statement. Helen is also a member of the Association of University Administrators, the Association of Heads of University Administration, and a Student Member of the Chartered Governance Institute (formerly ICSA).

Graeme grew up in Buckinghamshire, educated at the Royal Grammar School High Wycombe, then Keble College, Oxford (Geography), before gaining membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 1993 as a planning and development surveyor. In 2000 Graeme completed an Executive MBA programme with Bristol University and the ENPC School of International Management in Paris.

Graeme’s early career was spent within a London based Quantity Surveying firm, whose principal clients included Bath University and the Priory Hospitals Group before moving to Lancashire in 1997 with his partner and young children to take a consultancy position with KPMG in Manchester. Graeme is now a director of GENECON Ltd, a niche but nationally respected economic development consultancy based in Leeds, having also spent time with AMION Consulting in Liverpool. He counts among his more interesting projects the review of the merger of UMIST and Victoria Manchester University to create the University of Manchester, analysis of the economic potential of a new university campus on the Olympic Park and the creation of various Enterprise Zones across the country.

Graeme lives in Chorley, Lancashire with his partner and two teenage children. At community level, Graeme is Chairman of Brinscall Village Junior Football Club and has led a number of successful grant applications to the Football Foundation and Sport England.

Graeme joined the Board in September 2015 and served as Chair of Resources Committee until July 2021. He is a member of the Remuneration Committee.

Leon joined Edge Hill in 2000. He initially worked in one of the academic departments of what subsequently became the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and in 2007 he joined what was then the Department of Research and Knowledge Transfer. He has led the development of research degrees at Edge Hill since 2009 and in 2010 he had a central role in the establishment of the University’s Graduate School. Leon led the expansion of research degree routes from what was originally only the PhD to include the Masters by Research (MRes), PhD by publication and the professional doctorate, and has overseen the development of the University’s Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) studentship scheme. Leon is Chair of Research Degrees Sub-Committee and a member of Academic Career Development Implementation Group, Research Management Group, Research and Innovation Committee and Academic Board.

In January 2021 the University undertook a major expansion of the Graduate School and at that point Leon was appointed to the role of Dean of the Graduate School. In that role all elements of research degrees, along with researcher development and partnership and collaboration are central features of Leon’s work but he has gained a wide range of experience of many aspects of higher education over the last twenty-five years. Particularly prominent among those is his involvement in regulatory matters, academic quality and governance.

Leon combines his management role with being a research-active academic and publishes regularly in philosophy. He became Reader in Philosophy in 2012 and has a broad range of philosophical interests. His major current preoccupations are with various matters in the philosophies of mind, language and logic, and the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Leon joined the Board of Governors in June 2023.

For over ten years, Christine worked in the IT department at RSA in Liverpool. In 2005, she set up an IT and Project Management Consultancy, which she continues to run today.

Christine has a long-standing awareness of the importance of education at all stages of life and has a particular interest in equality of opportunity. She was a governor at a local school for 16 years and has worked with an educational charity as an IT project manager.

Christine is from the local area. Her family have been regular visitors to Edge Hill, making good use of the facilities available to the community.

Christine joined the Board as an Independent Governor in 2016, and is a member of Audit committee and Governance and Nominations committee.

Amanda is a senior leader in higher education, having worked for 21 years in Further and Higher Education, in teacher education and professional development, in research leadership and development, and in knowledge exchange. She has a record of successfully leading and developing research infrastructure, and of building and leading teams. She is also Visiting Professor at Leeds Trinity University.

She is an established and well-published researcher and philosopher of education, with research interests in public and community philosophy, Higher Education, and in dialogic pedagogy. She has strong and established links with learned societies, and is currently Chair Elect of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain (PESGB). She has also served on the Advisory Board of the International Network of Philosophers of Education (INPE), and was Vice Chair of the Philosophy and Theory of Higher Education Society (PaTHES).

She has governance experience from serving two terms on the Governing Council of the Society for Research in Higher Education, and is now Trustee for the Society for the Advancement of Philosophical Enquiry and Reflection in Education (SAPERE). Amanda joined the Board as the elected Teaching Staff Governor in 2021.

Ann has been involved with Edge Hill University for over 23 years, firstly as a student and then as a member of staff. She has been in her current role as Senior Access Advice and Guidance Officer in the Admissions team for 17 years. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academic following completion of the PGCert HE.

Ann’s role is varied and includes identifying applicants with non-traditional or few qualifications and offering advice and guidance to both the Admissions team and applicants on the suitable ways forward for these applicants.

She is also centrally involved in recruitment to the University’s Fastrack Preparation for Higher Education Programme. Work on the Fastrack programme covers all aspects of the student journey from recruitment through to graduation and offers progression into over 90 % of degrees at the university across all faculties.

Ann joined the Board of Governors in September 2023.

Lauren has recently graduated with a BSc in Psychology and is currently studying for a MSc In Counselling and Psychotherapy in contemporary creative approaches, both at Edge Hill University. She was elected as the Student Governor for 2022 to 2023 by the student body.  

During her time at Edge Hill, Lauren has undertaken a variety of volunteering roles within and around the community, such as working at Alder Hey hospital throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, mentoring young people for Wigan Targeted Support Services and working at charity events held by the Ormskirk rugby club.  

Lauren is also a member of Edge Hill University’s Widening Access panel, where she and other students discuss their experiences at university which serves to provide staff with the student perspective. The panel aims to maintain and improve upon current support systems in place to increase non-traditional student retention, satisfaction and population. 

Lauren’s career and education interests surround the improvement of minority group life outcomes and improving the wellbeing of disadvantaged individuals.

Maggie was elected by the student body as the EHSU Faculty of Education Education President 2023/24. Her role in the Students’ Union allows her to work alongside students, staff, and the wider SU team to help improve and develop student experience.  

Maggie has been part of the Edge Hill community for nearly 5 years, studying BA (Hons) Teaching Learning and Child Development, from which she will graduate in July 2024. During her time as a student, she undertook the role of a student guide supporting various on- and off-campus events. She also served as a course representative to promote and amplify the student voice within her cohort.

In her spare time, Maggie volunteers with a charity called VIDES UK to plan and deliver a variety of activities, experiences and projects during the half term breaks and summer holidays to children and young people in the local community. 

After her sabbatical year in the Students’ Union, Maggie hopes to complete a PGCE in primary teaching.

She joined the Board of Governors as a Student Governor in July 2023.  

Antony is the Director of Strategy and Assistant Chief Executive of Blackpool Council, responsible for a diverse portfolio including policy and performance, commissioning and research, housing and headline place strategy. He leads on the development of corporate strategy and policy, is the council’s lead interface with central government and regional partners, and is lead chief officer for the council’s wholly owned companies.

Antony lectured in housing and regeneration at the University of Salford from 2008-14, and continues to guest lecture on these areas. Antony holds higher degrees in modern history and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Antony has extensive governance experience, having served on the boards and committees of charities, academies, colleges and housing associations. He is also Vice-Chair of Village Manchester Football Club.

Antony joined the Board as an independent governor in October 2022 and serves on the Audit Committee.

Maxine’s professional career was spent within the Further and Higher Education sectors. Having studied for an English degree at the University of Cardiff she took a post graduate qualification in Information Science at Birmingham City University and a Masters degree in Library Management at Aberystwyth University. Maxine has a long connection with Edge Hill and was Deputy Head of Library Services from 1987-1992. From here Maxine held a range of leadership roles in the H.E sector, culminating as Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Gloucestershire (2012-2018). In this role her portfolio included responsibility for professional services teams, including Estates; IT; Student Services; Library and Information Services; Sustainability; Student Recruitment; Marketing and Communications; Process Review and Planning.

Maxine has also volunteered and acted as a trustee for many charitable organisations, including The Cheltenham Trust, Cheltenham Civic Society, Remembering Srebrenica and the Gladstone Library.

Maxine was appointed as an Independent Governor in October 2022, and serves on the Audit Committee.

Jo has had extensive experience in the public sector, working for the NHS, Health & Safety Executive and Nuclear Installations Inspectorate before joining the Environment Agency in 2016. In her current role as Deputy Director and Head of Radioactive Substances and Installations Regulation, she leads on high-profile projects, including Nuclear New Build, Nuclear Legacy and Waste, Radioactive Source Security, regulation of EPR (Environmental Permitting Regulations) and Control of Onshore Major Accident Hazards Regulations (COMAH), support to Defra Clean Air Strategy and Environment Bill, Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, Energy White Paper and other related government plans and strategies.

As well as her regulatory work, Jo is also passionate about helping to increase diversity in the workplace, including at senior management and board level, and is an active mentor in the 30% Club. She is keen to support the University as it explores how to make a real contribution to meeting the local and global challenges posed by the climate emergency.

Jo joined the Board as an Independent Governor in September 2021 and serves on the Audit Committee.

Mark has had extensive experience in the NHS, first joining in 2010 and taking on numerous strategic management roles in this time. Since June 2022, he has been Cheshire East Place Director for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside. In this role, Mark is responsible for planning, performance, and service integration across health and care, 100 staff, £700m budget serving the population of Cheshire East.

As well as his strategic experience gained through the NHS, Mark also has significant exposure to corporate governance roles, at various points serving as a trustee for Age Concern Preston and South Ribble, Public Sector Director for East Lancashire Building Partnership Ltd, and Finance Committee Member of the Maharishi Free School in Skelmersdale. He currently serves as Group Board Director for Bolton at Home Limited, a provider of social and affordable housing.

Mark joined the Board of Governors in September 2023.