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.

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 & Risk, Governance and Nominations, and Remuneration Committees. She assumed the Vice-Chair role in November 2024.

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 was awarded an OBE in the King’s New Year Honours 2024 for services to Local Government.

Antony joined the Board as an independent governor in October 2022 and serves on the Audit & Risk Committees. He assumed the Chair of the Remuneration Committee in November 2024.

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 & Risk Committee since November 2022.

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.

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).

Claire is a senior lecture within the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine. She joined Edge Hill University in 2015, after working as a Registered Dietitian within the National Health Service for 6 years. This included a period as a research dietitian at the University Hospital of South Manchester. Claire’s early career was spent within a Liverpool based accountancy firm, before returning (in 2004) to education, as an undergraduate student at Edge Hill University. 

In her current role, Claire is heavily involved in teaching and learning and research activities, including research supervision at MRes and PhD level. In addition, she is an active member of the SustainNET research leadership team, developing a university wide strategy for sustainability focused research. She is a member of the validation and audit standing panel, responsible for quality assurance, and an academic member of the service user and carer group that supports equality, diversity and inclusion within the curriculum. More recently, Claire joined the faculty knowledge exchange sub-committee with a view to increasing knowledge exchange opportunities within the faculty.

Claire was elected to the Board in 2024.

Andrew spent 35 years in Higher Education, from Lecturer to Professor, with research published on the cultural politics of language theory and also co-creative design of applied learning opportunities for students with industry and third sector organisations. Two thirds of his career was spent in senior leadership and management positions at School, Faculty and University level, where he focused on innovation and change management built around students as partners in new ways of working. This included a pivotal role in planning and then running a new campus at Media City in Salford, creating a vibrant trans-disciplinary portfolio of teaching, research and enterprise across the creative and digital media spectrum in collaboration with global, national, and hyperlocal industries.

Originally from Birmingham – and still retaining links through football allegiance – Andrew has lived in the North West most of his life. He has an enduring commitment to nurture what he calls the “white water” of next generation talent, and maintains involvement in the HE sector through consultancy and his work with the Office for Students.

Andrew joined the Board as an Independent Governor in September 2024 and serves as the Lead Governor for Research

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.

Tony Healy is a seasoned technology executive (CIO/CTO/CISO) with over 26 years’ experience in digital transformation, IT innovation, and cybersecurity across global industries. He has led international teams and managed substantial budgets, driving significant business growth through strategic IT initiatives. Tony’s expertise includes cloud migrations, AI/ML integrations, and cybersecurity strategy. He is a Chartered Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Information Security, the Chartered Management Institute, and the Institute of Engineering and Technology. Tony has also received numerous CIO and leadership awards.

Tony joined the Board in 2024 and serves on the Audit & Risk Committee.

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.

Orna has been a student at Edge Hill since 2020. She graduated with an undergraduate degree in Musical Theatre in 2023 and is currently undertaking her master’s degree in Nineteenth Century History. After her master’s she hopes to pursue her PHD focusing on theatre history and the impact it has had on the entertainment sector.

Throughout her time at Edge Hill, Orna has been very involved in student life. She was elected to work as part of the student union team in March and is the current Faculty of Arts and Sciences president.

Outside of her studies, Orna is an avid performer and works as part of a local theatre school to help children pursue opportunities within the arts. She also regularly writes her own performances drawing upon her experiences as a northern working-class woman and hopes to incorporate this into her PHD research.

Jo has extensive experience in the public sector, working for the NHS, Health & Safety Executive and Nuclear Installations Inspectorate before joining the Environment Agency in 2016.

Jo took up her role as the Environment Agency’s first ever Chief Regulator in April 2024 – leading the team to enable modern, future focused and effective regulation by providing influential technical leadership across the totality of EA’s regulatory activities.

Previously, as Deputy Director and Head of Radioactive Substances and Installations Regulation, Jo led on high-profile projects, including Nuclear New Build, Nuclear Legacy and Waste, Radioactive Source Security, regulation of EPR (Environmental Permitting Regulations) at a range of industrial sectors, Local Authority Unit, Control of Onshore Major Accident Hazards Regulations (COMAH), decarbonisation (hydrogen and carbon capture) and supported a wide range of government plans and strategies.

During the last 9 years, Jo has also undertaken a number of senior EA roles, including as Chief Scientist, where she led the Chief Scientist’s Group to put strong science and rigorous analysis at the heart of EA’s work to create a better place for people and wildlife and to support sustainable development – through research, innovation, evaluation, data analysis and reporting and horizon scanning. She also led a review of EA’s regulation and subsequently set up the team that works to improve EA’s regulatory resilience for the challenges facing us now and in the future.

Jo is passionate about helping to increase diversity in the workplace, including at senior management and board level, looking for opportunities to collaborate with and learn from individuals and organisations within and beyond EA. She is a member of the IAEA Task Force of Experts – formed to advise the Government of Japan on disposal of water contaminated during the 2011 Nuclear Emergency and is a Fellow of the Society for Radiological Protection.

Jo is a Yorkshire lass and lives in Southport with her husband and 2 cats. She has a stepson, daughter and two grandchildren.

Jo joined the Board as an Independent Governor in September 2021 and serves on the Audit & Risk Committee. She is the Lead Governor for ESG.

Paige was elected by the student body as the Faculty of Health Social Care & Medicine President and is currently in her second sabbatical year in this role. Her role in the Students’ Union allows her to work with students and staff alike to improve and develop student experience. 

Paige is currently in her third year studying BSc (Hons) Nursing, due to gain Registered Nurse status in the summer of 2025. Paige has been involved in a variety of university roles including course representative, student guide and campus connector prior to her current role with the Students’ Union. She has most recently become a university scholar after being awarded an excellence scholarship. 

Outside of her university roles, Paige is currently the student ambassador for NHS England and has featured in multiple articles and media posts for the work she does to support people to go into studying to work in the NHS and raising awareness for mental health and wellbeing. She is also a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) ambassador, is a published author and also works in the NHS as a health care assistant to support her degree. 

She joined the Board of Governors as a student governor in July 2024.

Helen has an Honours Degree in PR and has worked in the Communications industry for more than 25 years. She began her career in the private sector supporting a range of clients – both in the UK and internationally – across industry sectors including pharmaceuticals, finance, commercial & residential property, architecture, retail and more.

She made the move to the public sector at a time when local government was transforming and as the Head of Communications at Knowsley Council (Council of the Year 2024) she has been involved in the efforts to support communities through fundamental changes to public services, a global pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis. In addition, she has led on initiatives to better engage the private sector, market Knowsley as place and also supported major regeneration initiatives including the creation of the multi-million-pound Shakespeare North Playhouse.  

Helen lives in Ormskirk with her husband and two children who attend local schools and enjoy spending their free time making the most of the fantastic community sporting facilities on site at Edge Hill.

Helen joined the Board in 2024 and serves on the Governance & Nominations Committee.

Gayle is a qualified accountant and has over 24 years’ experience of working in the NHS. As Executive Director of Operations, MIAA (internal audit and advisory services provider to the NHS) Gayle leads the Corporate Business Unit. This is a role that includes responsibility for a wide range of services including Finance, Communications, Estates, HR, Data Analytics and Business Intelligence.  Outside of work, Gayle enjoys playing and watching cricket and is creative, enjoying crochet and knitting for relaxation.

Gayle achieved her undergraduate degree at Edge Hill in the 1990’s and has since achieved MSc distinction from Northumbria University (part-time distance learning) in Occupational and Organisational Psychology. She is passionate about supporting individuals and organisations to achieve their full potential. 

Gayle joined the Board as an Independent Governor in September 2024