Board of Governors

The Board of Governors plays a central role in the strategic development and overall performance of the University. It has ultimate responsibility for defining the institution’s mission, educational character, and future direction, and for overseeing progress against the University’s strategic plan.

The Board of Governors is established under legislation and the University’s Instrument and Articles of Government. As the governing body of the University, the Board is accountable for institutional activities, taking all final decisions on matters of fundamental concern within its remit.

The primary responsibilities of the Board can be found in its Statement of Primary Responsibilities.

As Chief Executive of the University, the Vice Chancellor is a member of the Board of Governors and is responsible for the executive management of the institution and for advising the Board on its strategic direction. The other members of the Board include individuals with backgrounds in business, the professions, commerce, education, and the public and voluntary sectors. They are appointed on the basis of their understanding of and commitment to the vision and values of the University, enthusiasm about its development, the quality of their contributions to institutional governance and the independent and constructive advice that they can offer.

Individuals who are interested in joining the Board of Governors should refer to the relevant section of this webpage below

Mr Mark Alexander

Mark Alexander is Vice President of Siemens Energy Service Small Gas Turbines Ltd. With over 165 years of engineering history, the Siemens Energy gas turbine business in Lincoln is at the forefront of energy sustainability, supplying efficient power and lifetime product service to the global oil and gas industry, power generation, and mechanical drive applications.

Mark joined Siemens Energy Service SGT in Lincoln in 2020 and has experience in oil and gas, power generation, and the renewable sector. He started his career in Aberdeen as a Project Manager for Wood, before moving to Rolls-Royce Energy where he worked in the US then moving to Warwick, England where he joined Siemens.

He has a degree in Mechanical and Offshore engineering from Roberts Gordon University and a Master of Science in Project Management from University of Aberdeen. He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

In his spare time Mark enjoys playing golf, reading, and spending time with his family and friends.

Mr Nasir Ali

Nasir is an experienced finance professional, a qualified chartered accountant and a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW). He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounts and a Masters in forensic accounting from Portsmouth University. He has spent over 25 years with professional services firms in UK and abroad providing assurance and advisory services. Over his career Nasir has provided leadership to large multinational professional services firms in three different continents and worked with financial sector and extractive industries.

Nasir is also a member of Financial Reporting Panel at The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland (ICAS) where he shares his expertise in climate related accounting issues in developing the applications of newly developed climate related accounting standards.

Nasir is a Non-Executive Director at several organisations sharing his professional expertise to add value to the purpose of these profit and not for profit organisations.

Nasir lives in Edinburgh with his wife and son and has keen interest in swimming and travelling.

Professor Kathleen Armour

Biography Coming Soon.

Ms Folusho Falegan

Biography Coming Soon.

Professor Neal Juster (Vice Chancellor)

Vice Chancellor‌

E-mail: njuster@lincoln.ac.uk

Vice Chancellor’s Office Business Manager

Linda Marshall
Tel (+44) (0) 1522 886100
E-mail: lmarshall@lincoln.ac.uk

Professor Neal Juster is Vice Chancellor of the University of Lincoln, UK.

He is a graduate of the University of Leeds where he obtained a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Computer Aided Design.

Neal has extensive experience in University management: He was Senior Vice-Principal and Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Glasgow having been initially appointed as Vice-Principal (Strategy & Resources). Previously he was Pro Vice-Principal, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Head of Department in the Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management at the University of Strathclyde and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds. His research interests were in the broad area of computer aided design including rapid prototyping and use of virtual reality in design and manufacturing processes.

Neal is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and a member of the QAA Advisory Committee on Degree Awarding Powers.

He is a Director of UL Learning Resources Ltd, Riseholme Park Farms Ltd, ULEX and UoL Services Ltd. His is also Chair of the Members Committee for the University of Lincoln Academy Trust.

Professor Jean Ker MD

Jean Ker is Emeritus Professor of Medical Education of the University of Dundee, currently holds the post of Scottish lead for Clinical Skills and Simulation, and works as an external consultant in medical education. Jean founded the Scottish Clinical Skills Network in 2000. As part of the Scottish Clinical Skills Strategy she was appointed in 2007 as National Clinical Lead in the development of the Scottish Clinical Skills and Simulation Managed Educational Network which has developed national evidence-based online skills resources, a mobile skills facility which has trained over 6000 healthcare practitioners in remote and rural Scotland and provided seed-corn funding for many Research and Development projects.

At Dundee, Jean developed a medical education PhD programme and introduced a Masters in Simulation-Based Education for Safe Clinical Practice as part of faculty development in 2014; and was awarded the prestigious Chancellor’s Award for Contribution to Teaching. She has over 100 peer reviewed publications and is on the national and international editorial boards for peer reviewed journals on simulation and medical education. Jean has been an invited speaker at over 35 national and international conferences.

Jean has had the opportunity to work in medical education and primary care development in many parts of the world, on behalf of the World Health Organisation, British Council and the University of Dundee.

She was appointed to the GMC Advisory Board for Assessment in 2015 and was the Dundee lead for the successful ScotGEM proposal for the first postgraduate medical degree in Scotland in 2016.

Jean Ker joined the Board as an Independent Member in October 2016; and has been appointed as a member of the Audit Committee.

Ms Zoe King

Zoe is a University of Lincoln alumna and a business owner in the city. Since 2010 Zoe has co-directed the multi award winning digital media agency Epix Media and in this time has passionately supported the business community by being involved in events and initiatives on both a local and national level, from running networking events to being integral in the development of a UK-wide youth engagement scheme for the Federation of Small Businesses.

As well as being a company director, Zoe is a skilled web programmer. Zoe was appointed as an Independent Member of the Board of Governors in August 2016. She brings local connections and technical expertise to the Board with the aim of drawing the business community and the University closer together.

Zoe is a member of the Audit Committee.

Dame Diane Lees CBE (Chair)

Diane Lees was appointed Chair of the University’s Board of Governors and became Pro-Chancellor with effect from 1 August 2018, having been an Independent Member of the Board since August 2014.

Since October 2008, Diane Lees has served as Director-General of the Imperial War Museums.

Diane Lees began her career as an historic buildings researcher and then moved into exhibitions, education and interpretation. She has worked on some of the most challenging and exciting projects in the country, including the rescue and relocation of a hat block manufacturer’s workshop in central Manchester, the recovery and display of the Mary Rose flagship in Portsmouth Harbour and the redisplay of the Nelson Galleries at the Royal Naval Museum. She project-managed the creation of the UK standard for the recording of information about museum collections (SPECTRUM) and was responsible for the creation of the only museum of law in the country, the multi-award-winning Galleries of Justice in Nottingham.

She is a Trustee of the IWM Development Trust and The Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Trust. She serves as Vice President of the American Air Museum in Britain, is a member of the Women Leaders in Museums Network (WLMN) and from April 2013 to March 2017 chaired the National Museum Directors’ Council (NMDC). She sits on the judging panels of the Museums + Heritage Awards and the 2022 Art Fund Museum of the Year. She is also a member of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s Experts’ Reference Group and the DCMS Cultural and Heritage Capital Advisory Board. She is a member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and a Freeman of the City of London.

Diane Lees was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in January 2015 and a DBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in January 2022 for services to museums. She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Reading in July 2015 and an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree by Nottingham Trent University in June 2017.

Diane also chairs the University’s Nominations Committee and is a member of its Remuneration Committee.

Mr Jack Maddock

Biography coming soon.

Jacqueline Mayer (Staff Governor)

Jacqueline joined the newly created University of Lincoln in 1997 as the first Education Liaison Officer, working with schools and colleges and attending recruitment events across the UK. Following several years working in UK marketing and recruitment, Jacqueline set up a new International Recruitment Team and travelled extensively across the world to promote the new University and recruit students. In 2011, she moved into the Student Services Team at the University to set up a new English Language Centre, offering support to international students, and building on her earlier experience as a TEFL teacher. In 2014, Jacqueline took on the role of Head of Student Services, which drew together several services offering support to students. Student Support, Student Wellbeing, the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy, Residential Wardens and the newly formed International College provide a range of support for all enrolled students at the University.

Jacqueline is originally from Lincoln and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and History of Art & Design from the University of Central Lancashire. She joined the University of Lincoln’s Board of Governors in 2022 as Staff Governor.

Mr Simon Morris DL BA

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Simon was appointed as an Independent member of the Board of Governors on 1 January 2020. He spent 27 years in the Administrative Branch of the Royal Air Force before joining Keele University as Secretary and Registrar in 1997. During 14 years at Keele he was involved in the development of a new Medical School, a Science Park and a range of major estates projects including new build and renovation of Halls of Residence. Whilst at Keele he represented the University on a range of regeneration bodies in Staffordshire. He was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Staffordshire in 2009.

On leaving Keele, he was appointed Deputy Chief Executive of Ombudsman Services Limited in January 2012. Ombudsman Services is a private sector, not-for-profit, company providing independent dispute resolution for the Energy and Communications sectors. In his role, Simon was heavily involved in business development, marketing and liaison with government on consumer affairs. He retired from the role in December 2017.

Simon has carried out a range of non-executive roles, which have included Chair of the Staffordshire Community Foundation and Commissioner and Chair of the Audit Committee for the Marshall Commission, a non-departmental public body of the Foreign Office which runs a scholarship scheme awarding Masters and PhD places in the UK for American students. He currently sits as a member on two audit committees and is the non-executive director of an Internal Audit Company that specialises in universities.

Mr John Raine CMG OBE (Deputy Chair)

John graduated from Cambridge University in 1984 and joined HM Diplomatic Service where he studied Arabic. During his 33-year career John served in Kuwait, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Baghdad, and Islamabad and served at home in senior administrative and and operational roles as Director and Director General. He worked extensively with foreign governments and with members of the UK’s National Security Community including the Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. ‌

John retired from Government service in 2017. He is a Senior Adviser for Geopolitical Due Diligence at the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in London and an adviser to HSBC. He is a director of risk advisory service, Palmer and Paling Ltd. He is a also Trustee of the HALO Trust and the Gerry Holdsworth Trust and a member of the Lincoln and Lincolnshire Committee of the English Speaking Union (ESU). John is a member of the Remuneration Committee and the University Honours Committee.

Ms Jane Reeves

Jane Reeves is a Senior Counsel with the law firm Taylor Wessing. Previously, Ms Reeves was a Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel within the Compliance and Government Affairs functions of Thomson Reuters. In her earlier career, Ms Reeves took on a number of legal roles within The Thomson Corporation and Primark Corp. and was a solicitor with the global law firm, Linklaters.

Ms Reeves is a trustee of the Legal Education Foundation and an independent member of the Finance Committee of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.

Ms Reeves joined the University of Lincoln’s Board of Governors in 2014, and is also a member of its Nominations Committee and Chair of the University Honours Committee.

Mr Brendan Reilly

Brendan embarked upon a career change just over a year ago to focus on building a portfolio of non-executive director (NED) roles. Prior to this, Brendan spent most of his career in transaction banking holding a number of senior roles, predominantly in product management, at a variety of banks. Most recently, Brendan was Managing Director, Head of Product EMEA, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).

Brendan joined SVB in August 2018 with overall responsibility for transaction banking and card products in the region. Before this he spent seven years at Barclays where he was the Global Head of Client and Market Execution at Barclays. In this role Brendan was responsible for client onboarding globally in the corporate bank, for client proposals, training, and content in respect of cash management. Amongst his notable achievements, he led the digital transformation of Corporate Client onboarding end to end, reducing onboarding time by 50% and generating client NPS scores in excess of +60.

Before joining Barclays in 2011 Brendan spent ten years at JP Morgan before joining Deutsche Bank in 2007 as the Global Head of infrastructure and COO – Product Management.

Brendan is originally from Lincoln, living here until he was eighteen. He completed the Financial Times NED Diploma in July 2022 and holds a first-class degree in Mathematical Physics from the University of Nottingham.

Mr Russell Schofield-Bezer

Russell is a financial services advisor with over thirty years of experience in international banking.

Most recently Russell was the project leader responsible for the formation of Northern Gritstone, a new early-stage investment company founded by the Universities of Leeds, Manchester, and Sheffield. Northern Gritstone is one of the largest dedicated investors into university science and technology related Intellectual Property (IP) in the UK.

Previously, Russell was the Chief Investment Officer of HSBC’s Private Banking division in the Americas and head of the High-Net-Worth Division of HSBC Securities Inc. In this role, Russell was responsible for the investment management of over $15billion of private client assets in both discretionary and client advised portfolios.

During his career, Russell led the Capital Markets Division of HSBC Plc in Europe, and the Middle East as well as holding several senior roles as a Managing Director in the Global Banking and Markets Division of JPMorgan in London.

Russell holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Manchester.

Mr Louis Williams (Student Governor)

Biography coming soon.

Interested in joining the Board of Governors?

Whilst we regularly undertake targeted recruitment activity in order to fill specific vacancies on our Board of Governors, we are always keen to hear from exceptional individuals interested in joining the Board who believe they have something to offer the University. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Board, please send a brief covering letter explaining your interest and a copy of your CV to the University via the contact details below.

The latest version of the Role Descriptor can be found below.

Role Descriptor (PDF)