How the University is managed
The University of Bradford is governed through its Court, Council and Senate.
The University also has an Executive Team who oversee the strategic direction of the University. The Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Academic Deans and non-Academic Directors make up the Executive Team.
Full details of the Governance of the University can be found on the Governance web pages.
Chair of Council
Baroness Ann Taylor
Chair of Council and Pro-Chancellor
Baroness Ann Taylor was appointed Chair of Council and Pro-Chancellor at the University of Bradford with effect from 1 August 2015.
Baroness Taylor has a long association with Bradford, having graduated with a BSc in Politics and History from the University in 1969. She also received an Honorary Doctorate of the University in 1997 for her public life and political achievements.
She is one of The Labour Party’s most experienced politicians, beginning her political career as MP for Bolton West in 1974, serving more recently as MP for Dewsbury.
She has held many senior positions both in government and opposition, including Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. She became Leader of the House of Commons in 1997 before being appointed Government Chief Whip.
She was Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee from 2001-2005. She has since served as a Government Minister in the House of Lords, as Minister for Defence Equipment and Support and Minister for International Defence and Security. She has also served as a Representative on the Council of Europe and the Western European Union. She became a Life Peer in 2005.
She is Chair of the following: Governance and Nominations, Remunerations, Ethics Committee, Investment Committee; and a member of Honorary Degrees Committee.
Executive Team
Vice-Chancellor
Professor Shirley Congdon
Vice-Chancellor
"Shirley’s priority is to engender a vibrant culture for staff and students reinforcing the University’s commitment to excellence in teaching & learning, research, knowledge exchange and equality, diversity and inclusion.
Having lived and worked in the Bradford City Region for ten years she is committed to positioning the University at the centre of the region’s social and economic regeneration."
Shirley is responsible for the leadership and management of the University of Bradford, leading the development of its values and strategy. Shirley is the eighth Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford and is the first woman to hold the role. Shirley has significant experience of working in higher education championing the quality of the student experience, widening participation, engagement with business and communities and advancing the quality of research and innovation.
Originally qualifying as a Registered Nurse, Shirley’s professional and academic expertise lies within the area of health and social care, service modernisation and cultural change, research methods and evidence-based practice. She has a strong track record in all aspects of university leadership, having worked within the field of higher education for 25 years and held senior roles in three different universities.
Shirley is committed to value led leadership, equality, diversity and inclusion, increasing social inclusion and mobility through widening participation in higher education; opening up opportunities and unlocking potential for people of all backgrounds.
A tireless ambassador for students, she is committed to ensuring that they get the best possible education and support that leads to a rewarding career after they graduate. Her number one priority is to place the student experience at the heart of all aspects of University activities.
Shirley is the Executive Board champion for Religion/Belief issues.
Contact details
Helen Hague
Senior Executive Services Support Manager/Executive Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor (external).
Michelle Kenyon
Executive Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor (internal)
Deputy Vice-Chancellors
Professor John Bridgeman
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation and Engagement)
John Bridgeman joined the University as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Transfer in October 2017, becoming Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation and Engagement) in November 2020.
John studied Civil Engineering at the University of Birmingham and completed an MSc and PhD in Water Science and Engineering at Cranfield University. He worked in the water industry for 15 years before returning to the University of Birmingham as a Senior Lecturer in 2005. He was promoted to Reader in 2011 and Professor of Environmental Engineering in 2013. During his time at Birmingham, John was, at various times, Head of Civil Engineering, Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer for the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences and, latterly, Director of Internationalisation for the College.
John is the Executive Board champion for Disability issues.
Contact details
Jackie Hall
Executive Assistant to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation and Engagement)
Professor Zahir Irani
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic, Innovation and Quality)
Professor Zahir Irani is a Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic, Innovation and Quality) and previously Pro-Vice Chancellor and has also been the Dean of the Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences, University of Bradford.
He studied Manufacturing Engineering and then working as a Project Engineer before then doing a PhD in Investment Decision Making at Brunel University London (UK). He started his academic career in a Department of Computer Science at Brunel University. Five years later securing his Chair followed by becoming Head of Department, where he championed industry-academia partnerships. His research interests at that time explored investment decision making in Engineering organisations, expanding to focus on Public Sector Investment Decision Making as local and central Governments started to invest in their eGovernment infrastructures. Much of his work at that time is now considered normative, where it also attracted funding from UK research councils, Qatar Foundation NPRP-6, 7 and 8), industry and from the EU as part of the FP 6-7 and H2020. A move into the Business School saw his research interest broaden, along with changes in his methodological approaches to include techniques such as Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) which is an AI based technique. He remains research active, graduating 31 PhD students and has a H-index of 83.
His interdisciplinary background has allowed him to publish across Engineering, Information Systems, Operational Research and Business-related journals. His professional development has seen him complete his leadership and financial management training at Harvard Business School and University of Cambridge respectively. Having completed a 7-year tenure as Head of a Business School where he won the Times Higher Education (THE) Business School of the Year award, he accepted an invitation to work in Government, where he was seconded to Whitehall to become a Senior Policy Advisor in the Cabinet Office during the UK coalition Government. On completion, he returned to academia, to become the Founding Dean of the newly established College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences at Brunel University London. Later headed to the University of Bradford where, as the Dean of Faculty (Management and Law) he led the merger with the Faculty of Social Sciences. He is an active proponent of the Civic University and is the chief architect of the 5-year Bradford District Council Economic Recovery Plan that was developed in response to Covid and through the Bradford Council Economic Recovery Board where Professor Irani was Chair.
Zahir is the Executive Board champion for Age issues.
Zahir Irani Tweets: @ZahirIrani1
Contact details
Sabina Adam
Executive Assistant to the Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic, Innovation & Quality)
Pro-Vice-Chancellor
Professor Udy Archibong MBE
Pro Vice-Chancellor Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Uduak Archibong is the Pro Vice Chancellor [Equality, Diversity and Inclusion], directs the Centre for Inclusion and Diversity and provides strategic oversight for equality, diversity and inclusion [EDI] across the institution. She obtained a BSc (First Class) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria in 1990, a PhD from Hull University in 1995 and promoted to Professor of Diversity with a cross-disciplinary and institutional portfolio in 2004. She is a Fellow of the West African College of Nursing and a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing.
Recognised as a foremost authority with a sustained, distinguished presence in the field of diversity management, she is currently leading in setting agenda to drive research, learning and knowledge exchange activities internationally and has published extensively on inclusion and diversity. Informed by over 30 years’ experience of working in the health and higher education sectors, her academic and professional work has major impacts locally, nationally and globally. Key among these impacts is that the body of her research work has provided the evidence base for, and a robust understanding of, the development and application of cultural solutions and diversity interventions in public, private and third sector organisations.
She is at the forefront of transforming organisational culture for sustainable diversity and inclusion approaches. Her research has provided a unique international definition of positive action and application for representational and participative diversity. She led to completion a major multi-million European Commission funded gender equality research project, GENOVATE, across 7 European Universities and led the EDI elements of a multi-million European Horizon 2020 project, RRING, in collaboration with 20 international partners. Her research projects - Disrupting the disproportional disciplinary proceedings in the UK NHS and Cracking the concrete ceiling for the advancement of UK BME Academic staff have made a major contribution to shaping the agenda on race equality, and informed global debates on systemic racism and other forms of structural inequality.
A multi-award winner, Uduak has been honoured as one of the top 100 Nigerians in the UK to receive a Centenary Award, one of the top 50 Inspirational Women in Healthcare in the UK, a Distinguished Nurse Leader in 21st century in Nigeria, and one of the 70 most outstanding Nigerians in the UK Health Sector. She featured in Northern Power Women Power List, 2019 and Phenomenal Women - Portraits of UK Black Women Professors in 2020. She was listed in the Black WHO'S WHO in the Millennium.
She was listed in the New Year Honours list 2015 and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to higher education and equality.
Uduak Archibong Tweets: @Uduakarchibong1
Deans
Professor Karen Stansfield
Dean of the Faculty of Health Studies
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Professor Karen Stansfield is a nurse and health visitor with extensive senior management, strategic leadership and quality assurance experience in the health, social care and justice sector. Karen was Associate Dean, Enterprise and Engagement, in the School of Health and Society at the University of Salford and Director of the Health and Social Care Academy in Salford Professional Development.
Before joining the University of Salford Karen held a national role as Head of Education and Quality at the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV).
Karen has worked in industry, with Mott MacDonald, as Deputy Director of Reviews for the Nursing and Midwifery Council Quality Assurance framework. She previously worked as Head of Nursing, Radiography and Health Care Practice at the University of Derby and Head of Nursing and Midwifery at Sheffield Hallam University.
Karen has extensive experience in undertaking curriculum development and has led on apprenticeships, enterprise, and international and business development in the areas of health, social care and policing.
Karen completed a doctorate in business administration and developed a leadership development model that was adopted by the iHV. She invented the Leadership educational game and commercialised this with Focus Games and the iHV. She is actively involved in research in leadership and publishes in this area.
Professor Alastair Goldman
Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences
Joining the University of Bradford in July 2017, Professor Alastair Goldman is the Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences. With a first degree in Genetics at Queen Mary College he became a research assistant at East Birmingham Hospital and undertook his PhD research in the Regional Cytogenetics and DNA Diagnostic Laboratory.
He later joined the National Cancer Institute in the National Institutes of Health, USA, followed by 4 years as a postdoc. He then took up a lectureship in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at The University of Sheffield, teaching clinical and molecular genetics and continuing research with an emphasis on genetic influences on repair of broken DNA during meiosis.
In 2012 he became head of the department in Sheffield where he oversaw the growth of the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, increasing student numbers and research income.
Professor Goldman has been published in many high-ranking journals, including The Lancet, Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), Nucleic Acids Research, PLoS Genetics, PLoS Computer Biology and Molecular Cell.
His research interests are centred on the meiotic cell division, which is essential for fertility of sexually reproducing organisms. The main scope of his work includes chromosome organisation, chromosome segregation and DNA double-strand break repair. These fundamental aspects of cell biology are central to understanding the Eukaryotic life cycle, improving crop species through breeding programmes and human health; as their function is critical to the avoidance of cancer and ageing.
Professor Goldman is an Executive Board champion for Race Equality.
Professor Martin Priest
Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics
Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE, UK), Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IoM3, UK), Fellow of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE, USA) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA, UK). Martin is an experienced academic leader and practitioner, and an expert in the multidisciplinary field of tribology (study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication and wear). Prior to joining the University of Bradford in 2015 he held the Jost Chair of Engineering Tribology at the University of Leeds (UK), where he was based from 1987, and before that he worked for British Gas Research and Development (London, UK).
Martin is the Dean of a Faculty comprising the engineering disciplines, computer science and media design and technology (technological aspects of the media industry). To enable and incentivise interdisciplinary working, which is core to the future success all the specialist subjects in the Faculty, he conceived and led a fundamental restructure of the Faculty. Formal schools were removed and replaced with a much more flexible and agile discipline group structure, with leadership and management focussed at the Faculty level. The Faculty is now committed to deliver the multidisciplinary technology solutions required in the 21st Century and the people with the skills to lead such innovations. Students develop clear discipline depth but also breadth through extensive collaboration with students in other disciplines, as a formal part of their programme. Research also nurtures core discipline strengths but flexibly reorganises over time into multidisciplinary teams in response to external drivers. Faculty members across the disciplines worked very effectively together to secure the award of an Athena SWAN Bronze Award (Advance HE, UK, framework to support and transform gender equality within higher education) in 2021 at the first attempt.
As an academic practitioner Martin has an established international track record and a long history of successful collaboration with UK and international industry. He is very proud to have been awarded the 2015 Tribology Silver Medal by the Tribology Trust (IMechE, UK). The award citation read “In recognition of his outstanding contribution to tribology especially in the area of transference of tribology facility research to practical applications”. He is Associate Editor of the academic journals Tribology Transactions (STLE, USA, Taylor & Francis) and the Journal of Engineering Tribology (IMechE, UK, SAGE). Martin highly values interaction with students and still maintains a role as a lecturer, tutor and supervisor for engineering students in the Faculty alongside his duties as Dean.
Martin is the Executive Board champion for Marriage and Civil Partnership issues.
Professor Amir Sharif
Dean of the Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences
Amir M. Sharif is the Dean of the Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences and Professor of Circular Economy. Before joining the University of Bradford in 2017 as Associate Dean (International and Accreditations), Amir held several senior academic leadership positions including as Head of Brunel Business School, Associate Head, Director of MBA Programmes, and Director of Learning and Teaching (at Brunel University London).
Prior to academia, Amir worked for several years as an industry practitioner in the financial services and professional services sector including for JPMorgan, UBS Investment Bank and KPMG, gaining deep experience across technology, manufacturing and the public sector as a result. Starting his academic career as a researcher within the field of artificial intelligence, Amir rapidly developed his research interests to apply his knowledge to addressing complex societal challenges in the areas of food security, circular economy, healthcare, operations / supply chain management, decision-making and humanitarian logistics. His specific area of interest is in the application of systems thinking, causal and cognitive models to explore human decision-making behaviours in complex environments.
View full profile of Professor Amir Sharif »
Contact details
Email: a.m.sharif@bradford.ac.ukPA: Sarah Dunne
Email: s.dunne5@bradford.ac.ukTel: 01274232332
Directors of Professional Services Directorates
Paul Watson
Director of Learning, Teaching, and Quality Enhancement
Paul joined the University in November 2017. He has overseen the creation of the Directorate of Learning, Teaching & Quality Enhancement which brought together the previously dispersed functions of educational development and quality assurance. His team provides support to Faculties in all aspects of programme design, delivery, and enhancement including the operation of the new Bradford:Fellowships scheme recently accredited by Advance HE.
Before joining Bradford, Paul was the Associate Dean for Learning & Teaching in the Faculty of Design, Arts and Humanities at Teesside University, and before that Head of their English Studies Department. His research interests focused on the issues of popular culture and the politics of representation and he is widely published in the area of music video, cinema, and gendered identity.
Paul is an Executive Board champion for Gender Equality.
Mrs Joanne Marshall
Director of People and Campus Services
Joanne Marshall was appointed as Director of People and Campus Services at the University of Bradford in December 2013. She oversees the University’s Human Resources, Organisational Development, Health, Safety and Wellbeing and Campus Services. She is passionate about people and providing high quality and innovative professional leadership, to help drive delivery of the University's mission, objectives and business plan.
During her time at the University of Bradford, Joanne has successfully implemented large scale transformation, bringing over 9 million in efficiency savings and a new people strategy, supporting the universities Vision and Strategy for the future.
Joanne and her team were finalists in 2015, 2017 and 2019 for the HR Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) awards for Team of the Year. In 2015 Joanne and her team won the University Human Resources (UHR) Team of the Year awards for Transformation.
Previously the Director of Organisational Culture Development at NHS England she developed and lead on a number of OD programmes aimed at creating and supporting a new culture in order to sustain the achievement of the national priorities and objectives of NHS England.
In 2009, Joanne was awarded NHS HR Director of the year Award for role model/contribution to the profession and in 2015 she was awarded European HRD of the year (not for profit) by her peers in HRO Today Magazine and in 2019 she was shortlisted for HRD of the year.
Joanne is also currently the Chair for Universities Human Resources (UHR) and a Trustee of Healthcare People Management Association (HPMA), and Vice-Chair of the ECC AQA Committee.
Joanne is the Executive Board champion for Pregnancy and Maternity issues.
Contact details
Katrina Jennings
Executive Assistant to the Director of People and Campus Services
Nikki Pierce
Academic Registrar (Director of Student and Academic Services)
Nikki joined the University in 2014, and is responsible for Registry and Student Administration, Student Services, Library and IT Services. She is the University’s Authorising Officer for the University’s Student Sponsor Licence with the UKVI, and is the University’s Designated Safeguarding Lead and Prevent Lead. She also leads the University’s Access and Participation work, supporting the delivery of the University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. Nikki is a member of the Academic Registrars Council. She Chairs the Student Loan Company Stakeholder Operations Group, and is a member of the SLC Stakeholder Forum. Nikki is passionate about the role of Higher Education in making a difference to society and transforming the lives of individuals.
Nikki has spent over 15 years working in Higher Education administration and management. Prior to joining the University, she was Chief Operating Officer in the Faculty of Arts, Environment and Technology at Leeds Beckett University, where she led a team of over 100 student support and professional services staff, as well as undertaking cross-institutional projects in regulatory and process review and continuous improvement. Before moving to Leeds, Nikki held a number of roles in Higher Education Institutions in London, including Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Imperial College London, the Institute of Education, University College London and King’s College London.
Nikki completed a first degree and an MPhil in Social Anthropology at Swansea University and holds an MBA in Higher Education Management from the University of London.
Nikki is an Executive Board champion for Race Equality.
Mr Stuart McKinnon-Evans
Chief Finance Officer
Stuart joined the University as Chief Finance Officer in February 2018.
He has over 30 years' experience in public sector financial management, 15 of which at Board level. His sectoral experience includes local and central government, further and higher education, health, charities, and capital markets. He has worked in line and consultancy roles, predominantly in large and complex organisations. He was Finance Director for The Pension, Disability and Carers Service for 4 years, and was Director of Corporate Services and statutory Finance Officer at Bradford Council for 6 years prior to joining the University. He was a management consultant with Deloitte, which included 9 months in Russia. He was also the Treasurer for 8 years of ADD International, a charity specialising in supporting people with disabilities, and is currently a Director of The Bradford Culture Company.
Qualified with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, his core specialism is not-for-profit financial strategy and management. In addition, he has been responsible for corporate services including procurement, IT, legal, property, HR, planning and organisation performance, tax collection, insurance and assurance, as well as commercial services. In the last 15 years, his focus has been cost reduction, and helping organisations reshape to remain effective and sustainable.
In his earlier career, he taught English as a foreign language at the Humboldt University in Berlin, and worked as a translator. He graduated in Modern Languages here at Bradford in 1983, and has an MPhil in European Studies. Outside work he enjoys jazz, cycling, Northern hills, and playing in a ukulele band, but not usually all at the same time.
Stuart is the Executive Board champion for LGBT+ issues.
Contact details
Michelle Kenyon
Executive Assistant to the Chief Finance Officer
University Secretary
Riley Power
University Secretary
Riley joined the University as University Secretary in 2019.
Riley is a highly experienced corporate governance professional with an extensive background in UK higher education governance, policy development and public and administrative law.
Riley was previously the Head of Governance at Glasgow Caledonian University, leading the delivery of effective and comprehensive governance support for the University and its governing body. Prior to this, Riley worked with Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, supporting the governing body through the delivery of effective governance support and advice.
Before moving to the UK from Australia in 2012, Riley was a senior lawyer with the Australian Tax Practitioners Board and was an auditor for the Australian Taxation Office.
Riley is the Executive Board champion for Neuro Diversity issues.