Management
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.
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.
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.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Professor Zahir Irani
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic, Innovation and Quality)
Professor Zahir Irani is a Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic, Innovation and Quality) and previously the Dean of the Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences, University of Bradford.
He studied Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Salford (UK) and then working as a Project Engineer before then doing a PhD in Production Economics at Brunel University (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, industry and from the EU as part of the FP 6-7 and H2020. A move to lead a 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.
His interdisciplinary background has allowed him to publish across Engineering, Information Systems, Operational Research and Business-related journals. This research attracted funding from the Australian Research Council and Qatar Foundation (NPRP-6, 7 and 8). 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 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 lead the merger with the Faculty of Social Sciences. He recently assumed the interim role of Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic, Innovation and Quality).
He remains research active, graduating 30 PhD students and with a H-index of 75. His research interests have more recently focused on Food Security, with current work funding through the British Academy of Management and the Qatar Foundation (NPRP-10). His research on Food Security has clear demonstration of impact and has featured in the Conversation and Geographical with interviews and commentary in the Doha News, Penninsula and with CNN.Com. His research has informed Government Policy in Qatar and will be written as an Impact Case Study for the REF.
Pro-Vice-Chancellors
Professor Udy Archibong MBE
Pro Vice-Chancellor Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Uduak Archibong is Professor of Diversity at the University of Bradford, UK, where she directs the Centre for Inclusion and Diversity and provides strategic oversight for equality and diversity across the institution.
She obtained a BSc (First Class) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria in 1990 and a PhD from Hull University in 1995. She is Visiting Professor at several international universities, a Fellow of the West African College of Nursing and a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing. She is a member of the Chartered Management Institute.
Uduak is recognised as a thought leader in inclusion and diversity and currently leading in setting agenda to drive research, learning and knowledge exchange activities internationally. She has a sustained, distinguished presence in the field of diversity management and much of her work has focused on inclusive workplaces, representative diversity, diversity-competent leadership in public, private and third sector organisations.
Informed by over 25 years' experience of working in the higher education sector, Uduak’s 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 a robust understanding of the challenges of applying diversity interventions in enhancing workforce diversity and inclusive service delivery.
Her research has provided a clear international definition of positive action and application for representational and participative diversity. She is currently leading a major multi-million European Commission funded action research project, GENOVATE, across 7 European Universities.
Uduak has published extensively on inclusion and diversity. She is on the editorial board of a number of academic journals and the Guest Editor of a recently published Special Issue of the Journal of Psychological Issues in Organisational Culture entitled 'Reframing Diversity Interventions in Austere Times'.
Uduak 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.
Paul Watson
Pro Vice-Chancellor for Learning, Teaching and Student Experience
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.
Professor Chris Gaffney
Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research
Professor Chris Gaffney has been appointed to the role of Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research.
In his new role, Professor Gaffney will lead the University’s research and innovation strategy to deliver internationally leading, interdisciplinary research and innovation that will shape and benefit future societies.
Professor of Archaeological Science and an archaeological geophysicist, Professor Gaffney has established a strong track record in research and led the internationally renowned archaeological prospection group at the School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences. His work includes the development of technologies and techniques to obtain and use geophysical data to better understand the life and culture of ancient peoples.
With his significant research achievements, he is an ambassador for research at the University of Bradford and a key contributor to our global reputation for research impact. Chris will work to enhance the reputation of our research and further develop our research environment.
Professor Gaffney said: "I am delighted to be able to help shape the post-REF research agenda at Bradford. I know from experience that the University of Bradford has a wealth of talent that contributes to a vibrant research environment, and I look forward to working with the team to enhance the opportunities for research across the institution and to promote the work to a widest possible audience."
Deans
Professor Karen Stansfield
Dean of the Faculty of Health Studies
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.
Directors of Professional Services Directorates
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.
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.
Cathy Lambert
Interim Academic Registrar
Cathy joined the University in December 2021 as Interim Academic Registrar and is responsible for Registry and Student Administration. She is the University’s lead contact for the Office of the Independent Adjudicator. Cathy is a member of the Academic Registrars Council having served as both Chair in 2018/19 and 2019/20. Cathy is passionate about seeing things from a student perspective and about the professionalism of staff.
Cathy has worked in the University sector for nearly 30 years. Prior to joining the University, she was Director of Planning and Academic Administration at Canterbury Christ Church University where she was the strategic lead for all aspects of planning and academic administration. She led cross-institutional projects which included the streamlining of administrative processes for students and staff, enhancements to registration and timetabling, and the implementation of a new student records system for admissions. Before moving to Canterbury, Cathy was Director of Student and Academic Services at Edinburgh Napier University, where she led student-facing services from initial enquiry through to graduation and beyond. Prior to that she was at Oxford Brookes University, where she provided leadership to the Strategic Planning Group covering planning, market research, recruitment, widening participation, partnerships and reception services.
Cathy completed a first degree at the University of Bristol and holds an MSc in Management from Edinburgh Napier. Cathy is an Executive Board champion for Race Equality.
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.