Helen, has extensive experience in financial services, particularly focused on remuneration design, regulation and human resources. Helen was formally a Partner at Deloitte and her previous executive career including Head of Europe for McLagan (part of AON), Global Head of Reward for Standard Bank, and human resources roles as Fidelity Investments.

Helen currently serves as a Non – executive Director and Remuneration Committee chair at Funding Circle PLC and Picton PLC. Helen is also an independent member of the British Olympic Association Remuneration Committee.

As a Trustee of the University of Bedfordshire, Michael is on committees covering Academic Quality and Student Experience, and Governance. He is also on the board of Croydon College and the Finance board of the Royal College of Physicians, and is Vice Chair of Halcyon school in London.

Before joining UoB, Michael completed 8 years on the board of London South Bank University, where he became Chair of the Finance and Resources committee and Vice Chair of LSBU. During this time, the university took over Lambeth Further Education College and became the LSBU group.

Michael’s previous business career was mostly in marketing. He was Marketing Director of a number of national consumer-facing organisations, such as The AA, Saga, and the charity Age UK.

He has an MBA from the INSEAD school in Fontainebleau, France, and an MA in History and Economics from Oxford University. From 2024/25, he is studying for the Diploma in Charity Finance at Bayes business school.

Mohit Dhingra is an Independent Governor and a member of the Audit and Compliance Committee.

Mohit has extensive experience in the Insurance and Asset Management industry. He has held a number of Audit and Risk roles in global organisations, building high performing teams and improving Risk & Control Governance interfacing with Boards and C-level Execs.

Currently, he is the Chief Internal Auditor for Aegon UK, working with the Board and Executive Management to ensure there is adequate governance to support the Company’s strategy. Prior to this, he was the Head of Audit for Unum’s UK & European businesses. He also worked for RSA Insurance in a number of Risk and Audit Roles, including the Risk Director for RSA’s UK & International businesses and Head of Audit for the Group Corporate Centre, Ireland & Middle East. Mohit previously held senior Internal Audit roles for Insurance Australia Group covering Lloyds Market syndicates, and Prudential Plc where he worked both in UK and Asia. He started his career with KPMG India, where he trained as a Chartered Accountant.

Mohit is also a Governor and Deputy Chair of the Audit Committee at Staffordshire University, has been a 30% Club Mentor, and is passionate about making a positive impact on people’s careers. Mohit is married, lives in South-West London and loves travelling and meeting people from different backgrounds and cultures. He enjoys running to stay active and maintain his resilience.

Richard Exact is an Independent Governor, the Chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee and a member of the Remuneration Committee. In 2021, Richard became the Chair of Audit Committee at the University of Bedfordshire. Currently, he is the Chief Financial Officer of a vertical farming company.

Prior to this Richard was Deputy CFO at Ocado Group plc. He led the development of the finance and risk functions for this rapidly growing business for over 20 years. This included implementing a wide range of financial controls and governance structures as Ocado grew from start up to one the UK's leading technology companies

Richard is a qualified accountant with experience of finance and governance in three other FTSE 100 companies and is also a trustee of a Hertfordshire based charity. Through his diverse roles, Richard has demonstrated a strong track record in financial management and strategic leadership.

Garry Forsyth Kings Police Medal is an Independent Governor and a member of the Resources and Employment Committee.

Garry served as the Chief Constable of Bedfordshire from 2019 till his retirement in 2023. He was the Deputy Chief Constable in Bedfordshire for 2 years before becoming Chief and has served in senior roles in 6 different Forces across the UK including Leicestershire the West Midlands and Metropolitan Police.

In addition to his role as Chief Constable, Garry was the National Police Chiefs Council lead for Race, Religion and Belief, a member of the Diversity Equality Inclusion Co-ordination Committee and the Counter Terrorism Co-ordination Committee and also the Lead Chief Constable for the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit.

Garry was awarded the Kings Police Medal for Distinguished Service to Policing in the Kings Birthday Honours List in 2023.

Garry is married with 3 children and 2 dogs.

Dr Ali Hadawi is and Independent Governor and a member of the Academic Quality & Student Experience Committee.

Ali is an organisational leadership and management expert. Ali’s extensive leadership and management expertise in education institutions spans almost 30 years. Ali’s leadership interests are focussed on organisational culture and the impact of institutions on local communities.

Until the end of 2022, Ali was the Principal and Chief Executive of Central Bedfordshire College. He was appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in January 2011 for his services to the Further Education sector in the UK and the Technical Education Sector in Iraq.

At Central Bedfordshire College, Ali’s work had also been recognised when OFSTED judged the College to be good with exemplary leadership, this was the best ever outcome for the College since it was created in the 1950s. The College had also been successful in attracting government capital funding and had managed over £26m in capital investments over the years 2015-2018.

Ali is also a founding member and the Vice Chairman of “Rawabit Steering Group”. Rawabit is a UK- Iraq strategic partnership that has been engaging with the Iraqi Vocational and the Higher Education sector since early 2004. The focus of the work is capacity building within the sector in Iraq to help it meet the challenges of the new Iraq. Ali led the successful bidding and subsequent implementation for the vocational strand of a three year EU funded project, which was managed by the British Council. Over 600 Iraqi leaders and senior managers have participated in this programme. The programme was dubbed the most successful British led education initiative in Iraq in the last two decades.

Ali is a founding trustee of the Iraqi Institute for Economic Reform (IIER) which is an independent research institute based in the UK and Baghdad/Iraq. Its mission is to assist Iraq in its transition to a modern market economy by promoting reform based on sound research and case studies. Ali is a Chartered Manager, a fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

Simon James is an Independent Governor.

Councillor Aslam Khan is an Independent Governor and a member of the Audit and Compliance Committee.

Aslam is a family man father of 6 children, born in Kashmir, lived in Luton since 1981, he has been through the local education system in Luton including Bedfordshire University known at the time as Luton Polytechnic. He started his employment in the construction industry, due to the recession moved on to the telecommunication industry, finally finding his ideal career in the pharmaceutical industry. During his 24-year career in Pharmaceuticals, he worked in sales, marketing, and public relations. he had the privilege of working for 3 out of the top 5 global pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Roche and GSK. As a passionate lutonian, he has the desire and commitment to bring about change and make a positive impact to lives of the residents of Luton. He was elected Labour Councillor for 13 years, Deputy Leader for Luton Borough Council for 3 years with multiple cabinet portfolios. In his tenure as a Councillor, he led on Innovative Projects such Social Prescription, Death and Burial Service, and Sports Initiatives that became local and national best practice. Being the Lead for Education and Skills as well as a Governor for Bedfordshire university has allowed him to maintain and improve education standards, develop pathways to employment, raise the aspiration of our young people, empowering them to acquire knowledge and learn necessary skills to benefit from local employment opportunities. He took an early retirement from his day job and is now a conservative councillor poets’ word.

Ian McKetty is an Independent Governor.

With a distinguished career spanning over two decades, I am a seasoned Senior Civil Servant who has dedicated my expertise to the analysis and implementation of some of the UK’s most significant policies. My journey has taken me through the halls of HM Treasury, the Department of Work and Pensions, and the Department for Transport, leading to my current role at the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology.

As the lead analyst for International Research and Space analysis, I have been instrumental in pivotal decisions, including the UK’s strategic move to rejoin Horizon Europe, the world’s largest R&D programme. My tenure has been marked by key contributions to regulatory reform post-EU Exit, managing the continuity of critical goods and services during Brexit negotiations, and orchestrating the repatriation of British citizens amid the unfortunate collapses of Monarch and Thomas Cook.

I hold a BSc and an MSc in Economics from University of Nottingham and University of Warwick, respectively. A proud resident of Luton for nearly 30 years, my roots in the community run deep, fostering strong connections and a commitment to local development.

Dr Mohammad Alramahi is the Teaching Nominee of Academic Board and a member of the Academic Quality & Student Experience Committee.

Dr Alramahi is a Principal Lecturer in Law at the University of Bedfordshire. He holds a PhD from the University of Manchester.

Formerly, he worked as Director of the Energy and Sustainability Law Center (CESL) at Qatar University and at a number of law schools such as Greenwich and Hull.

He is the Portfolio Leader for all Postgraduate Law Programmes at Bedfordshire. Dr Alramahi has been active in the oil and gas industry for several years and is regarded as a leading international expert on issues pertaining to upstream oil and gas agreements negotiation and drafting technique. His experience in this area, both academic and practical, is extensive.

Dr Alramahi has practical experience in over 30 jurisdictions worldwide including public and private sectors.

Safina has worked at the University of Bedfordshire for over 19 years developing her career throughout various roles within the University. Safina graduated from the University of Bedfordshire in 2022 following the completion of an MBA through an apprenticeship route. Safina is a keen advocate for continuous professional development for all staff.

Safina provides a wealth of knowledge and experience and understanding of university policy and practice to inform decision making.

Safina has 10 years previous governing experience through my work as a community governor for local schools and is able to both make difficult decisions and be a critical friend.

Having worked in the field of Safety and Risk for over 20 years, my current role is Head of Health and Safety at the University. Within this role I design the strategy for managing risk at the university at all levels from operational practices to legal compliance. This includes undertaking audits, delivering face to face training, writing and preparing policy and supporting our areas with risk assessment and operational controls.

I'm a Law with Criminology graduate and currently serve as the Co-President of BEDSSU. In my so far role, I have honed essential skills such as leadership, strategic planning, and effective communication, which are vital for fostering a supportive and dynamic student community. I am committed to further expanding my expertise and skills, particularly in areas such as organizational management and public speaking, to better serve and inspire others. My goal is to continue learning and growing, both personally and professionally, to make a meaningful impact in my field and community.

Chidera McEphraim Umeh is a dedicated professional and leader, currently serving as co-President and formerly co-Vice President of the Beds SU. He has a strong passion for construction, sports, politics, and agriculture. In his leisure time, Chidera enjoys playing and watching football, dancing, board games and traveling.

As the CEO of Current Company and Associate Nigeria Limited, Chidera leads a small-scale enterprise focused on building construction and the sale of building materials. The company employs 27 staff members and has successfully completed 14 building projects and 7 ongoing projects.

Chidera holds a degree in Construction Management and has volunteered as a guest teacher in various colleges in Nigeria. He is married to an amazing woman, who supports his personal and professional endeavours.

Stephen Wells has worked as a Director of Estates in the Higher Education (HE) sector for over sixteen years in a variety of different Universities. Currently Stephen is the Director of Estates and Facilities at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich. Stephen is a chartered member of the Institute of Building, with a degree in Project Management for construction and an MBA. Prior to working in the HE sector Stephen held similar roles within the NHS.

Stephen holds a number of non-executive roles, external governor at PETROC, a further education provider in mid and north Devon and is also a co-opted member of the resources and employability committee at the University of Bedfordshire. Stephen has also just finished his term as past Chair of the Association of University of Directors of Estates (AUDE); and continues to lead the special interest group for AUDE on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), AUDE is the representative body for higher education estates and facilities management (FM) in the UK.