University Council

Anne was a senior civil servant until 2020. The majority of her career was in the Department for Education where she held a range of posts, many of which involved support for disadvantaged learners. Her final role there was as Director of Further Education.

Before joining the civil service, she was an officer in the Royal Air Force serving in Hong Kong and at RAF Cranwell.

Anne also holds roles as Chair of Governors at The Sandwell Colleges, a large further education and sixth form provider, and lead education trustee for a national charity, NACRO.

With a first degree in English Language and Literature, a masters in business and management research and a PhD in social accounting, Mary is a Fellow of Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA). Most recently former of Director of Learning at the Royal Society of Medicine, previously Director of Learning for ACCA Global. With industry experience herself as a leader in education, technology, manufacturing and utility businesses. Professionally qualified in both marketing and accounting, she has also held senior university leadership roles and is an author of over 15 books including the first edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Accounting.

Mary currently holds a portfolio of roles including NEDs and national UK regulatory positions and leads a commercial and education consultancy focusing particularly on developing innovative digital teaching and learning models, governance and risk management and regulatory compliance. Drawing on these themes, she has written for both UK national consultations and think tanks on the need to develop a more flexible approach to education delivery and credentialing.

She served a 4 year term as a Commissioner on the UK all party thinktank, the Higher Education Commission, is currently a Royal Trust Queen Elizabeth Prizes Higher Education Panellist and is Deputy Chair of both Arden University and the British Accreditation Council. With contributions to parliamentary research, academic journals/books and conferences, and women in accountancy initiatives over the past 25 years, in 2016 she was awarded honorary Chartered Accountancy status for her contribution to global accountancy education.

Douglas is the former President of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) an organisation with members and affiliates in 45 countries of the European Higher Education Area.

He is a former Chief Executive of the UK’s independent Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and held Executive roles at the Agency for 20 years.

In 40 years of working in higher education, he has championed the role that students can play in assuring and improving the quality and shaping the governance of their institutions.

Douglas holds a number of non-executive director roles in education and regulation including being a member of the Boards of the University of Law, the British University in Egypt, the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications, Qualifications Wales, and Cilex Legal Regulation, and is an Advisory Board member of both Future Learn and the Lifelong Education Institute.

In recognition of his services to higher education he has been was awarded Honorary Doctorates in Education from Robert Gordon University (2023) and the University of Buckingham (2025).

Alison’s 20-year career spans Whitehall, government agencies and several universities. She was most recently Head of External Affairs at the National Lottery Community Fund. Alison’s expertise includes sustainable growth, strategic communications and social impact.

She is also Chair of the Leicestershire Rural Housing Association; and acts as a disability adviser to organisations in various sectors, drawing on her lived experience.

Alison has an MBA from The Open University, is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and is studying for a Masters in Systems Thinking.

Academic credentials: BA, PhD University of Durham, BD University of Edinburgh.

Ordained 1991.

Current role: Bishop of Grantham and Acting Bishop of Lincoln. Involves trustee responsibilities for £160 million diocesan assets, annual turnover of £11 million, pastoral care for clergy, lay ministers and diocesan staff - 150 paid, many more volunteers. Legally an office holder. Second largest diocese in the country in geographical terms. Serving over a million people. 140 church schools - also trustee of Diocesan Board of Education. Appointed to role in 2015. Previously served as parish priest, diocesan training officer - in-service training for clergy plus recruitment responsibilities.

Julia Chippendale is Director, Funding and Partnerships at the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) the employer led skills, standards and qualifications body for the development of the engineering construction workforce of Great Britain. She has spent the majority of her career in the skills sector, holding senior positions in Sector Skills Councils, Awarding Organisations, Independent Training Organisations and outsourcers.

She spent 5 years at Capita in a variety of Director level growth focussed roles and has been Head of Business Development at We Are Group, a leading tech for good business that secures government and private sector funding to provide training, advice, and guidance enabling people to live better lives.

Before this, she was Group Development Director at learndirect and Managing Director of the qualifications awarding body, EAL Awards, which offers engineering, manufacturing and building services qualifications.

She is passionate about equipping individuals with the skills they need to navigate their careers and improve their personal circumstances. She is an advocate for digital inclusion and believes everyone has the right to data, kit and the skills to live their lives in this digital age. She strives to ensure we can bridge the digital and educational poverty divide, ensuring no one is left behind.

Rebecca is the elected professional support staff representative for the University Council. Within her role at Lincoln Bishop as School and Colleges Programme Manager for LiNCHigher, Lincolnshire's OfS funded Uni Connect Project, Rebecca engages with schools, colleges and universities across Lincolnshire to widen participation of underrepresented learners into higher education.

Prior to this role, Rebecca spent 15 years working as a Careers Guidance Adviser and latterly within stakeholder engagement and participation with Lincolnshire County Council.

Professor Andrew Gower serves as Vice-Chancellor and CEO of the University, providing overall strategic leadership, overseeing academic and operational management, and representing the institution to its stakeholders. Andrew is responsible for setting the University’s vision in pursuance of its Mission: to serve the common good by advancing social and economic prosperity through excellence in teaching, research and knowledge exchange.

With a dual interest in music and management, Andrew’s career spans higher, further and adult education. He has held senior positions at Canterbury Christ Church University, East Kent College and as Principal and CEO of Morley College London, one of the UK’s oldest and largest Institutes of Adult Learning.

Since joining Lincoln Bishop University in April 2025, Andrew has led development of institutional strategy, pursing growth and impact as a confident, person-centred and forward-looking university offering a highly personalised and engaging student experience, on-campus, online, in the workplace and through partnership. As an advocate for lifelong learning, Andrew is committed to the positive difference Lincoln Bishop University makes in the lives of students and their communities, building on the University’s sector-leading reputation for widening participation with outstanding results.

Lori (Lorena) Hall is a Lecturer in Special Educational Needs, Disability and Inclusion at Lincoln Bishop University and an elected Academic Staff Representative on University Council. She has experience across higher education teaching, research, academic governance and ethics, teaching from undergraduate to postgraduate level and contributing to institutional ethics processes. She also brings broader governance experience through her role as a trustee of a learning disability charity, alongside extensive experience working with learning disability services, practitioners, commissioners, and community organisations.

Her research focuses on the lives and experiences of people with learning disabilities, with particular interests in inclusive and participatory research, belonging, relationships and epistemic justice. She has presented her research at national and international conferences and professional forums and is involved in developing research and practice networks, including the East Midlands Learning Disability Research Network. This work brings together her expertise in inclusion and co-production with experience of partnership working, community engagement and translating research into professional practice. Lori is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, holds an MA in Art and Social Practice and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, and is currently completing her PhD.

Professor Dr Marianne Howarth is Emeritus Professor of Modern Languages and former Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at Nottingham Trent University.

A Germanist by academic background, she studied at the universities of Hull, Vienna, Münster and Nottingham. She has taught at Coventry, Marburg, Brighton and Nottingham Trent universities, and was a Visiting Lecturer at Manchester Business School.

The author/co-author of several business German textbooks, her main research interests centre on Anglo-German relations, in particular on relations between Britain and the former German Democratic Republic. She has published widely in English and German on many aspects of this topic, including the campaign for recognition, the GDR presence in Britain, the early years of the diplomatic relationship and on partnerships between British and GDR towns and cities. Marianne was a founder member of the International Association of the Study of German Politics.

In addition to her academic interests and activities, Marianne has extensive experience in academic standards and quality management. She was Chair of Nottingham Trent’s Academic Standards and Quality Management Committee, an auditor/reviewer for QAA and QAA Scotland, and the international reviewer in teams appointed to accredit provision at institutions in Ireland and Germany. Marianne was also the first chair of QAA’s Subject Benchmark Statement for Languages and Related Studies.

The Very Revd Dr Simon Jones is the 85th Dean of Lincoln, installed on 14 September 2024.

Simon was educated at the College of St Hild and St Bede, Durham and Selwyn College, Cambridge. He trained for ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge and served his title at Tewkesbury (St Mary the Virgin) with Walton Cardiff and Twyning, in the Diocese of Gloucester. He was ordained priest in 2000. Simon was appointed Chaplain and Fellow of Merton College, Oxford in 2002. He is a consultant to the Church of England Liturgical Commission and chairs the steering committee of the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation.

Walter is a retired civil servant having worked in HM Passport Service project managing the development and delivery of the UK’s first-generation biometric passport and more latterly in the Dept for Culture Media and Sport as a Broadband UK Projects Director deploying superfast broadband across the UK.
His early career was in Civil Engineering with Anglian Water building major new treatment plants and pipelines then progressed to Business Change Programme Management and delivery of Business Change and IT projects.

He has over a 20 year period been:
• board member of Cambridgeshire Probation Service,
• board member of The Chartered Management Institute,
• pension scheme trustee for 2 significant pension funds,
• an independent member of East Lindsey District Council Audit and Governance Committee

He is currently a member of the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioners audit committee and an independent audit committee member with North East Lincolnshire County Council.

Rachel is an experienced strategic leader and governance professional with over twenty years’ experience across the higher education, charity, housing and faith sectors. She currently serves as Strategic Programme Manager for the Diocese of Lincoln, leading major transformation programmes, overseeing multi-million-pound funding initiatives and advising senior leaders and trustees on strategy, governance, risk and organisational development.

Rachel brings significant board and trustee experience, including her role as a Council Member of Lincoln Bishop University. She has also served as a trustee, governor and non-executive board member with organisations including South Yorkshire Housing Association, Irise International, Southwell Minster and Rotherham Rise. Through these roles she has contributed to strategic oversight, financial stewardship, audit and risk assurance, regulatory compliance and organisational sustainability.

Rachel holds an MA in Strategic Studies from the University of Leeds and a CIPD Level 5 Diploma in Human Resources Management. She brings to university governance a strong combination of strategic leadership, organisational change expertise and a commitment to supporting educational excellence and public benefit.

Alfred Morris began his career as a chartered accountant before becoming the Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sussex, where he led a study of the planning management and funding of universities around the world. He became special advisor to the House of Commons Select Committee on Science, Education and the Arts, and served on national bodies including the Council for National Academic Awards, the Higher Education Quality Council, the Further Education Funding Council and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.

Alfred has led four universities, including being the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West of England Bristol, and has served as a member of the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Today Alfred is chairman of an international consultancy firm specialising in mergers, acquisitions and joint venture initiation in the global higher education and professional education sectors.

For the last 20 years, Alfred has played a leading role in many local community and charitable organisations, including the Gloucestershire Community Foundation, Bristol Charities, and has been chair of Quartet Community Foundation. His particular interests lie in supporting healthcare (North Bristol NHS Trust and Bristol Drugs Project), the arts and cultural sectors (Bristol Old Vic and its Theatre School, The Matthew of Bristol Trust and South West Arts) and education (Clifton High School and City Academy Bristol as President, and as Honorary Fellow of the Royal West of England Academy).

Jaidip brings more than 40 years of senior leadership experience in industry. After serving as Chief Financial Officer, he became Vice President and Managing Director of a multinational corporation, with full responsibility for strategy, operations and financial performance.

Jaidip has a proven track record across the business lifecycle: launching and scaling startups, leading turnarounds of underperforming businesses, and managing rapid growth while keeping financial discipline. This combination of financial rigour and general-management experience makes him well placed to guide support stabilisation of and help manage growth of the University.

Elise is currently the Principal and Director of Education and Skills at Nacro.

Elise joined Nacro in 2022 from The Sheffield College, where she worked as Vice Principal for Quality, Teaching, Learning and Assessment for the past few years.

Elise joined Nacro with a wealth of experience and a passion for learning and learners that will help to further develop our offer and our quality to our learners.

Kate worked in the NHS for the vast majority of her working life in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire. All of her career was spent in the Human Resources function. She was Director of Human Resources in 4 NHS Trusts.

Kate gained an MA in Human Resource Management and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Kate also holds roles as the Chair of the Corporation Board of West Nottinghamshire FE College and a Trustee of Linkage Community Trust.

Kevin Walton is Canon Chancellor at Lincoln Cathedral where he has responsibility for developing lifelong learning and research.

Before moving to Lincoln in 2026 he had a similar role at St Albans Cathedral, and has also been a parish priest in the North East of England following his ordination at Durham Cathedral. He has a PhD from Durham University on the story of Jacob in the Book of Genesis and regularly teaches and gives lectures in Biblical studies. Following his first degree in modern languages at Durham University, he also has a keen interest in languages, ancient and modern.

The elected Student Representative on University Council for 2026/27 is Samuel Weeks. Samuel is currently in his second year of study on BA (Hons) Education Studies and Sport, and works closely with the Students’ Union President to ensure our students are represented at the highest levels within the University.

The Lincoln Bishop University Students’ Union President for 2026/27 is Stephan Bolton. As Students’ Union President, Stephan works closely with the Students’ Union CEO to be the face of the Students’ Union, representing our students at the highest levels within the University.