| Margaret Ayers, Director of Human Resources & Organisational Development, Canterbury Christ Church University
Margaret has been a Human Resources professional for more than 20 years. She began her HR career in the retail sector and have worked as an HR Director at four universities: Christ Church, Edinburgh, Kent and Queen Mary University of London. Her main accomplishment in these roles has been in creating meaningful people strategies that support the organisation and the people who work in it.
Margaret has a very broad appreciation of HR, from people development and organisational development to employment law (which she studied for a postgraduate diploma) and reward. Margaret used to teach Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development students reward and employment resourcing at a local college. She is also interested in how the whole organisation works, so she enjoys being part of SMT and working beyond the HR function.
|
| Rachel Watters, Women’s Officer, NUS
Rachel Watters is the current Women Students' Officer at the National Union of Students and a former Women's Officer of NUS-USI (the student movement in Northern Ireland). The NUS Women's Campaign has led the fight against sexual violence and harassment in UK Higher Education, collaborating with the 1752 Group to publish 'Power in the Academy: staff misconduct in UK higher education' in 2018. The most recent Women's Campaign publication is the June 2019 'Sexual Violence in Further Education' report. In her role, Rachel works with student activists, students' union officers and sector experts to remove barriers to support and justice for student survivors, and for institutions to be held accountable for failing to keep students safe.
|
| Chris Mordue, Partner, Eversheds SutherlandChris Mordue is an Employment Partner in the Eversheds Sutherland Education Sector team. He has specialised in employment law advice to the HE sector for over 21 years. Chris regularly advises universities on equality, diversity and inclusion issues, including advice on investigations and disciplinary cases involving allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and victimisation; related employment tribunal litigation; and reviewing the effectiveness of internal procedures. He was described in Chambers 2020 as "pragmatic, sensible and incredibly bright. He really understands the issues and is innovative in his approach."
|
| Sian Jones-Davies, Senior Associate, Eversheds SutherlandSiân Jones-Davies is a Senior Associate in the Eversheds Sutherland Education Sector team, providing legal and strategic advice to universities on student-related issues including the student contract/consumer law, student complaints and court claims, conduct and discipline, fitness to practise, mental health and duty of care, and sexual misconduct. She also advises on student regulations and their lawful implementation, and regularly delivers in-house training and speaks at national conferences.
Siân contributed to Student Mental Health & Wellbeing in Higher Education A Practical Guide (Barden & Caleb) and the Good Practice Guide Student Mental Wellbeing in Higher Education (Universities UK and MWBHE).
|
| Kelsey Paske, Behaviour and Culture Change Manager, University College London
I work in the Equalities team at UCL as the Behaviour and Culture Change Manager. My background has focus on gender equality, gender-based violence and international human rights law. I have worked within higher education and charities in the UK and Australia. My approach to behaviour and culture change is centred on holistic primary prevention and I am committed to furthering best-practice in the sector. My role at UCL is to develop a strategic approach to effective redress and prevention of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct affecting members of our community.
|
| Lorren Rea, Head of Employment Policy, University College London
Lorren Rea heads up the Employment Policy team at UCL and has the unenviable task of trying to juggle the opinions and priorities of 13,000 staff who are all consulted on HR policies. Lorren hopes the higher education sector will be a beacon in changing the culture around sexual misconduct and hopes that our influence will assist other sectors. Lorren has worked in Higher Education HR for 16 years, across three institutions, and prior to the education sector worked in retail, charities, leisure and investment.
|
| Richard Peachey, Head of Business Development, CMP
Richard has been at the sharp end of employee relations for 15 years, being involved in protected conversations, mergers, TUPE, redundancies, disciplinary investigations, and mediations.
He is a trained workplace investigator and mediator, and he uses these interpersonal soft skills to support organisations to develop a culture where staff and students, feel empowered to challenge the status quo, harness difference, be more engaged and more productive, without the fear of reprisal or conflict.
He has been in his role at CMP for five years, which currently involves working closely with clients to enable them to fully understand their needs and provide robust and fair solutions to them.
Richard is a committee member for the Healthcare People Managers Association, and regularly works with the Office of Independent Adjudicator (OIA), UHR and UUK. Richard was a founding member of Mediation Awareness Group, the UK wide group for promoting all forms of mediation, founded in 2016, and supports the Civil Mediation Council, The College of Mediators and Hive: The Society of Mediators.
|
| Will Fitzmaurice, Assistant Director (Student Registry), University of Greenwich
Will Fitzmaurice started his career in Higher Education in 2004, and over the past 15 years has worked in roles at UCL, University of London, King's College London and the University of Greenwich. Will's roles have included responsibility for student support and administration, quality assurance, marketing and student recruitment, technology enhanced learning, and timetabling. In his current role at Greenwich, Will leads on policies for students and student casework, alongside admissions, student records, timetabling, international compliance and advice – and academic registry. Recent projects at Greenwich have included a review of the academic calendar, the centralising of admissions decision-making, and a major relaunch of the academic regulations.
|
| Naina Patel, Director of Human Resources, University of the Arts, LondonNaina is the Human Resources Director at the University of the Arts London.
Naina has over 20 years experience of working in the higher education sector, prior to which she worked in the NHS. She joined the University in January 2015 and is a member of the Executive Board.
Naina has a social sciences degree, is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a trained coach. She has held governor roles at primary and secondary schools, and at a further education college. She plays an active role in the sector and is currently a member of the Universities Human Resources executive committee, Chair of the M25 HR Directors Group and on the Employers Pension Forum. Naina has been involved in joint gender pay and race working groups in the sector, and is currently a member of the UUK Advisory Group on tackling racial harassment.
|
| Mick Confrey, COO, Intersol Global
Mick Confrey is a leading subject matter specialist in investigation and investigative interviewing.
Mick featured as the investigative interview adviser on the highly acclaimed BBC/Open University forensic psychology documentary series 'Eyewitness'.
Mick has close links to a number of universities and is committed to the delivery of high-quality training and investigation.
Mick designed the UK's first vocational qualifications in investigative interviewing – Level 3 Award in Dealing with Difficult Conversations (RQF) and Level 3 Certificate in Investigative Interviewing (RQF)
Mick holds a PGC in Forensic Psychology and is the co author of The Psychology of Criminal Investigation.
|
| Fiona Waye, Policy Manager, Universities UKFiona Waye is a Policy Manager at Universities UK and works on a range of projects to support universities to prevent and respond to all forms of harassment so that no student or member of staff is subject to any form of harassment, intimidation or threatening or violent behaviour in universities. Such an abuse of power is categorically at odds with the values and standards of behaviour expected in the sector.
This year’s programme focuses on the development of strategic frameworks, knowledge exchange and the dissemination of ‘what works’; the impact of which will provide the foundations for a change programme in universities to drive continuous improvement in addressing harassment and hate crime.
|
| Roshan Israni, Deputy Chief Executive, UCEARoshan is UCEA's Deputy Chief Executive with senior management experience in HR and Organisational Development, gained through work in the not for profit and private sectors: local government, the NHS and Probation Services. Roshan has developed a strong combination of employee relations experience and a wide range of general HR management and OD experience. Roshan has undertaken extensive consultations and negotiations with various local, regional and national trade unions and has led on successful employee engagement, organisational cultural transformation and restructuring programmes. A Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, Roshan's qualifications include a Master's degree in Management Studies and a first degree in Science.
|
| Dr Tiffany Page, Co-Founder, The 1752 GroupDr Tiffany Page is the Co-Founder of The 1752 Group, a UK-based research and lobby organisation addressing staff-to-student sexual misconduct in higher education. The 1752 Group works with UK sector bodies, law firms and support services organisations to conduct research and develop policy and guidelines. The group also works internationally with academics and organisations on developing best practice in this area. Tiffany is a lecturer in sociology at the University of Cambridge and her current research areas include vulnerability, gender and social inequalities, and institutional change.
|
| Dr Helen Mott, Independent ConsultantDr Helen Mott is an independent researcher and academic. She specialises in the psychology of sexual harassment and violence, and how to create effective policy and prevention to change cultures of sexism, discrimination and violence. With Rachel Fenton, Helen co-created The Intervention Initiative universities bystander programme for Public Health England. She was a member of the UUK Task Force which produced the "Changing the Culture" report. With Fiona Vera-Gray, Helen was specialist adviser to the Women and Equalities Select Committee Inquiry into sexual harassment of women and girls in public spaces including universities. She was the specialist adviser on sexual harassment and violence, for UK Parliament's work on improving Parliament's institutional response from prevention to support and report, to investigation and sanction.
|
