Political Affairs in higher education 2025

Emily is the Chair for leads UUK's work to influence the political environment for universities and make sure parliamentarians know about the vital work members do.

She started her career working in politics, and has spent the past couple of decades running public affairs, campaigns and communications work in a range of sectors including housing, health and social care.

She loves being in a position where she and her team can create change and give a voice to a whole sector, and believes universities have an incredible story for us to tell. 

Vivienne Stern took up the role of UUK Chief Executive in September 2022. She was previously the Director of Universities UK International (UUKi) which represents UK universities around the world and works to enable them to flourish internationally. 

Vivienne has over 20 years’ experience of working in higher education policy and politics at national and international level. She is a member of the GREAT Private Sector Council; a Trustee of the Council for At Risk Academics; and is a member of the Soft Power Council. She was awarded an MBE for Services to International Education in the New Years’ Honours List 2022.  In 2021 Vivienne received the European Association of International Educators’ “Vision and Leadership” award and the PIEoneer “Outstanding Contribution to the Industry” award. 

Vivienne is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, where she studied English Literature.

Isabel Hardman is Assistant Editor of the Spectator and presenter of Radio 4’s The Week in Westminster. Her books are Why We Get The Wrong Politicians; The Natural Health Service: How Nature Can Mend Your Mind and Fighting for Life: The 12 Battles That Made Our NHS, and the Struggle for Its Future. She is also a columnist for the i paper and writes regularly for other publications, as well as contributing to Times Radio. She was named the youngest ever Political Journalist of the Year in 2015 by the Political Studies Association. She began her career at Inside Housing magazine.

Seb has a long background working in communications roles in the public sector and regulated industries, including the London Fire Brigade and the Local Government Association. He joined Universities UK after spending a decade in senior communications roles in the rail industry. This included as Director of Communications for the Great British Railways Transition Team, where he influenced the policy of successive governments towards the biggest reforms to rail in a generation. Before this, he worked in a membership organisation acting as the voice of the railway on a range of operational and policy issues ranging from rail fares to train punctuality and reform of the sector.

Seb has acted as a spokesperson in national broadcast media, led the industry-wide introduction of a life-saving partnership between the railway and Women’s Aid, and managed the production of various research and policy reports. He was also part of the team that devised a first-of-its kind strategy to reposition the reputation of the rail sector.  

Peter founded Stonehaven 10 years ago and has shaped the consultancy into a leading stakeholder, policy and reputation consultancy. Over the last decade, Peter has brought together opinion researchers, economists, policy experts, sustainability champions and communications professionals to help clients win arguments in the public realm. 

He works on a diverse range of business, NGO and charitable sector work. Notable successes in his career include the pressured de-listing of ENRC from the FTSE 100, the successful hostile takeover of GKN by Melrose PLC, the National Policy Statement and Parliamentary majority for Heathrow expansion, the Nuclear Finance Bill and subsequent £14.8bn UK Government investment in Sizewell C, and the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Bill and subsequent Parliamentary majority for clean fuels. Most relevant for the challenges facing the University sector is the work he has done to uncover the real drivers of public and political support for Government intervention and nationalisation in the UK rail network, and the UK energy network.

Marianna is a strategic communications and engagement specialist with deep expertise in policy and reputation campaigning for complex organisations. Previous senior roles include reputation turnaround campaigns for rail and driving Heathrow’s successful third runway campaign.

Matthew is the current Deputy Director of External Communication at Manchester Metropolitan University. Before working at Manchester Met, he worked as Head of Government Relations & Public Affairs for Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

Peter leads the Yorkshire Universities’ (YU) Executive Team, and he is Company Secretary for the Limited Company and Charity. With over two decades’ experience, as both a senior practitioner and academic, Peter has driven YU’s increasing and influential policy engagement and activity in Yorkshire. He has worked extensively, at a senior level, across the north of England, and he has published widely on a range of matters relating to local and regional development. Peter is a Commissioner on the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission, and he also represents YU and the higher education sector on many high-level regional groups and committees.

Claire is an accomplished public sector leader with over 25 years of experience delivering complex, multi-stakeholder projects, with a background in education and skills. As Assistant Director of Policy and Strategy at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, she leads a multidisciplinary team responsible for policy development across key areas including transport, housing, economic growth, employment and skills, and spatial planning. Over the past year, Claire has played a pivotal role in advancing the authority’s strategic vision, notably overseeing the development of the inaugural Local Growth Plan.

A proactive advocate for innovation and collaborative working, Claire fosters open communication and strong partnerships with local authorities and government departments. Her work has been instrumental in in shaping the city region’s approach to devolution and driving impactful change across the Liverpool City Region.

Harriet leads on UUK's day-to-day parliamentary work, engaging with Ministers, Advisors, MPs and Peers on priority issues, and running the APPG for Universities.

She has worked in and around public affairs for eight years, spending several years at a political communications company before joining UUK in 2017. She studied Politics at university and had a short break from watching Westminster while working for a location booking agency after graduating.

She love the breadth of topics UUK cover; she can be found working on communications around student mental health, research funding, immigration arrangements for international students and tackling racial harassment all within a few days.

As a Committee Specialist on the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, Ben manages inquiries on behalf of the cross-party group of MPs, from initial scoping to the drafting and publication of a final report. He has been with the Committee since January 2022, and at the House of Commons since 2016.  

Amna has been a Clerk in the House of Commons for almost four years now, having joined as a Houses of Parliament Fast Streamer. She studied Law at Bristol, and then International Human Rights Law at UCL, before entering the programme. At the moment, she is the Second Clerk of the Health and Social Care, and Clerk of the Independent Expert Panel, set up by the Committee to undertake impartial evaluations of progress in health and/or social care. The Panel, made up of healthcare experts who are not MPs, is evaluating the state of palliative care. Previously, Amna worked on the Joint Committee on Human Rights, in the legislation offices, and on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. Her day-to-day involves drafting material for the Panel and Committee, and advising on policy and procedure.

Rowan King is a Policy Adviser at Universities UK, working across Innovation and Local Growth briefs. She is coordinating UUK’s work on the Industrial Strategy and has also been working with members to evidence the impact of universities outside of Mayoral Strategic Authorities and to improve HE-BCI data collection practices.

Rowan has a background in the higher education sector, having worked at a number of providers in roles across Access and Admissions and Data Management and Strategic Operations, where she was informally shaping institutional policies.

Chris is Executive Dean for Science and Engineering at the University of Plymouth where he leads STEM partnerships with groups including Babcock, AMEY, Siemens and SSE on aspects of defence energy and engineering. 

Chris joined the University of Plymouth in 2024, from Cranfield University where he was Pro-Vice Chancellor for the School of Water, Energy and the Environment. A leader in climate science and applied low carbon energy solutions and research, Chris has led research and knowledge exchange in major programmes that aim to reduce CO2 emissions through innovation in smart local energy systems, renewables and the pioneering production, storage and use of hydrogen.

Working with a broad-based network he has helped develop and deliver some of the most innovative low-carbon ‘at scale’ energy demonstration projects in Europe, including UKRI, BEIS and DESNZ funded partnership programmes including: Cranfield University’s RPIF-funded Hydrogen Innovation Incubator (CH2i), the Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND), HyDeploy, Zero Carbon Rugley, HyDEX and HyPER.

Previously Head of Strategy and Insight, Ed manages the delivery of UUK's organisational strategy and providing insight into their member universities.

Before joining UUK, he worked for a research agency managing public sector research projects with a focus on higher education. Prior to that, he worked within a students’ union ensuring students had the opportunities to flourish at university. 

Higher education can be truly transformative and Ed loves working with this diverse sector to make sure that the policy landscape allows students from all walks of life to succeed. 

Diana joined City St George’s, University of London in April 2025 as Director of the Finsbury Institute, the University’s new public policy hub, and also serves as Assistant Vice-President (Policy & Government Affairs). Diana has held senior leadership and policy roles in higher education and within national government. Most notably, she served as Policy Advisor to three Universities and Science Ministers under the last UK Government and was CEO of London Higher between 2020-2025, representing London’s higher education sector and leading the organisation through a significant period of business transformation, member growth and political advocacy.

Emmeline worked as a print and broadcast journalist before moving into media relations. She was Media Manager for the homelessness charity, Shelter, before freelancing and working with clients including Lloyds Bank and Tesco. 

She then moved to the Civil Service working in a range of roles in the Department for Work and Pensions including internal communications; Ministerial privates offices, including No10 policy briefing in the Secretary of State’s office; and policy formulation. She moved to the Ministry of Justice heading up the Communications and Engagement team for the Security, Order and Counter Terrorism Unit within HMPPS and latterly working on the Property Transformation Programme. 

She has been Senior Parliamentary Assistant to Ian Sollom MP for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, and Lib Dem spokesperson for Universities and Skills, since last October, running his Westminster office. Emmeline lives in London with her family.

Kathryn works part-time as a Parliamentary Assistant to Andrew Snowden, the Conservative MP for Fylde in Lancashire. She is entering her third year of an undergraduate course at King’s College London.

Kathryn has previously worked for Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne and with Fay Jones, who served as the MP for Brecon and Radnorshire and a minister for Wales; thus, she possesses experience collaborating with policymakers in both houses.

Kathryn won the Conservative Parliamentary Researcher of the Year award in January for her assistance to new Conservative MPs. She is focusing on Middle Eastern politics in her final year of study at university.

Lenny has over 20 years’ experience working in Public Affairs developing campaigns for a range of clients and working inhouse at organisations including the University of Sussex and RSPCA. He has led campaigns raising the profile of organisations that have achieved legislative and regulatory change.  

Andy Westwood is a Professor of Public Policy, Government and Business and a director of the Productivity Institute at the University of Manchester. He is also a governor at NIESR and at the University of Wolverhampton and an advisory board member of the Bennett Institute at Cambridge University. He also works as an expert adviser to a range of organisations including the IMF, OECD, EU and to the Economic Affairs Committee in the House of Lords. Previously he worked as a special adviser to UK ministers on innovation, education and skills during the last Labour government.

Elizabeth is an expert in British politics (including the politics of London), political behaviour (particularly political socialisation) and quantitative methods. She joined Queen Mary in 2022, after completing her PhD at the University of Southampton. She leads the Mile End Institute’s signature research project, Polling London.

Her research has been cited in the Financial Times, The Guardian, and the Times Higher Education Supplement, and currently focuses on three key areas, one of which is how university life can influence and shape public opinion and electoral behaviour in Britain. 

Dr Liviu Matei is a higher education scholar and university leader, currently Professor of Higher Education & Public Policy and Head of the School of Education, Communication & Society at King's College London. He has taught at universities across Europe, the U.S., and Asia, and has published extensively on university governance, academic freedom, funding, internationalisation, quality assurance, and the history and politics of higher education. He has led policy research projects for organisations including the Council of Europe, European Commission, World Bank, and UNESCO, for national authorities and universities. He founded the Yehuda Elkana Centre for Higher Education, and the Global Observatory on Academic Freedom. He is a member of Academia Europaea and serves on various boards, including the American University of Central Asia, Magna Charta Universitatum, and the Global Relations Advisory Group of the Swedish Association of Universities.

Harry leads UUKi's Policy and Global Engagement team, overseeing a wide range of areas from Global Research & Innovation, International Mobility, and Transnational Education (TNE). Alongside this, UUKi's global engagement work also helps ensure UK universities have access to key stakeholders in partner countries from around the world.

He previously worked as a Policy Manager at UUK and covered free speech and academic freedom (amongst other areas). Prior to joining UUK, He led the CBI's policy work across the higher and further education sector.

Dan is Deputy Director of Policy with leadership oversight of UUK's work on research, innovation, growth, skills and student experience. He also, with others, leads the direction of travel for the Policy Group as part of the senior management team.

He has worked in higher education policy for c.10 years, and before this was involved in both private and public sector research and analysis in areas such as environmental issues and international trade.