Independent Trustees

Chair of the Board of Trustees

 

• Current post-holder: Mr Jack Boyer (he/him)
• First appointed: 1 January 2019
• Current term of office ends: 31 December 2027

Biography

Jack Boyer is Chair of the Royce Hydrogen Accelerator and a non-executive director (NED) of Bela Holdings AG and of the Department for Education.

His previous corporate roles include Chairman of Ilika plc and Seeing Machines plc, Senior Independent Director (SID) of TT Electronics plc and Elcogen plc and a NED of Ricardo plc, Laird plc, Mitie plc.

In education, research and government he recently chaired Academies Enterprise Trust, Deputy Chair of the Advanced Materials Leadership Council (BEIS), a NED of the Sir Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials and a Board Member of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and of the Innovate UK Energy Catalyst.

He holds degrees from Stanford University (BA), the London School of Economics (MSc) and Insead (MBA). In 2015, Jack was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Honours for his services to the fields of Science and Engineering.

Jack is an ex-officio member of all Board Committees except the Audit and Risk Committee. He is the Chair of the Nominations Committee of the Board and of the Honorary Degrees Committee.

Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees and Alumni Association Trustee on the Board of Trustees

 

• Current post-holder: Professor Andrew Carr (he/him)
• First appointed: 1 January 2019
• Current term of office ends: 31 December 2024

Biography

Andy Carr is a graduate of the University of Bristol (MBChB 1982, ChM 1987). He undertook postgraduate training in Oxford, Seattle and Melbourne obtaining his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in England and an MA and DSc from Oxford University.

He was made a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2009. Andy is currently the Nuffield Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Oxford. His research has focused on the development and evaluation of surgical implants and technologies.

He founded the Botnar Research Centre in 2002 and has held senior leadership positions in the university, NHS and charity sectors in the UK and has had advisory roles at international universities and research councils.

Andy is also a member of the Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Committee, Nominations Committee of the Board and the Pensions Task and Finish Group. He is the Chair of the Remuneration Committee.

Independent Trustee

 

• Current post-holder: Mrs Ololade Adesanya (she/her)
• First appointed: 12 May 2022
• Current term of office ends: 11 May 2025

Biography

Ololade Adesanya is a Director in a Big 4 Professional Services firm and has experience of working with organisations of different sizes, mainly in the Financial Services industry but also across other industries including the public sector.

She is a Chartered Accountant (FCA) and designated ICAEW Business and Finance Professional (BFP). Various leadership roles have given her exposure to balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders, leading high performing and diverse teams, as well as interacting with Board and Senior Management across several organisations.

Ololade has strong ties with Bristol City and she is involved in many areas of civic life within the City.

Ololade is also the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Independent trustee

 

• Current post-holder: Mr Mark Allan (he/him)
• First appointed: 1 September 2023
• Current term of office ends: 31 December 2026

Biography

Mark Allan has been Chief Executive of Landsec since April 2020. Prior to that he spent a combined 14 years as CEO of FTSE 250 real estate businesses Unite Group (student accommodation) and St. Modwen (regeneration, logistics and housebuilding), providing a broad range of experience from across the property sector.

Landsec strives to connect communities, realise potential and deliver sustainable places. As one of the largest real estate companies in Europe, Landsec’s £10 billion portfolio spans 23 million sq ft (as at 31 March 2024) of well-connected retail, leisure, workspace and residential hubs.

Landsec’s aim is to lead the real estate industry in critical long-term issues – from diversity and community employment to carbon reduction and climate resilience – and to deliver value for shareholders, great experiences for customers and positive change for communities. Mark is also the immediate past President of the British Property Foundation.

Mark is also a member of the Infrastructure Planning Committee.

Independent trustee

 

• Current post-holder: Ms Gillian Bowen JP (she/her)
• First appointed: 1 January 2021
• Current term of office ends: 31 December 2026

Biography

Gillian Bowen is an experienced charity sector leader and is currently a charity CEO.

Gillian’s academic background includes a BA Theology (Hons); MA Youth and Community Work and an MBA. Gillian is a Justice of the Peace and sits on the Board of a Charitable Trust and an LGBT+ youth charity.

Gillian is also a Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral. In recognition of her work within the third sector, community and youth leadership, Gillian was bestowed the Freedom of the City of London and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate.

Gillian is also a member of the Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Committee and the Remuneration Committee.

Independent trustee

• Current post-holder: Mr Steven Boyd (he/him)
• First appointed: 1 September 2023
• Current term of office ends: 31 December 2026

Biography

Steven Boyd is a chartered engineer with 35 years’ experience in construction, property and the delivery of major projects.

A graduate of the University of Bristol, he gained his early experience in the British Army, leading significant programmes of work in Europe and the Middle East, culminating in a final military role as Director of Infrastructure, responsible for the Army’s worldwide estate.

He has a proven track record in senior leadership roles designing, mobilising and implementing innovative strategies to drive change both in the workplace and in customer experience.

Steven is also the Chair of the Infrastructure Planning Committee.

Independent trustee

 

• Current post-holder: Ms Jessica Cecil (she/her)
• First appointed: 1 January 2019
• Current term of office ends: 31 December 2024

Biography

Jessica Cecil graduated from the University of Bristol. She has until recently been a Director of the BBC, leading on the response to disinformation.

Before that, she led the BBC Online project, tasked with focusing and reshaping the BBC’s digital services. She has been Controller of BBC Make it Digital, leading this major initiative to inspire a new generation to get creative with digital technology, and Chief of Staff to four BBC Director-Generals.

She is an Emmy-nominated programme maker and senior journalist and was Assistant Editor of Newsnight. She is a member of the Academy Adjunct Faculty at Chatham House.

She is a Non-Executive Director for the Digital Catapult, on the advisory body of the charity IntoUniversity, of Rand Europe and is on the International Council of the Wallace Collection.

Jessica is also a member of the Nominations Committee of the Board and the Chair of the Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Committee.

Independent trustee

 

• Current post-holder: Miss Lucie Lambert
• First appointed: 1 September 2024
• Current term of office ends: 31 December 2025

Biography

Lucie Lambert is the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at UK Government Investments (UKGI). UKGI works across government on some of its most interesting and complex commercial tasks, working closely with both the private and public sectors, advising and interacting with ministers, Parliament and Whitehall departments.

Lucie has expertise in advising senior stakeholders on a broad range of legal matters and supporting UKGI’s executive and Board on the delivery of its mandate as the Government’s centre of expertise for corporate governance and corporate finance.

Lucie is also the current UK Delegate to the OECD’s Working Party on State Ownership and Privatisation Practices, drawing on her experience at UKGI to provide expertise on the stewardship of state-owned assets.

Prior to joining UKGI, Lucie worked internationally as a lawyer at Clifford Chance, Lloyds Banking Group and the United Nations.

Independent trustee

 

• Current post-holder: Mr Nick Joicey (he/him)
• First appointed: 1 January 2019
• Current term of office ends: 5 May 2025

Biography

Graduate of the University of Bristol and Peterhouse Cambridge, Nick Joicey is Head of the Economic and Domestic Secretariat at the Cabinet Office.

Previously he was Finance Director General at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Before joining DWP, he was Director General at Defra and held roles at HM Treasury from 1996, including public spending, private secretary and speechwriter to the Chancellor, EU policy and international finance.

He was seconded to the UK Delegation to the IMF and World Bank in Washington DC and was Director for International Finance 2008-2011.

Nick is also the Chair of the Finance and Investments Committee.

Independent trustee

 

• Current post-holder: Mr Nick Keveth (he/him)
• First appointed: 1 September 2023
• Current term of office ends: 31 December 2026

Biography

Nick Keveth is a graduate of Girton College Cambridge and a Chartered Accountant (FCA) with over 25 years' experience working as a finance executive in international public companies and a leading global accountancy firm.

He started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in audit and advisory roles in the U.K. and U.S. He subsequently held a variety of senior finance roles at Bristol based Imperial Brands PLC and served as a non-executive director at the Spanish listed Grupo Logista.

Most recently, he was Chief Financial Officer at Avon Protection plc. Nick is a Board Trustee at the MS Society, the U.K.’s leading multiple sclerosis charity, where he is Treasurer and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee

Nick is also a member of the Finance and Investments Committee and of the Pensions Task and Finish Group.

Independent trustee

 

• Current post-holder: Mr Freddie Quek
• First appointed: 1 September 2021
• Current term of office ends: 31 August 2025

Biography

Freddie Quek is a Research Associate, Technology Advisor and Leader. He was Chief Technology Officer at Times Higher Education. He has worked in Asia, North America and Europe across many industry sectors. He helped transformed the publishing industry pioneering the use of NoSQL technologies and achieved large scale agile implementations. He is recognised as one of the UK’s top IT leaders by CIO100 and Computer Weekly. In 2021, he started the #joiningthedots initiative to address digital inclusion, becoming a Community Board member of the Digital Poverty Alliance and Chair of the BCS Digital Divide Specialist Group. He serves on the boards at BCS Influence Board and eLife. He is also a member of the Technology Advisory Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Freddie is a Fellow of BCS and judge for the UK IT Industry Awards and Women in IT. He has Master of Science degrees from the London School of Economics and Henley Business School. He is an alumnus of Oxford University and currently a Research Associate at Henley Business School undertaking doctoral research.

Freddie is also a member of the Finance and Investments Committee.

Independent trustee

 

• Current post-holder: Mr Stephen Robertson (he/him)
• First appointed: 1 January 2021
• Current term of office ends: 31 December 2026

Biography

Stephen Robertson joined the Board of Trustees in January 2021. He is Chair of Retail Economics.

Stephen’s career started in consumer businesses – Unilever, Alberto Culver, Mars Inc, Mattel. Stephen served as marketing director at B&Q before leading the acquisition of Screwfix Direct. Subsequently, he worked on the boards of WHSmith and Woolworths and then Director General of British Retail Consortium.

Previously, he has been a non-executive board member at: Hargreaves Lansdown plc (Bristol-based, FTSE 100 consumer financial services), Timpson Group (retailer), Clipper Logistics plc, National Portrait Gallery Company, Fresca Group (fresh produce supplier), Sofology (furniture retailer) and Footasylum plc (fashion retail).

Stephen chaired Business West and then West of England LEP and Bristol Energy. He is a former chairman of the Marketing Society, fellow of Royal Society of Arts, and a member Emeritus of the Marketing Group of Great Britain.

Stephen is also a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and the Remuneration Committee.

Independent trustee

 

• Current post-holder: Professor Dame Melanie Welham (she/her)
• First appointed: 1 September 2023
• Current term of office ends: 31 December 2026

Biography

Melanie Welham was, until June 2024, Executive Chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), where she was responsible for £420M annual public investment in bioscience research at UK Universities and Institutes.

She is a graduate of Imperial College (Biochemistry), completed her PhD at University College London and spent six years as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia, Canada.

On returning to the UK, she established an independent research group at the University of Bath, focussed on molecular signalling and stem cell science, becoming the first female professor in her department.

At UKRI, alongside leadership of BBSRC, Melanie held pan-disciplinary responsibilities including delivery of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and, more recently, was the UKRI Executive Champion for People, Culture and Talent, overseeing development and publication of the organisation’s first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy.

She also served as a Member of the Board of Trustees of the international Human Frontiers Science Program Organisation and the Governing Board for Science Europe. Melanie was awarded a DBE for her services to bioscience in the 2023 King’s birthday Honours list.

Melanie is also a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and of the Honorary Degrees Committee.