NCUB - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Managing Director for Public Sector, Cisco
Adele Every Adele is the Managing Director for Public Sector at Cisco. Focused on driving sustainable business growth through her sales and specialist teams bringing value to government, Adele drives operational excellence and rigour with a focus on account strategy and planning activities to drive targeted sales and marketing campaigns. Prior to joining Cisco, Adele spent 17 years at Capgemini. As Vice President she led a high-performing cross-functional team to deliver on their largest global account which was circa £1 billion per annum to fulfil programmes of national importance including Brexit and COVID-19 support packages. She has also established and sat on innovation programme boards within the public sector focused on bringing a broad ecosystem of partner offers to support the transformation and SME agenda. She has a mature network across government, connecting MPs, lobby groups, SME tech partners and start-ups and has featured in many tech publications including, Technology Record, IT Pro Journal and the New Statesman.
Job Titles:
- Universities Partnership Manager ( on Maternity Leave )
Anna supports university partnerships at NCUB, with a particular focus on delivering research and innovation outcomes through university-business engagement. Before joining NCUB, she worked as External Engagement Manager for a UK university with a particular focus on developing industry partnerships in the area of life sciences, education, and design.
Bethan manages NCUB's public relations and communications strategies. Bethan has experience working in membership bodies and in communications and public relations agencies. She is responsible for NCUB's media relations and communications work, our website and social media. She would love to hear from members interested in submitting a blog or success story for publication.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Treasurer
Bob Rabone is a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years of commercial experience as a Finance Director with private and public companies, operating in a range of sectors.
Bob previously served for over a decade as the Chief Financial Officer at the University of Sheffield. In this role he was responsible for Finance, Estates, IT, Accommodation and Commercial Services.
He began his career training with Coopers & Lybrand (now part of PricewaterhouseCoopers) before joining a medium-sized accountancy firm offering consultancy services in financial planning, funding and information technology to a range of clients: from owner-managed enterprises to public companies.
A common thread through all of Bob's executive roles has been the development of clear organisational strategies during periods of business growth or change. Whilst Chief Financial Officer with the international law firm Eversheds, Bob had a primary role in the merger of its seven legal partnerships into one.
Bob was chair of the British University Finance Directors Group from 2013 to 2016 and contributed to several HE sector reviews, such as the Diamond Efficiency, Effectiveness and Value for Money review.
In 2019 Bob was appointed to the Board of the National Centre for Universities and Business as Treasurer.
A focus of his activity in the HE sector has been to aid a better understanding of financial performance and financial sustainability by funders, regulators, governors, staff and students. This focus continues as a member of the sector's Financial Sustainability Steering Group.
Job Titles:
- Policy Lead for Skills and Talent
Danni develops and leads Skills and Talent policy at NCUB, working with members and government to level up the innovation workforce. Danni joined NCUB from the Institute of Physics (IOP), where she led R&D, education and diversity and inclusion policy, and previously worked in policy, analysis and public affairs at government laboratory NPL, and in social policy at Which?
Job Titles:
- Director of Strategic Partnerships for the University of Edinburgh
- Director of Strategic Partnerships, University of Edinburgh
David is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the University of Edinburgh, having recently retired as a Partner at PwC, where he was the Lead Partner in Scotland for Government and Public Sector.
David has extensive advisory experience in the public sector and financial services industries specialising in strategy and large scale transformations.
He has been extensively involved in pension reform and paying for Long Term Care; he was a member of the Dilnot Implementation Working Group and the Extended Working Lives Working Group.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Formerly Chief Operating Officer and Director of Strategy at NCUB, Dr Joe Marshall Took over As Chief Executive in Summer 2018
Prior to joining the National Centre, Dr Marshall has held a number of positions across government and university organisations. As an academic specialising in government education policy and practice he worked with a number of international agencies including UNESCO, WHO and the European Parliament.
A researcher at the University of Manchester, he went onto hold senior lectureship positions at Liverpool Hope University and University of Worcester before working for UK Sport (the government agency for elite sport) and then the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Emma is Personal Assistant to Dr Joe Marshall, Chief Executive.
Job Titles:
- Policy Lead for Research and Innovation
Fariba plays a pivotal role in shaping, positioning and driving policy and engagement activities across all aspects of NCUB's research and innovation portfolio. Prior to joining the NCUB, Fariba led on open access research policy in academic publishing and was co-founder of a SAAS company before moving back into full time employment. Fariba has worked in higher education policy for over a decade having previously led several policy initiatives during her time at HEFCE (now the Office for Students) including developing the organisation's student interest strategy, equality and inclusion remit and delivering student information improvements.
Professor Ian White joined the University of Bath from the University of Cambridge where he had been Master of Jesus College, van Eck Professor of Engineering, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of Photonics Research in the Electrical Division of the Department of Engineering.
Ian gained his BA and PhD degrees from the University of Cambridge (in 1980 and 1984) and was then appointed a Research Fellow and Assistant Lecturer at the University of Cambridge before becoming Professor of Physics at the University of Bath in 1991.
In 1996 he moved to the University of Bristol as Professor of Optical Communications and became Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 1998. He returned to the University of Cambridge in 2001 as van Eck Professor of Engineering and Head of Photonics Research, becoming Chair and subsequently Head of the School of Technology in 2005. He was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Institutional Affairs in 2010, and Master of Jesus College and Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 2011.
Ian has carried out substantial research in the field of optoelectronics and optical communications. Highlights of this include the invention of new techniques for transmitting signals at low cost over optical fibre links for data and wireless communication systems. He is a co-founder of Zinwave Ltd, a company providing wireless coverage solutions, and PervasID Ltd which develops ultra-high-frequency RFID readers. He has published in excess of 1,000 papers and associated patents. Ian is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. He was a Member of the Board of Governors of the Global IEEE Photonics Society (2008-2011) and is currently Editor-in-Chief of Electronics Letters and Nature Microsystems and Nanoengineering.
Job Titles:
- Vice - Chancellor
- Professor
Professor Jean-Noël Ezingeard was appointed Vice-Chancellor at the University of Roehampton on 1st May 2019, having previously held senior leadership and academic positions at Manchester Metropolitan University, Kingston University, Henley Business School and Brunel University London.
Jean-Noël is a graduate of École Centrale de Lille where he studied Engineering Systems, followed by postgraduate study at Brunel University London where he also studied for his PhD in Information Systems. His research expertise is in systems and processes management with a focus on the social aspect of information systems management (including information security).
In addition to his role as Vice-Chancellor and board member for the National Centre for Universities and Business, Jean-Noël has held Board and advisory positions with Warrington and Halton NHS Trust, Henley Management College, Richmond upon Thames College, the Association of Business Schools. Jean-Noël has also worked on a number of steering groups with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Office for Students and the Institute for Apprenticeships.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Principal Economist
Jorge works in our Policy and Engagement Team, conducting independent research in areas related to research, innovation and the labour market as well as working collaboratively with researchers and analysts at top UK universities and in the private sector.
Jorge is also an associate faculty at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU, University of Sussex) and has also held positions as a lecturer and research fellow and has carried out commissioned research for the Interamerican Development Bank, Research England, and Ministries in Latin America and Spain. He holds a PhD, MSc and BSc in Economics.
Joseph is responsible for managing NCUB's policy activity. His professional background is in research, innovation and technology policy. Prior to joining NCUB, he led work on absorptive capacity, research and innovation clusters and the research and technical workforce at the Royal Society. Before this he worked at Universities UK International, techUK and Chatham House.
Job Titles:
- Vice - Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Plymouth
Professor Judith Petts is the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Plymouth, a post she has held since February 2016. She joined Plymouth from the University of Southampton where she had been Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise and previously the inaugural Dean of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences (2010-13). Prior to this, she had spent 12 years at the University of Birmingham completing as Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Knowledge Transfer (2007-10).
Over some 30 years, her research has particularly examined the interface between science and policy-making, and the effective use of evidence in decision-making. Currently she is a Director of the Heart of the South-West LEP and a Trustee of the Marine Biological Association. She Chairs the UUK Climate Action Steering Group. Previous appointments have included as a member of the Council of BBSRC (2014-18); NERC's Innovation Board (2011-16); the Science Advisory Council of Defra (2011-16); Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (2006-11); the Council of NERC (2000-6); of EPSRC's Societal Issues Panel and Strategic Advisory Network; the Royal Society's Science in Society Consultative Committee; and the Advisory Board of Veolia Environmental Services.
She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's New Year Honours, 2012, for services to Scientific Research.
Job Titles:
- Operations and Planning Manager
Katalin supports organisational planning at NCUB with a particular focus on project management. Before joining NCUB, she worked in operations and service development for several small UK charities as well as the NHS.
Job Titles:
- Head of Operations and Planning
Louise's focus is on ensuring that the organisation is able to function successfully and respond flexibly to the changing environment. Prior to joining NCUB in September 2019, Louise held a number of senior operations positions, primarily in membership organisations but also in the private and in the education sector.
Marcos Rodriguez is NCUB's Policy Analyst. Marcos plays a critical role in helping the NCUB remain at the forefront of emerging research and policy thinking by developing and presenting analysis on key issues related to R+D, innovation and skills.
Previous to the NCUB, he held different roles across the private and academic sectors, including Research Analyst at KPMG and Research Assistant at the University of Greenwich.
Job Titles:
- Membership Engagement Manager
Nick manages NCUB's member engagement and is driven to ensure that members are maximizing the benefits of their membership. Nick has worked in membership organisations for the last 15 years in account management, member engagement, member recruitment and stakeholder engagement from both operational and strategic perspectives. He has an extensive network across both the public and private sector and has a passion for championing diversity, equality, fairness and accessibility in the workforce.
Job Titles:
- University Partnership Manager
Ranbir is the University Partnerships Manager at the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB). He previously worked for the University of York as their Social Sciences Partnership Manager, delivering projects for the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and the ASPECT network.
Job Titles:
- Head of Policy and Engagement
Rosalind leads on NCUB's policy programmes, as well as member engagement, communications and public affairs. Prior to joining NCUB, Rosalind worked as a Director at the University of Bedfordshire and researcher at Universities UK.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chief Operating Officer of Hess Corporation
- Founder of Neptune Energy
Sam Laidlaw brings extensive experience of working in business both in the UK, and internationally - having held responsibility for businesses across four continents.
Sam Laidlaw is a founder of Neptune Energy and became its first Chairman in 2015. He is an experienced energy industry executive, with a strong international operational track record of more than 30 years in the oil and gas sector.
Previously, Sam has served as Chief Operating Officer of Hess Corporation, with responsibility for global upstream, CEO of Enterprise Oil Plc, Executive Vice President of Chevron Corporation and CEO of Centrica Plc.
Sam has also been a member of the UK Government's Energy Advisory Panel, President of the UK Offshore Operators Association, a member of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Group, the Senior Director for the Department of Transport and a non-executive director of both HSBC Holdings Plc and Hanson Plc.
Sam Laidlaw brings extensive experience of working in business both in the UK, and internationally - having held responsibility for businesses across four continents.
Sam is a founder of Neptune Energy and became its first Executive Chairman in 2015. Previously Sam served as CEO of Centrica - Britain's largest energy provider - from 2006 until 2014 where he rebuilt the company to increase efficiency and competitiveness. Prior to his Centrica role he was Executive Vice President of Chevron.
A qualified solicitor, with an INSEAD MBA, Sam was also a member of the UK Prime Minister's Business Advisory Group, and the lead non-executive director at the Department of Transport. Currently a non-executive director of HSBC Holdings plc, Sam was also the Chair of the CBI's report into business and higher education collaboration.
Job Titles:
- Stakeholder and Communications Manager ( Konfer )
Shivaun manages konfer's communications and stakeholder engagement. She has extensive experience as a communications strategist and practitioner in the public, private and third sector, in a variety of industries including technology, logistics, broadcasting and academic publishing.
Job Titles:
- Strategic Partnerships Engagement Manager - on Maternity Leave
Talah is Strategic Partnerships Engagement Manager at NCUB. In her role she focuses on developing and enhancing engagement with our strategic partners.
Talah has extensive experience in academic and commercial research environments, both in the UK and globally. She is passionate about building sustainable and diverse collaborations bridging gaps across business and education.
Prior to joining NCUB, Talah held roles cultivating successful partnerships across HE and industry at Keele University, University of Roehampton, and most recently University College London (UCL). She was also former Deputy CEO for an International Development firm specialising in translating research into impactful, real-world change.