Members of University Court
The University Court is made up of 26 members , including representatives form senior management, academic staff, trade unions, students, alumni, Fife Council and non-executive members appointed on a skills basis. Court is presided over by the Rector. The Senior Lay Member serves as chair of Court.
Since a large part of the University's funding arises from public sources, it is important that Court's procedures and practices demand the highest standards of conduct by the Court and its members. They must also ensure adherence to conditions set out in financial memoranda which are agreed by the University and the Scottish Funding Council.
Individual members of Court have a duty to carry out their responsibilities in an honest, objective and informed manner, at no time supporting sectional interests. Their guiding principle must be to pursue the best interests of the University as a whole. Prior to accepting appointment or nomination for election to Court, prospective members should understand and accept the responsibilities which membership entails and should also consult with the executive officer to the University Court should there be any possibility of conflict of interest.
A list of all current members of University Court and their register of interests can be found below.
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Biography
Dr Leyla Hussein OBE was elected by the students of St Andrews to become the 54th Rector of the University (2020-2023), making history as the first Black woman to hold the
position. She is a psychotherapist, specialising in supporting survivors of sexual abuse, and an international lecturer on female genital mutilation (FGM), recognised globally as one of the key experts on the issue. Her first visit to St Andrews was in February of 2020, when she screened and spoke about the BAFTA-nominated documentary The Cruel Cut.
Her passion is to create safe spaces through her award-winning international campaigns, specialist therapeutic services, and creation of wellbeing communities and resources.Leyla founded The Dahlia Project, the UK’s first specialist therapeutic service for FGM survivors and Safe Spaces for Black Women, providing emotional support for Black women globally. She has recently been appointed as the Global Advocacy Director and Deputy Team Leader of the Africa-led Movement to End FGM and is based between Nairobi, London, and now St Andrews.
Leyla’s work consistently demonstrates a crucial focus on wellbeing, activism, and the inclusion and safety of young people. Her Rectorial campaign was founded upon a vision fora more accessible, activist, and accountable St Andrews. A key priority for her term as Rector is to strengthen the co-creation of positive change with students, through extensive consultation, participation, and engagement. Leyla strongly believes in working together as a community to root out racism, sexism, and any unfair discrimination wherever we find it. She promises to represent students to the best of her ability and make sure this generation of young people is supported. Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- Magool - Owner
- Leyla Therapy - Owner
- The Dahlia Project - Owner
- Options Consultancy Ltd-employed as Global Advocacy Director of the Africa Led Movement to End FGM
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- None
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Catherine Stihler OBE is a former St Andrews student, president of the Students Association, and rector of the university. She has never really been able to leave St Andrews. After studying for an MA (Hons) in Geography and International Relations, she continued studying for an MLitt in International Security Studies and met her future husband here, even getting married at the university.Between 2014 and 2017, it was an immense privilege for Catherine to serve as the 52nd Rector of this university and in 2018 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the university.
After graduating, Catherine worked in the House of Commons for Dame Anne Begg MP before becoming a politician herself and representing the people of Scotland as a Member of the European Parliament for 20 years. As Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, she worked on digital policy, prioritising the digital single market, digital skills, better accessibility of digital products for the disabled, as well as citizen online data protection and privacy.
Catherine stood down from the parliament in 2019, and later that year was awarded an OBE for services to politics. In February 2019 she started work as chief executive of the Open Knowledge Foundation, an international organisation which campaigns for a fair, free and open future. In August 2020, she was appointed chief executive of Creative Commons, a non-profit organisation that helps overcome legal obstacles to the sharing of knowledge and creativity
to address the world’s pressing challenges. She lives in Fife with her husband David and their two children. Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
- None
Directorship of companies:
- CEO President, Creative Commons
- Stihler Enterprises Ltd
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- National Prayer Breakfast of Scotland
- Brink Literacy Project
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- Husband, David Stihler, Solicitor, Church of Scotland
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Biography
Professor Sally Mapstone FRSE became Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews in September 2016. Her academic career before that was spent at the University of Oxford, where she was a Fellow of St Hilda’s College and Professor of Older Scots literature, and latterly served as Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education. She is a board member of Universities UK, a trustee of UCAS and of the Europaeum, and a member of the advisory board of the Higher Education Policy Institute. She leads on widening access work for Universities Scotland. She is chair of the international advisory board for the University of Helsinki. In 2017 she received the Foreign Policy Association of America medal for services to higher education. In 2019 she was elected to the fellowship to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Earlier in her career she worked as an editor in the book publishing industry.
As an academic her research deals with literature in Scots and in Latin before 1707, with political literature, and with book history. She is Honorary President of the Scottish Text Society, an Honorary Fellow of the Association for Scottish Literary Studies, and President of the Saltire Society, which champions Scottish culture.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Member of Board, Universities UK
- Member of advisory board, Higher Education Policy Unit
- Chair, International Advisory Board, University of Helsinki
- Member of the board of trustees of UCAS
- Member of board of trustees of the Europaeum
- President, Saltire Society
- Trustee of the Newbattle Abbey College Trust
- Vice-Convener of Universities Scotland
- Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland
- Trustee, Dr Sloan’s Trust, St Andrews
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- Husband, Martin Griffiths, is on the board of the University shop
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Biography
Professor Stuart Monro OBE, FRSE graduated with first class honours in geology at the University of Aberdeen in 1970 and has a PhD from the University of Edinburgh.
He spent much of his career with the British Geological Survey (BGS) on geological mapping and the application of geology to environmental issues. He was instrumental in driving the digitisation of geological data in BGS and was technical secretary to the WEGS (Directors of Western European Geological Surveys) Standing Group on Geological Information related to the Environment. He held the part-time position of Scientific Director of the Scottish Consortium for Rural Research, which brings researchers together across the field of rural research in universities and research institutions, from 2008 till 2018. He was the founding Scientific Director of Our Dynamic Earth, facilitating a better public understanding of the processes that have shaped the Earth. He was also a tutor in Earth Science with the Open University, a trustee of the National Museums Scotland and the first independent co-chair of the Scottish Science Advisory Council, advising Scottish Government on science policy.
He has been a member of Court at the University of Edinburgh and its vice-convener from 2007 till 2014 and served on the Council of the Open University from 1995 till 2002. He is an Honorary Professor in the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh.
He was awarded an OBE for services to science, the Distinguished Service Award of the Geological Society, honorary doctorates from the Open University, Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh and an honorary fellowship from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.
He joined the University Court of St Andrews University in 2014 and was elected as Deputy Chair of Court in 2018.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of companies:
- Trustee, Brisbane Observatory Trust
- Trustee, Royal Observatory Trust
- Trustee, Royal Society of Edinburgh
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Honorary Professor, University of Edinburgh
- Fellow, Royal Society of Edinburgh (Convener, Young People’s Committee)
- Member of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's Education Advisory Group
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Professor Milne graduated from St Andrews with an MA (Hons) in French and held posts with HM Diplomatic Service in London and East Berlin before combining further travels with a return to academia.
She completed a PhD on Michel Tournier in Auckland with the support of a New Zealand government scholarship, following which she took up a lecturing post at Aston University.
She returned to St Andrews as a lecturer in 1996. Between 2006 and 2009 she held the position of Dean of Arts, and she was Vice-Principal for Education (Proctor) from 2011 to 2018.
Professor Milne’s academic work focuses on modern and contemporary French prose, with a particular interest in the literature of the Antilles. In addition to numerous articles, she has published monographs on the novelists Michel Tournier and Patrick Chamoiseau as well as several edited volumes on French metropolitan and postcolonial writing and culture. She was previously General Editor of Forum for Modern Language Studies, and currently sits on the editorial boards of both French Studies and Littératures.
In 2005, she was awarded the rank of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, a French government honour that recognises significant contributions to the dissemination of French culture.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
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Member of the Board of St Andrews Voices Festival
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Adrian Greer is a freelance consultant. As well as his role with the university he is a Commissioner of the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission. In 2019 he stepped down from the role he had held for nine years as Chief Operating Officer of the British Council, after a 35 year career. Half of this time was spent living overseas, in sub Saharan Africa, Russia and in East Asia. In 2004 he was awarded a CMG for his work as Country Director in Russia. A graduate of English Language and Literature from the University of St Andrews, Adrian is also a qualified accountant and worked for four years for the National Audit Office in Edinburgh and Glasgow. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a keen runner and swimmer. Adrian now divides his time between London and Scotland - he is married and has four grown-up children.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
-
Self-employed consultancy
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Commissioner Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission
- Chair Audit and risk management, Marshall Commission
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Stella Maris studies a Joint Honours degree in English and Philosophy. Stella was born in Nigeria and grew up in Leicester after moving to the United Kingdom with her family as a young child.
Throughout her academic career in St Andrews, she has been a highly active member of the community and applied her skills and passions to various extracurriculars. In 2018/19, Stella was the Female Sports Representative and in 2019/20 she was chosen to become the Senior Student for St Salvator’s Hall. In 2020/21, she continues to serve as the Senior Student, as well as the Deputy Accommodation Officer for Halls. In November 2020, Stella was appointed to become Dr Leyla Hussein’s Rector’s Assessor after co-directing the campaign.
She now leads the Rector’s Committee, a large team of students dedicated to improving the student experience in St Andrews based on a joint vision for better Access, Action, and Accountability at the University. Stella is an avid supporter of student-led social justice campaigns in St Andrews, having been actively involved in the HMO Campaign, Washstation Campaign, and Leyla’s Rectorial Campaign. She is a fierce advocate for higher levels of diversity in St Andrews, for affordability and accountability, as well as for the adoption of a holistic, intersectional approach to the variety of important issues that need to be addressed at the University.
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Biography
Altany is a life-long resident of Glenrothes and is currently the elected Councillor for Glenrothes West and Kinglassie ward.
Elected in 2012 Altany has served in a number of roles and represented Fife Council on a variety of external bodies and boards. Currently serving on Scotland Excel Executive board, COSLA Economy Board, East of Scotland European Consortium and as Scottish Regional Chair of the Industrial Communities Alliance, Altany brings a wide range of knowledge and experience to these roles.
Altany is the Convenor of the Strategic Committee responsible for Economy, Tourism, Strategic Planning and Transportation in the current Administration of the Council and was the Finance and Corporate Services Spokesperson in the 2012-2017 session. During this time serving on the COSLA Audit Committee as well as Standards and Audit at Fife Council.
Having spent much of his work life in Industry and latterly lecturing at Adam Smith College, Altany has a variety of workplace experiences to call upon and supports this with many qualifications gained through frequent returns as an adult learner.
A love of numbers led him to Accounting (ACCA) and then Economics (OU) after a degree in Management and he uses these skills regularly as a senior member of the Fife Council Administration.
Married with a grown-up family and no pets, Altany enjoys writing, football and e-sports among many other interests.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- Fife Council - Elected member
Directorship of companies:
- Business Gateway Fife – Director
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Fife Economy Partnership – Councillor
- Industrial Communities Alliance – Scottish Regional Chair
- Scotland Excel – executive sub committee member
- East of Scotland European Consortium – Board member
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Iain is an expert in integrated communications, global political risk and public policy.
He has over 25 years experience in communications, initially as a business journalist and then as a founding shareholder at Incisive Media. Iain is co-founder and Executive Chairman at Cicero/AMO and focuses on public policy and corporate communications strategy supporting global FTSE and Fortune 500 blue chip organisations. He provides CEO and Board level counsel.
He is a Non-Executive Director of Innovate Finance – the UK body for the global fintech sector. He is one of the Financial Times LGBT Global 100 Executives and a Financial Times top 20 Champion of Women in Business. Iain is immensely proud to be a Stonewall Ambassador and Trustee of charity GiveOUT.
He is a Fellow of both the CIPR and the PRCA and a Freeman of the City of London. His recent book explores the relationship between business and policymakers. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Institute of Business Ethics and served on the Advisory Board of the Queen Elizabeth II Garden in New York from 2012 until 2016.
He is a tennis geek, an Arsenal season ticket holder and an opera nut.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
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EMPLOYMENT – EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF CICERO/AMO - [REGISTERED AS CICERO CONSULTING LIMITED] 15% SHARE OF EQUITY
Directorship of companies:
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DIRECTOR OF CICERO/AMO [CICERO CONSULTING LIMITED]
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DIRECTOR OF INNOVATE FINANCE [CITY OF LONDON FINTECH BODY]
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DIRECTOR OF CORIOLIS TECHOLOGIES
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
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CICERO/AMO [CICERO CONSULTING LTD] - 15%
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CORIOLIS TECHNOLOGIES – 4%
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ARTCLEAR – 1%
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- HMG LGBT Business Champion
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AMBASSADOR – STONEWALL
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ADVISORY BOARD – INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS ETHICS
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DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE – ROBERT GORDON’S COLLEGE
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TRUSTEE – GIVEOUT CHARITY
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FELLOW – RSA
Relevant interests of connected persons:
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MARK TWIGG – CICERO/AMO - 6% SHAREHOLDING
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Biography
Jonathan is a financial services expert with a career history of executive roles across banking, insurance and the investment industry.
More recently, Jonathan has focused on the way technology can bridge the gap between customers and financial organisations; enabling customers to understand products and services easily, make better decisions and achieve greater outcomes.
A strong believer that exceptional client outcomes can only be delivered with engaged and enabled employees Jonathan has championed employee issues and was an executive member of The Diversity and Inclusion committee at Fidelity International.
Since stepping away from executive life, Jonathan has been appointed as an independent non-executive director of SVM Asset Management in Edinburgh and as a member of the FCA’s Financial Services Consumer Panel.
Jonathan has an MA (Hons) in Management with International Relations from the University of St Andrews.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, businesses or consultancies:- Member of FCA’s Financial Services Consumer Panel
Directorships of companies:
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Independent Non-Executive Director of SVM Asset Management
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Independent Non-Executive Director of New Value Investments
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- None
Relevant Interests of Connected Persons:
- None
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Biography
Mark Harris joined the University in 2000 as a lecturer in Social Anthropology and was appointed to professor in 2017. He studied at the London School of Economics and completed his PhD on the people who live on the floodplain of the River Amazon, a fascinating and challenging environment. His research continues to centre on the Amazon and what makes it a place of global, historical and anthropological significance.
He was awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize in 2004 and has been the recipient of grant funding from the Leverhulme Trust, the British Academy, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Brazil’s research funding agency, FAPESP. Visiting fellowships have involved residences in Brazil and the USA (Brown University). His monographs are Life on the Amazon (2000, Oxford/British Academy) and Rebellion on the Amazon (2010, Cambridge) with another on the way on the early colonial period of the Amazon’s history, entitled, The Birth of Brazilian Amazonian Societies. His edited volumes include Some Other Amazonians (2006, Institute for the Study for the Americas, with Stephen Nugent), Ways of Knowing (2007, Berghahn), Reflections on the Imagination (2014, Routledge with Nigel Rapport).
He is the Head of the School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies, one of the largest and most diverse schools in the university with over 60 academic colleagues, almost 500 undergraduates and over 76 research postgraduates. He has taught in Brazil and, at St Andrews, at all levels of the curriculum and undertaken various service roles, including sitting on the university-wide Staff Committee. A fell runner in his valuable spare time he is also a member of the Scottish Athletics Hill Running Commission.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Association of Social Anthropologists of Great Britain
- Author Licensing Society
- Brazilian Anthropology Association (ABA)
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Sharon Ashbrook received an MChem in Chemistry in 1997 and a DPhil in Physical Chemistry both from Hertford College, Oxford in 2001. After postdoctoral research at Exeter, she was awarded a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship in 2003, which she held at the University of Cambridge. During this time she also held the Charles and Katherine Darwin Research Fellowship at Darwin College. From October 2005, she was appointed as an RCUK Academic Fellow in the School of Chemistry at the University of St Andrews and was promoted to Reader in 2009 and Professor of Physical Chemistry in 2013.
Her research focuses on understanding the local structure, disorder and dynamics in the solid state, using a combination of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and first-principles calculations. She has been awarded the RSC Harrison Prize (2004), Marlow Award (2011) and Corday-Morgan Prize, and the RSE MakDougall Brisbane Medal (2012). She was elected as FRSE in 2016 and is the holder of a Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award (2015). She was awarded a Suffrage Science award (celebrating women in science) in 2017. She was one of the founding members of the RSE Young Academy and is also involved in range of outreach activities in her position as Chair of the RSC Tayside Local Section. She sits on the EPSRC Facility Executive of the UK High-Field NMR facility, the RSE Fellowship and Education committees and was on the 2014 Hong Kong RAE panel.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE)
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC)
- Member of the Institute of Physics
- Chair of RSC Tayside Local Section
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Morven Shearer is based in the School of Medicine where she works in the area of medical ethics and healthcare policy, with a particular interest in global health.
She holds a PhD (Physiology, Cambridge), MSc (Pharmacology, Iowa), BSc (Hons) (Pharmacology, Glasgow), PGDip (Law, London), PGCertHE (Dundee) and is a Fellow of the HEA.
She arrived at the University in 2001 as a teaching fellow in the School of Biology and was promoted to principal teaching fellow and senior lecturer in 2008. She worked in the School of Biology for almost 10 years and held a number of positions during that time, including Advisor of Studies, Disabilities Coordinator and Director of Teaching.
Morven then moved to the School of Medicine in 2011 to further pursue her research and teaching interests in biomedical ethics. She chairs the School ethics committee, is deputy convenor of UTREC, a member of AWEC and part of the University research integrity working group. She has collaborated across the University on interdisciplinary teaching initiatives, set up a cross-school faculty learning community and received one of the inaugural University Teaching Awards in 2010.
Morven has worked with the NHS, WHO, QAA and HEA and is a trustee for Signpost International, a UK-based international development charity.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- None
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Derek Ball joined the Department of Philosophy in 2008 as a postdoctoral research fellow funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). He was appointed to a lectureship in 2010. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA from Whitman College. During his time in St Andrews, he has served as coordinator of the St Andrews and Stirling joint PhD programme in philosophy, and as director of the Arche Research Centre. He has held visiting fellowships at the Australian National University and the University of Oslo, as well as research grants from the AHRC.
His research focuses on understanding the mind and its place in the natural world, with special focus on the ways in which our thought and language are shaped by the environment. He is the co-editor of The Science of Meaning (Oxford University Press), and his work has appeared in Mind, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Philosophers’ Imprint, Inquiry, and elsewhere.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Member, British Philosophical Association
- Member, Aristotelian Society
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Lorna is the Director of Careers at the University. She graduated from Newcastle University with a BA and PhD in Geography. She spent six years in their School of Architecture Planning and Landscape, principally as a Research Associate but with a substantial teaching portfolio. Her research focused on policy approaches to tackling poverty and deprivation in deprived regions of the UK, and latterly focused on rural development issues in Skye and Lochalsh.
Lorna then transitioned into Newcastle’s Careers Service, starting out teaching on their placement-based skills development modules, before becoming a Careers Adviser in 2007 specialising in working with scientists and research students and staff, gaining a PGDip in Careers Education, Information and Guidance in HE from the University of Warwick.
She took up her role as Director of Careers at St Andrews in 2018, focusing on the overall leadership, strategy, and service delivery of the Careers Centre, as well as providing leadership within the institution regarding student and graduate employability and career management.
She is an active member of her professional association, AGCAS. She is a trainer on the AGCAS/University of Warwick course’ Guidance Skills (Advanced) and is a peer assessor for the AGCAS Quality Standard, which she also helped to write as part of her role on the AGCAS Professionalism Working Group.
Lorna is particularly interested in equalities issues, especially concerning gender and social class, and is passionate about the valuable role that professional services play in contributing to the university’s success.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of companies:
- Director and Trustee of AGCAS (Associate of Graduate Careers Advisory Service) in capacity as Vice-President
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Membership of AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services), including roles as a trainer and member of the Professionalism Working Party.
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Alex joined the University of St Andrews as a staff member in 2014 after a period of inactivity after retiring from Local Government in 2011. He commenced his working career with Fife Council in 1979 within the Education Department where he remained until leaving in 2012 carrying out various jobs.
His trade union career has allowed him to work with diverse organisations such as Fife Council, Fife Constabulary, Scottish Police College and other police divisions, further education colleges and private schools. During his trade union career, he has worked closely with all tiers of management in these organisations, from cleaners to chief executives, council leaders to chief constables.
Alex held the positions of trade union officer and team manager of 360 staff simultaneously within Fife Council Education Department for several years. Working in these two roles simultaneously gave him a unique perspective on how to balance the organisations need to prosper while maintaining and enhancing the terms and conditions of trade union members.
As a trade union representative of over 40 years, he has upheld the rights of members through the most challenging of times maintaining close working relationships with different Human Resources departments and the leaders of organisations. As a representative of the non-academic staff trade union members on Court, he can continue to work on behalf of trade union members to ensure their rights are upheld.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- None
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Malcolm Petrie completed his PhD in Scottish History at the University of St Andrews in 2014. After a year at the University of Edinburgh as a postdoctoral research fellow, he returned to St Andrews in 2016 to take up a lectureship in the School of History, where he served as the Director of the Institute of Scottish Historical Research. His research focuses on the development of politics in twentieth-century Scotland, and especially on changing perceptions of the relationship between politicians and the public. His work has appeared in the Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Historical Journal and Contemporary British History, and he is the author of Popular Politics and Political Culture: Urban Scotland, 1918-1939 (Edinburgh University Press, 2018). His research has been supported by grants from the Leverhulme Trust, the Carnegie Trust, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
He joined the University Court in 2020, where he acts as the representative of the University of St Andrews branch of the University and College Union.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Member of the University and College Union
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Lottie is originally from a small village in Kent in the South East of England, and moved to St Andrews in 2017 for University. At University, she completed an MA Art History and Philosophy, as well as taking modules in Social Anthropology and Divinity. She also took part in the Laidlaw Scholarship programme, undertaking research into Ancient Near Eastern Goddess Worship. Before being elected Association President, she sat on several society committees—such as St Can-drews Foodbank Collection and Labour Society—and has participated in many campaigns, including the Campaign for Affordable Student Housing and St Andreans for Summer SAAS.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
-
None
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- None
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Leonie Malin Höher (she/her) was elected by the student body as the Director of Education for 2021-2022. During her time as a student of St Andrews, she read for a joint degree in International Relations and Sustainable Development. The focus of her final year dissertation was a critical exploration of sustainable development in Central America and the value of applying decolonial thinking to the subject.
Alongside her academic career, Leonie was involved in various student-led initiatives and groups in St Andrews including roles as a class representative, Educational Officer for the Sustainable Development Society, Green Week Coordinator and Head of Events for the Environment Subcommittee, Sustainability Officer and Vicarium to the Assessor for the Rector’s Committee, and writer for several student magazines. In her final year, she took on a role as co-director of the successful campaign to get Dr Leyla Hussein elected as Rector and subsequently began working very closely with Leyla and the current Rector’s Assessor Stella Maris. Leonie’s passion has always been to create positive change in the St Andrews community on issues including but not limited to representation, diversity, intersectionality, accessibility, and sustainability.
Leonie has professional experience working as a volunteer, interning for the World Energy Council, and working as the personal assistant to Leyla Hussein. She lived in her hometown of Berlin for most of her life before moving to St Andrews and is aspiring to complete a postgraduate degree in Latin American Studies before pursuing a career in Central America.
Register or interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
-
St Andrews Students’ Association
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Tim Allan FRSA is a private equity and property entrepreneur with many outside philanthropic interests. He owns Unicorn Property Group - an award winning Scottish property business - and is particularly involved in the regeneration of Dundee. Tim is President and Chair of Scottish Chambers of Commerce and became Chair of the V&A Museum Dundee in 2019.
A St Andrews alumni, he served in the British Army for ten years and thereafter spent seven years in private wealth working for Citigroup and UBS with some of the UK’s most prominent entrepreneurs. He founded Unicorn in 2005.
Tim has had a number of key business interests particularly in the fuel forecourt sector as founder and board director of Motor Fuel Group, the largest fuel retailer in the UK. He is a major property investor and developer in Dundee and Scotland, also investing in a number of early stage technology companies and is on the board of the Archangels Investment Syndicate.
Outside business, Tim was a member of the Scotland Committee of the BIG Lottery Fund for seven years, and was formerly the Chair of Young Enterprise Scotland, the leading business and enterprise education charity in Scotland. He served as President of Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce from 2014 to 2016.
Tim holds the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion and is a Deputy Lieutenant for the county of Clackmannanshire.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- Motor Fuel Group Ltd - Non-Executive Director
- Tricorn Properties Ltd - Owner
Directorship of companies:
- Scottish Chambers of Commerce
- Tricorn Properties Ltd
- Motor Fuel Limited
- Scimitar TopCo Ltd
- Highway Stops Ltd
- Leopard PEL Ltd
- Leopard No 2 Investments Ltd
- MFG Ltd
- Kerr 1 Ltd
- Kerr 2 Ltd
- Fuel Stop (UK) Ltd
- Burns & Co Ltd
- Manor Service Stations Ltd
- Scimitar MidCo Ltd
- Elite Fuels Ltd
- Roadside Group Ltd
- Dundee Museums Foundation
- Design Dundee Ltd
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- Motor Fuel Group - 1%
- Tricorn Properties Limited - 100%
- North Swell Technologies Ltd - 7.5%
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Chair, V&A Museum Dundee
- Chair, Scottish Chambers of Commerce
- Board member, Archangels Investment syndicate
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
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Biography
Ian Duncan
Lord Duncan of Springbank PhD FGS
Appointed a working peer by UK Prime Minister in 2017, Ian is currently Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords.Previously, Ian was a UK Government Minister, serving in each of the territorial departments (Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland) and laterally as Minister for Climate Change with
responsibility for international negotiations. Before joining the Government, he spent over a dozen years in Brussels, finally as an MEP. During his time in the European Parliament, Ian sat on the committees responsible for Environment and for Energy (ITRE). He was the Parliament’s chief negotiator on the reform of EU carbon markets and was his group’s chief negotiator on nine pieces of environmental legislation. During his tenure he was ranked the 10th most influential MEP on environmental policy and 6th on energy by Votewatch; and 15th most influential individual in the EU on Energy by Euractiv. Ian previously worked for BP, the Scottish Refugee Council, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, and the University of Bristol. In addition to his other roles, Ian is Chair of the National Forest and of the Confederation of Forest Industries (CONFOR), President of the English-Speaking Union (Scotland) and the
Association of Decentralised Energy, a Board Member of the Schwarzenegger Institute and of the think tank Policy Connect, as well a Fellow of the Geological Society. He holds a degree in geology from the University of St Andrews and a doctorate from Bristol University. Register of interests:
Excerpt from House of Lords Register of Interest:
DUNCAN OF SPRINGBANK, LORD
Category 2: Remunerated employment, office, profession etc.- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (interest ceased 14 February 2020); Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Climate Change,
- Department for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (interest ceased 14 February 2020) - Honorary President, Association for Decentralised Energy
- Chair, CONFOR and Director of associated limited company
- Senior Counsel, Terrestrial Energy
Category 5: Land and property:
- Flat in Aberdeen from which rental income is received
- Flat in Glasgow from which rental income is received
Category 10: Non-financial interests (a):
- Member, Advisory Board, Policy Connect
Category 10: Non-financial interests (b):
- Member, Board of Advisors of the Schwarzenegger Institute, University of Southern California, USA
- Member, Advisory Board, Institute of Legal and Constitutional Research, University of St Andrews
- Member, Advisory Panel, Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD)
- Member, Court of the University of St Andrews
Category 10: Non-financial interests (e):
- Honorary President, English-Speaking Union Scotland
- Chair, The National Forest, and Director of the associated charitable company
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- None
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
-
Biography
Alison is the chief executive Advance HE. She was appointed in autumn 2017, to lead the merger of three national agencies which created Advance HE in 2018.
Prior to that she was the chief executive of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (LFHE). With three decades experience in higher education she was held a variety of senior posts including head of policy for leadership, governance and management at the HEFCE (The Higher Education Funding Council for England, now the Office for Students, the HE regulator for England), where she led on a wide range of policy themes and established both the Leadership Foundation and the Equality Challenge Unit.
She is a past president and chair of the Association of University Administrators (AUA), advisor to the Association of Commonwealth Universities Human Resources Management Network and also sits on the British Council’s planning committee for Going Global, the major international higher education conference. She has and has held numerous Board positions and works widely in the area of effective governance and the advancement of equality, diversity and inclusion.
Alison has extensive international experience in higher education sitting on a variety of boards and advising governments and higher education institutions on higher education reform. She led the review of teaching and learning enhancement for the Australian government, which established the Office for Learning and Teaching to enhance teaching quality across the Australian higher education sector. Alison regularly takes part in conferences and events, both nationally and internationally, and has been an invited speaker in over 30 countries on four continents speaking on all aspects of university leadership, governance and management.
Register of interests:
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
-
Employed as CEO of AdvanceHE. A sector owned higher education agency and educational charity for the development of people, institutions and systems in higher education.
Directorship of companies:
- None
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
-
Honorary Fellow of the AUA. Association of University Administrators.
-
Member of the Remuneration Committee of the ACU (Association of Commonwealth Universities).
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- Husband, Prof Sir Terence Stephenson
- UCL - Nuffield Prof Child Health
- Health Research Authority for England - Chair
- RCPCH - Trustee, Past President and Fellow
- Royal College of Physicians, London - Fellow
- Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh - Honorary Fellow
- Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh - Honorary Fellow
- Royal Austrailian College of Physicians - Honorary Fellow
- Royal College of Physicians of Ireland - Honorary Fellow
- Royal College of Surgeons, England - Honorary Fellow
- Royal College of General Practitioners - Honorary Fellow
- Royal College of Anaesthetists - Honorary Fellow
- College of Anaesthetists of Ireland - Honorary Fellow
- Hong Kong Academy of Pharmacy - Honorary Fellow
- Association of Medical Educators - Honorary Fellow
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Biography
Frank MacInnis is the retired Chairman and CEO of Connecticut-based EMCOR Group, Inc., the world’s largest specialty engineering, construction and facilities services company, and is a veteran of more than 30 years in the international engineering and facilities services industries.
A native of Camrose, Alberta, Canada, Mr MacInnis attended University of Alberta from 1963 to 1971, during which time he was active in student affairs, serving as Law Representative on Student’s Council and as Class Historian for the 1971 Convocation.
After five years of commercial law practice, he began his engineering and construction career in Tehran, Iran, as an officer of Paris-based Spie Batignolles S.A. The following years included postings and construction operations in Baghdad, Bangkok, the United Arab Emirates, and London. From a base in Dallas, Texas, Mr MacInnis participated in the construction of some of the premier energy development projects in history. During this period, he also co-founded a pioneering company in the new field of horizontal directional drilling, designed to significantly reduce ecological risks associated with many types of construction projects.
Mr MacInnis joined JWP, Inc. in early 1994 and successfully managed its reorganisation, serving as its Chairman and CEO for 17 years. Today, EMCOR Group, Inc., the successor company to JWP, is a Fortune 500 firm with more than 30,000 employees worldwide and 2018 revenues of $8 billion (USD). EMCOR has been named numerous times by Forbes Magazine as one of ‘America’s Most Admired Companies’.
Mr MacInnis also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Gilbane, Inc., a major engineering and construction manager, ComNet Communications, a provider of voice, data, and video infrastructure, and is the Chairman of the Board of ITT, Inc., a high-tech engineering and manufacturing company.
Mr and Mrs MacInnis divide their time between the east coast of the USA and St Andrews.
Register of interests:
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- ComNet Communications, LLC (67% ownership)
Directorship of companies:
- American Securities - Executive Council Member
- Argus Machine Co., Ltd. – Director
- ComNet Communications – Chairman of the Board
- Gilbane, Inc – Director
- ITT, Inc. - Non-executive Chairman of the Board
- ITT, Inc – Non Executive Director
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- ComNet Communications, LLC - 67%
- AetherWorks LLC - 10%
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- The New Golf Club - Member
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- 90% AetherWorks LLC
-
Biography
Eve is managing director of Whiteburn Projects, focused on the delivery of the groups Residential and Build to Rent businesses. She started her career as a Laing Civil Engineering sponsored Quantity Surveying student and studied at South Bank University. She has had a varied and diverse career within the construction industry. She qualified as an MRICS Quantity Surveyor in 1995. Eve was on Hillcrest Housing Associations' Committee of Management from 2012 to 2017.
Eve lives in Edinburgh and spends her free time walking her springer spaniel and keeping herself fit and active.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- Whiteburn projects Limited
Directorship of companies:
- Whiteburn Holdings Ltd
- Whiteburn Projects Ltd
- Sonich Ltd
- Whiteburn Viewforth Development ltd
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- Whiteburn Developments Ltd
- Whiteburn Edenhall Ltd
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- None
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
-
Biography
Professor Anu Ojha OBE is Director of the UK’s National Space Academy programme, a Director of the UK National Space Centre and a member of STFC Council. He is also a member of the European Space Agency’s Human Spaceflight and Exploration Science Advisory Committee (HESAC) – the senior advisory body to ESA’s Director of Human Spaceflight and Robotic Exploration on all matters concerning scientific exploitation of human spaceflight, microgravity and exploration programmes.
Anu is the lead for skills/education and human spaceflight/robotic exploration in the UK Government’s programmes of strategic collaboration in Space Science and Technology with China. He was Principal Investigator for the Astro Academy Principia experiments conducted by astronaut Tim Peake aboard the International Space Station and was awarded Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) status for outstanding teaching by the Secretary of State for Education in 2003 Anu continues to teach physics A level on the National Space Academy’s Space Engineering course and specialises in human spaceflight and exploration systems on international undergraduate and postgraduate courses delivered by the University of Leicester. He has contributed to several national and international strategic space science and space policy reports and in 2020 was invited by the Secretary of State for Defence to participate in the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy.
Over the last twenty years Anu has also continued his involvement in high-altitude expeditions, free- and scuba diving and is a current skydiver with over 1300 jumps.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
-
Employed by National Space Centre Operating Company (NSSC Operations)
-
Employed by UKRI as a Member of STFC Council (2018-22 and then extended for further two years to 2024)
Directorship of companies:
-
Director of NSSC Operations Ltd
-
Member of STFC Council
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
-
Honorary Professor in School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester (2016-2019 and then extended 2019-2024) – unremunerated
-
Member, ESA (European Space Agency) Human Spaceflight and exploration Science Advisory Committee (HESAC) 2018-2022 - unremunerated
-
Ex officio member, UK Space Agency Space Exploration Advisory Committee (SEAC) – unremunerated
-
Member of CSR sub-committee, STFC
-
100A1 Ambassador, Lloyd’s Register Foundation – unremunerated
-
Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- My wife is an Administrative Manager for MACE construction company focusing on internal staff expenses.
-
-
Biography
Jenny Stewart, FRSA, retired as a Partner in professional services firm, KPMG, in 2020. KPMG provides services to a client base covering most sectors of the UK economy; employs some 17,000 staff; and is part of a global network of KPMG firms operating in 147 countries. Jenny was a member KPMG’s UK leadership team for the Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare (IGH) business, which included the Higher Education sector. She was also responsible for the IGH business in Scotland.
Jenny has a Management Consulting and Corporate Finance background and advised on complex advisory assignments in strategy; funding and finance; organisational and operational change. The early part of Jenny’s career was spent in the policy fast-stream of the UK Government in London, including a secondment to the European Union in Brussels and a period in the Scottish Office in Edinburgh.
Jenny’s previous governance roles have included being a non-executive member of KPMG's UK Board Remuneration and Nominations Committee; a member of the CBI Scotland Council; Non-Executive Director of the David Hume Institute; Non-Executive Director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh; and Non-Executive Director of Volunteer Scotland.
She is currently a Non-Executive Director of the Dunedin Consort classical music ensemble and a member of the Scottish Government's Business Leaders Advisory Group on the Scottish Business Pledge.
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of companies:
-
Non-Executive Director and Chair – Dunedin Consort
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)
- Member of the Scottish Government’s Business Leaders Advisory Group on the Scottish Business Pledge
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
Register of interests information of senior management closely associated with the work of the University Court can be found below.
-
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, businesses or consultancies:
- Assessor for College of Policing
- Advisor to World Bank on strategic procurement reform
- Visiting Lecturer, Tor Vegata University
Directorship of companies:
- Non-Executive Director, Energy Efficient Scotland Board
- Non-Executive Director, Droman Solutions Ltd
- Director, Merrill Solutions Ltd
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- Merrill Solutions Ltd
- Droman Solutions Ltd
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Fellow, Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply
- Fellow, Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and commerce
- Trustee, University of St Andrews Superannuation & Life Assurance Scheme
Relevant Interests of Connected Persons:
- None
-
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of Companies:
- Director of some University subsidiaries (wholly owned by University of St Andrews).
- Attendance (non-voting) for two spinouts:
- Pneumagen
- Xelect.
- Attendance (non-voting) for M-Squared Life
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Associate - Chartered Global Management Accountant
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None
-
Register of interests
Employment by, or ownership or part-ownership of, business or consultancies:
- None
Directorship of Companies:
- None, other than UstA Companies
Significant (1%+) shareholdings in companies:
- None
Membership of other bodies that may have connections to the University:
- Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
Relevant interests of connected persons:
- None