Board

Amanda is Vice-Chancellor and President of University of East London and has over 15 years’ experience of Board-level executive and non-executive roles. Amanda is also Chair of London Higher, HEA Principal Fellow and a Council Member for the Association of Commonwealth Universities. A Professor in International Business, she has an extensive record of forging successful collaborations within and between higher education and business, with a diverse senior leadership profile including at Newcastle University, University of Salford, and Durham University as Principal of St. Cuthbert’s Society, a college at the institution.

Amongst Amanda’s numerous notable achievements, she led the development of the University Academy 92, building the distinctive industry-facing ‘Target Talent Curriculum’, founded by Manchester United’s Class of ’92 and Lancaster University. At the University of East London, one of the most socially inclusive universities in the UK, with a community of over 40,000 students representing 160+ nationalities, she is leading considerable success in advancing the diversity of the talent pipeline, building health gain to drive learning gain and delivering a transformative contribution for a healthier, happier, greener and fairer world.

Amanda's vision for her role is stated below.

"With sport playing an integral role in university life and beyond, collaboration must be at the heart of BUCS and will be a key feature of my tenure as Chair. Strengthening ties between universities, colleges, sports organisations, business, government and local communities to create an ecosystem of benefit to all. Together we will advance a culture of excellence, innovation and inclusive practice, shaping the future impact of higher education sport.”

Russell is Sales and Marketing Director of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and has over 20 years of experience in commercial and marketing. Prior to his appointment at the ECB in 2019, Russell was a Director at The Football Association (FA), overseeing marketing and digital. As Senior Independent Director, he is currently Acting Chair of the Board.

Cathy is Director of Sport at the University of Stirling and, as Chair of the Senior Managers Executive, represents Directors of Sport and staff in similar roles on the BUCS Board. She also leads on Senior Managers Network.

Chris is Head of Sports Development at the University of Birmingham and, as Chair of Advisory Group, represents the BUCS membership on the BUCS Board.

George is in his second year on the Board, having been elected in July 2022. He was the Sports Officer at the University of Birmingham Guild of Students in 2021-22, returned to his studies in 2022-23 and has now moved into the world of employent in London. George works with Ella and the elected Student Officers across strategic areas, leads the Sabbatical Officer Network, and represents the student voice on the Board.

Katy advises the direction of BUCS sport and competitions, both national and international level. As the Director of Sport at Newcastle University and a former Rugby England representative, Katy's expertise is around sporting structures, competitions, recruitment and partnership development.

Simon is a Chartered Management Accountant. His previous accountancy roles were in a mix of public and private sector roles including running his own accountancy business.  He was appointed to the Board at the AGM on 9 December 2020 and is looking forward to being able to contribute to such an important part of many students’ time at University and College.   He loves watching all sport at all levels and in recent years has tried to keep fit by participating in running based sports like orienteering, speedgolf, parkruns and triathlon. 
In his Board role, Simon also chairs the BUCS Finance and Audit sub-committee. 

Carrie is a Founding Partner of Brave Within, a leading professional services consultancy working with directors to drive the integration of good governance from within the core of an organisation.  Former General Counsel and Company Secretary for a global corporation, Carrie has over 12 years of experience operating as a member of the C-Suite advising and supporting Boards, Risk and Compliance Committees, and Executive Teams on their governance, legal, compliance and risk responsibilities and obligations. Outside of Brave, Carrie holds several advisory board roles helping SMEs with strategic input and advice.  She is also a Governance and Policy Ambassador and National Spokesperson for the Institute of Directors. 

Ella was elected to the board in July 2023, and is serving her second year as Activities and Opportunities Officer at Leeds University Union. Ella will work with George to lead the Sabbatical Officer Network and represents the voice of students on the board.

 

Kath is an Ambassador and Consultant with leading law firm, Travers Smith. She was formerly Chair of Travers Smith (the first woman to hold this role) and has over a decade of senior leadership experience, both at Travers Smith, and as a non-executive director in the public sector. Kath chaired her firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Board for many years and is a passionate advocate for the benefits which flow from greater diversity. She has been recognised as one of the 20 leading allies in the EMpower Ethnic Minority Role Model Lists, a list which showcases business leaders who are breaking down barriers at work.