Council of Management

Professor Michael Worton CBE, Chair
Retired in September 2013 as Vice-Provost (International) at University College London (UCL). He has spoken widely throughout the world on the internationalisation of Higher Education and the purpose and responsibilities of universities in the 21st century. He is Chair of the PSL University Strategic Steering Committee (Paris), is a member of the RADA Council. He was made a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2014.

Professor Alan McCarthy, Honorary Secretary
Emeritus Professor of Microbiology at the University of Liverpool, which he joined as a lecturer in 1985. He was Head of undergraduate admissions for the School of Life Sciences for 20 years, and chairman of the postgraduate selection committee for the Institute of Integrative Biology. He has held a number of external examining, editorial board and research peer review panel appointments in the UK and Europe.

Mr David Ure, Honorary Treasurer
Retired from Reuters Group after a 36-year career, including a decade on the main Board. He was also Chairman of the Group’s charity arm, the Reuter Foundation. He has since served as a non-executive chairman or director of several companies. He is now a trustee of a number of charities.

Dame Nicola Dandridge DBE
Served as the inaugural Chief Executive of the Office for Students from July 2017 – April 2022. Previously Chief Executive, Universities UK (2009-2017), and before that Chief Executive of the Equality Challenge Unit. Originally trained as a lawyer, qualified in both England and Scotland, and worked in private practice.

Professor Vince Emery
President at the University of Hertfordshire hosted by Global Academic Foundation, Egypt. Emeritus Professor of Translational Virology at the University of Surrey and Honorary Professor of Virology at UCL. Chair of the Board of The Pirbright Institute and a Trustee member of the Governing Body of Charterhouse School.

Professor Mark Hammond

Visiting Professor in Public Administration at Canterbury Christ Church University. He is also a Visiting Fellow at the University of Bath, a Non-Executive Board Member of the Crown Prosecution Service and a Council Member of the General Pharmaceutical Council. He was previously Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Chief Executive of West Sussex County Council (2003-10) and worked in Surrey County Council.

Ms Lilia Jolibois
A non-executive Director and Member of the Audit Committee of Futuren Group S.A., France (formerly Theolia S.A.) , a French renewable energy producer and distributor, and Board Director of the INSEAD Foundation. Previously, Senior Vice-President Marketing and Sales for the Aggregates activity of Lafarge Group. A US citizen, born in the former USSR to two university mathematicians, she now resides in Canada.

Dr Joanna Newman MBE
Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities since April 2017. Her previous posts include Vice-Principal (International) at King’s College London, Director of the UK Higher Education International Unit and Head of Higher Education at the British Library. She is a Senior Research Fellow in the History Faculty at King’s and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Southampton, and serves on the board of the School of Advanced Studies, University of London International Academy.

Dr Cornelia Sorabji CBE
Counsellor Strategy & External Expertise at the FCDO, previous roles include Head of FCO Research Analysts and, in the Cabinet Office, Deputy Director leading a team covering international affairs. She originally joined the FCO as its Balkan analyst, having written her Social Anthropology PhD on national identities, Islam and the practice and politics of religion in socialist former Yugoslavia. Her career has included a lectureship at the University of Sussex, honorary fellowships at CEU, Kings College London and UCL, and convening an MA in Public Diplomacy & Global Communication at the latter.

Ms Vivienne Stern MBE
Director of Universities UK since September 2022, previously Director of Universities UK International 2014-2022.

Professor Paul Weindling
Wellcome Trust Research Professor in the History of Medicine at the School of Humanities, Oxford Brookes University. He also lectures at the University of Oxford.