Council of Management

Professor Alan McCarthy, Chair

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.

Dame Nicola Dandridge DBE, Honorary Secretary

Professor of Higher Education Policy, University of Bristol, since October 2022.  Previously served as the inaugural Chief Executive of the Office for Students (July 2017 – April 2022), as 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.

Mr S J K (Zac) Barratt, Honorary Treasurer

Studied Natural Sciences and then law at Cambridge; qualified as a solicitor with Herbert Smith in 1983. Left Herbert Smith in 1986 to join The Summit Group where he remains as joint owner and one of two executive directors. He has been the finance director since 1993. The Summit Group (www.summit-group.co.uk) is an early stage venture capital business, with over 30 employees in 2 majority-owned businesses, and another 15-odd investments. He was a member of Council at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from 2004 to 2022, and Chair of its Finance and General Purposes Committee. He is a member of the advisory council of Newton Prep, a London day prep school (where he also chairs the independent bursary fund). Between December 2013 and August 2017 he was a governor of a state primary school, St Cuthbert with St Matthias Church of England primary school, in Earls Court.

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.

Dr Joanna Newman MBE

Provost of SOAS, University of London, since September 2023.  Her previous posts include Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (April 2017 - September 2023), 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

Honorary Professor of Practice, University College London, formerly also Counsellor Strategy & External Expertise at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. 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

Chief Executive 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.