Professor Quintin McKellar CBE
Vice Chancellors Executive
Our Vice Chancellor's Executive exercises considerable influence upon the development of University strategy, the identification and planning of new development and the shaping of the University ethos.
Click on any image to view Executive Team biographies.
Visit 'More About our Leadership' to learn more about our Vice Chancellor's Executive.
Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive
Quintin has been the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University since 2011. His responsibilities include the day-to-day running of the institution, the delivery of strategic and operational plans, performance, its internal structure and organisation, and its interface with external bodies and agencies. In 2015 he was elected as a Board member of Universities UK (UUK), and in 2020 was elected as UUK Vice-President (England and Northern Ireland). In 2021 he was elected as a Board member of Advance HE. He was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2011 for services to science.
Professor Julie Newlan MBE
Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Julie was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor in February 2022. She was previously Pro Vice-Chancellor for Business and International Development. She is engaged in all strategic and operational decisions which underpin the positioning and success of the University, and will be leading the University’s strategic plan.
Julie has overall responsibility for University planning, including the development of all academic areas through the respective deans, staff development, international and regional partnerships and developments, recruitment, induction and retention of students, student experience and student outcomes.
Dr Mairi Watson
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience)
Mairi joined the University in May 2020 as Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience. She leads strategy and performance, as well as policy development and delivery, in learning and teaching, student experience, quality assurance and student union relationships. Mairi is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and regularly contributes to external events on the leadership of educational change in challenging contexts.
Professor John Senior
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise)
Appointed in 2006, John is responsible for leading University research and the delivery of research degrees, chairing the University Research Committee, developing international research partnerships in Australia, China, Malaysia, and Vietnam, and overseeing the Doctoral College, which is a community of more than 700 research degree students.
From 2003 to 2006 John was the University Director of Enterprise and Knowledge Transfer as well as being a Dean of Faculty.
He has an international research profile in the field of optical fibre communications and networking, is on the Executive Committee of the Engineering Professors Council and chairs the Research and Enterprise Network for Universities (RENU).
Alistair Moffat
Group Finance Director
After a career in senior positions in the transport industry, Alistair was appointed Group Finance Director in 2009. He has responsibility for all aspects of financial management within the University Group, including financial control, statutory reporting, treasury, tax, insurance, procurement and commercial financial support for the academic community.
His role incorporates Board responsibility for the management of the University's estate and sport. He is a director of UH Holdings Limited, which oversees the commercial subsidiaries in the Group, and is a director of our subsidiary companies.
Alistair was joint chair of the London and South-East British Universities Finance Directors’ Group (BUFDG) from 2016-2021.
Sharon Harrison-Barker
Secretary and Registrar
Sharon was appointed in January 2020. She was previously the Academic Registrar, Head of the Student Centre and Faculty Registrar for the Business School and has worked in various further and higher education institutions. She achieved an MBA in Higher Education Management from the University of London in 2010.
Sharon is responsible for the management and operation of the Board of Governors and the Academic Board, compliance with University policies, regulations and procedures, legal matters of the University and its wholly owned subsidiaries, health and safety, internal audit, equality, registry, human resources, library and computing services, the office of the dean of students and professional staffing.
Jo Stuart
Executive Director for Business, International, Marketing and Recruitment
Jo was appointed in March 2022, and oversees the work of Marketing Communications, Business Development, and the International Office.
She joined the University in 2018 as the Director of Marketing and Communications and over the last four years, Jo has worked tirelessly to transform the University’s marketing and communications function by embedding insight and data-led decision-making across all marketing and communications activities.
Jo previously worked in the Financial Services sector, bringing with her 20 years’ experience in senior leadership roles across product development, marketing, communications and sales.