Before joining the Co-op, Shirine was Chief Operating Officer for the Lloyd’s insurance market, which comprised of more than 50 leading insurance companies operating in over 200 countries. She also led the digital modernisation programme for the wider London insurance industry. 

In addition to holding senior positions at IBM, McDonalds and insurer, Catlin Group, Shirine has worked in a number of regulated sectors in the UK and overseas including retail, IT, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods.  

Shirine was previously a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee at Persimmon Plc and a Non-Executive Director at the Post Office. 

As CEO and founder of GDR, Kate is innovation partner to around 30 of the world's largest consumer brands, including Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose, Target, P&G, Costa Coffee, Coca-Cola, Clorox, Danone, Google, Microsoft, Jaguar Landrover and Lego.

With over 20 years of experience, Rody helps organisations break down barriers to creativity, drive strategic ideation, and turn ideas into action.

Through interactive workshops, he equips teams with practical tools to develop innovative products, services, and processes using design thinking, the lean startup methodology, and the FORTH innovation method.

Rody works across the Netherlands, Europe, and the Middle East, delivering sessions for organisations such as Google Academy, Deloitte, the Red Cross, and McDonald’s.

He is also a published author and TEDx speaker on innovation and creativity.

Named multiple times as one of the 100 most influential disabled people in the UK by Shaw Trust, Beth is a passionate advocate for disability inclusion, working across business, government and the third sector to drive change around work, health and disability.

She is a Harvard University Kennedy Scholar, co-founder of the Disabled Entrepreneurs Network and is a Commissioner on the UK’s Independent Commission for Healthier Working Lives.

Beth’s website: https://www.bethkh.com/

Patchwork Hub website: https://patchworkhub.org/

He is also Executive Lead for the North East Space Skills and Technology Centre (NESST).

John provides strategic leadership, vision and ambition in the development of the University’s International Strategy and profile. This includes:  

Developing and maintaining strong relationships with key overseas stakeholders, particularly our transnational education partnerships., 
Supporting the Chief Marketing Officer to meet the University’s International Recruitment strategy, working to identify new international markets, partnerships, opportunities and initiatives.  
Delivering an excellent international student experience to support student success. 
Working closely with the PVC (Research and Knowledge Exchange) to deliver international strategic research partnerships in support of the university research strategy. 
In 2022 John began work with Lockheed Martin Space UK and the UK Space Agency to develop NESST, a collaborative £50 million pound research and development facility that will transform the space economy of the northeast and the wider UK. His work in the space sector was acknowledged when he was awarded Business Person of the Year for Northumberland and Tyneside in 2024. 

John was born and raised in the colliery villages of County Durham, attending Durham Johnston Comprehensive School. He obtained a BSc (Hons) in Geography at the University of Leeds and University of Liege, Belgium, an MSc at the University of Alberta, Canada and a PhD at the University of Leeds, graduating in 2000. After undertaking postdoctoral research at the University of Leeds, a Lectureship at Brunel University and a research post with the British Antarctic Survey, he joined Northumbria in 2003 as a lecturer. He was awarded a Professorship in 2012 and became Faculty Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) in 2013. In 2018 he became Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Engineering and Environment, before moving to his current role in 2024.  

Having completed a Teaching & Learning PCAPL qualification in 2004 John is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). He is also a Member of the International Glaciological Society (IGS) and a Core Panel Member of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Peer Review College. 

John is a glaciologist with expertise in near-surface geophysics and has attracted £36 million of research and capital funding through his career. His interest in ice/sediment/water interactions in glacial environments has led to NERC funded projects to study Subglacial Lake Ellsworth, Antarctica, the history and dynamics of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and his current project on ice sheet instability as part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, funded by NERC and the National Science Foundation (NSF). He has conducted cryospheric research projects in Arctic Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard and Scandinavia and has spent over a year in Antarctica during seven successful science expeditions. 

With nearly two decades in the student accommodation sector and a background in place marketing, she understands how to break down barriers between property and place - transforming spaces into thriving, connected hubs.

As the founder of Local Life, Laura champions the visibility of small independent businesses, ensuring they become an integral part of the student experience.

She works closely with universities, accommodation providers, and local communities to bridge the gap between student living and the cities they call home - helping to create a sticky campus that keeps students engaged with their surroundings.

Known for her fresh perspective on property and place marketing, Laura continuously challenges the status quo, inspiring others to rethink the role of community both on and off campus.

Michael has been active in ACUHO-I (Association of College and University Housing Officers-International).

During his years of ACUHO-I involvement, Michael has served two previous terms on the Executive Board as the Workforce Development Director and the Finance and Corporate Records Officer, and is currently serves as Vice President.

In addition, he has chaired the annual conference program committee and been a faculty member for James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute and the Roelf Visser Student Housing Training Institute in South Africa.

Her career has focused mainly on the youth and charitable sectors. Previously Fiona was Director of Partnerships and Operations for Step Up To Serve which included a 2 year secondment at the National Lottery Community Fund where she led the development of a £70million fund to support youth social action. In addition Fiona is the Chair of the Longleigh Foundation, a charitable foundation that supports social housing residents.

Prior to joining Russell Partnership Collection, James established his own consultancy business, working with a variety of independent and national hospitality, education, and care organisations to review their operations and processes and successfully supporting business improvements across a range of functions.

Since joining the Partnership, James has worked closely with leading universities, the NHS, local government, hotels, and independent food businesses, to review and develop catering strategies, develop new food concepts, and manage new outlet design projects. James has also written, developed, and delivered training programmes for leading international hotel, travel, and leisure operators.

Qualified to master’s level in Organisation Development and Consultancy, James is currently furthering his education through studying a part-time PhD exploring success and failure in new restaurants. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and is an experienced university lecturer in hospitality management.

Carl regularly opens for Chris Ramsey on his nationwide tours and has supported other acts including Russell Howard. His relentless live work has led him to be named ‘One to watch’ by Chortle.

In 2020 he made his debut hosting BBC1’s flagship show The One Show, and has been seen on ITV2’s The Stand Up Sketch Show and Stand Up Central(Comedy Central).  He has been heard on BBC Radio 4’s Fred at the Stand and BBC Radio Scotland’s The Good The Bad and The Unexpected.

In 2023 Carl began his solo podcast, The Carl Hutchinson Podcast, sharing a hilarious weekly story praised for its simplicity and relatability, ‘like getting voice notes from your funniest mate’.
 

Spent many years in senior roles at several tech companies, Vineyard owner, and lover of English wine!

She has been involved in the transformation to a full-time ResLife team structure, which is now a well-established service at the University. Steph has led a number of projects, including moving the Halls Discipline framework from less punitive to more educational outcomes. Most recently, she worked on implementing a compulsory Consent module for students in Halls and is now working with the wider University to meet both the conditions of OfS E6 and on the EmilyTest Charter Pilot Project in England.

Steph is passionate about staff and student wellbeing, all things ResLife, collaborative working, and loves connecting with others with an interest in HE and ResLife.

Outside of work, Steph is a mum who enjoys running and going to gigs.

With a deep understanding of Gen Z and international student behavior, he helps universities create compelling content that enhances student engagement and experience. They provide valuable insights into student communication trends, digital strategy, and how to get students to listen to the messages you want to communicate.