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.