Professional services and academic staff governor elections

Following the call for nominations, two separate elections are being held to appoint one Professional Services Staff Governor and one Academic Staff Governor to the Board of Governors. The following candidates are standing for election:

Professional Services Staff Governor Election

• Danielle Anderson, Head of Employer Engagement
• Ros Leahy, Solicitor
• Emma Lyle, Business Information and Data Quality Manager
• Rachel McCloskey, Academic Administration Manager
• Nia Williams, Head of Environmental Sustainability and Energy Services

Academic Staff Governor Election

• Dr Matteo Borrini, Principal Lecturer in Biological and Environmental Sciences
• Professor Carol Cox-Forshaw, Head of Policing Studies
• Dr Fariba Sharifian, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science

The successful candidate in each election will serve a three-year term of office, commencing in advance of the next meeting of the Board of Governors on Monday 5 October 2026.

The elections will be conducted through separate anonymous online ballots. Eligible professional services staff and academic staff will participate in the ballot for their respective staff category.

Voting will open at 12pm on Wednesday 12 August 2026 and close at 5pm on Friday 11 September 2026.

The candidate in each election receiving the highest number of votes will be declared elected. The results will be announced on Wednesday 16 September 2026.

How to cast a vote

To facilitate the voting process, all eligible staff will be added to a dedicated MS Teams page before voting opens. Instructions on how to cast a vote will be issued via MS Teams on Wednesday 12 August 2026.

Paper ballots will be provided to staff without regular access to IT systems. Any eligible member of staff who does not have regular access to IT systems and has not been provided with a paper ballot should contact the Secretariat team by email or ask their line manager to contact the Secretariat on their behalf.

Although elected by staff within their respective categories, staff governors are members of the Board of Governors as a whole and do not represent any particular group, department or service area.

If you require any further information, please contact the Secretariat.