Council

Rod Bristow joined us on 1 October 2024 as the new Chair of Council, succeeding John Hinchcliffe, who served as our interim Chair since May 2023.

In his role as Chair, Rod brings a wealth of experience and expertise from the education sector, having held senior executive roles at FTSE100 global learning company Pearson PLC between 1992 and 2021, including four years as President. He is also a Visiting Professor at University College London Institute of Education. 
 
Rod currently chairs the Academic Advisory Board for Kortext, a UK based e-learning provider. He is an experienced non-executive, having been a member of the Confederation of British Industry President's Committee and a Fellow for the Royal Society for the Arts.

John built his career in the home shopping retail sector, leading mature/ legacy companies through "seismic-evolution" from catalogue to online.

He was Chief Executive of Freemans Grattan Holdings Ltd (and its subsidiaries Grattan plc and Freemans plc) the Bradford based online and catalogue retailer from 2012 to 2020.  His brief was to lead a turnaround, and revenues grew from £160 to £260M.

Prior to FGH, John was Marketing Director of FTSE 250 online/ catalogue/ financial services company N Brown Group plc.  Between 2003 and 2012, revenues grew from £410 to £750m and profit grew from £40 to nearly £100m.

He started his career in 1983 with Damart and first worked at Grattan plc/ Freemans plc from 1994 to 2003 reaching the board in 2000.

John is a Bradford University graduate  (BA (hons) Social Studies (1990) and Management (MBA, 1994)).

He is currently a Director and Trustee of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society, a heritage railway based in Haworth.

Kate has been working in Financial Services for the past two decades in a broad range of roles across Audit, Risk and Finance, now sitting on the ExCo for Yorkshire Building Society as their Chief Internal Audit Officer.  She is responsible for its 'third line of defence' in the Society's risk management model, including evaluating how it manages its capital, liquidity, credit, operational and regulatory risks. 

Kate is dedicated to promoting meaningful, lasting diversity in the workplace, understanding how it enhances innovation, decision-making and ultimately the bottom-line.  As the Executive Sponsor of its DE&I activities, Kate supports YBS with its responsibility to create and sustain an inclusive and equitable working environment, where all colleagues can realise their true potential.

Ash studied Pharmacy at the University of Bradford and after practicing as a pharmacist, went on to qualify as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG.  His career has spanned finance and commercial roles in large multinationals and more recently listed SME growth companies in sectors such as minerals technology, pharmaceuticals, lens technology, e-health and software.  He has also been a Non Executive Director and Chair of Audit Committee of a listed company.

In his current role as CFO of an AIM quoted software business, Ash has driven the ESG and EDI agenda which has recently become an important aspect of any public company, being a key factor for institutional investors' investment decisions.

Ash has a strong interest in politics and current affairs and is passionate about social mobility.  Whilst at Bradford he was involved in local politics, often canvassing in places such as Shipley, Saltaire, Otley and Guiseley.  

Ash lives in Twickenham with his wife and two daughters, and in his spare time he likes to play tennis, cycle and run.

Vishanth Weerakkody is Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement and Partnerships at the University of Bradford and a Professor of Digital Governance.  Since joining University of Bradford in 2017, Vishanth has held multiple leadership positions including as Dean of the Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences where he led the faculty through the covid-19 pandemic, as Associate Dean Planning and Resources where he managed the implementation of a transformative change programme, and as Associate Dean International and Enterprise where he led a growth agenda for Internalisation through developing high-quality partnerships and mobility for the faculty across Europe, Asia, Middle-East and Turkey.

Although holding significant leadership responsibility, Vishanth maintains a healthy research track record and continues to publish in Chartered Associate of Business School (CABS) 3/4 journals and has led two impact case studies for the 2021 Research Excellence Framework which is held every seven years in the UK to measure the societal impact of research done by universities.  He continues to attract R&D funding and his current research is multidisciplinary and centred around public sector policy implementation, process transformation in public administrations through digital technologies, and the implementation, diffusion and adoption of disruptive technologies to support sustainable societies.  In this realm, Vishanth has presented written evidence to separate parliamentary inquiries on the UK Universal Credit and Common Agriculture Policy Development Programmes and oral evidence on Digital Governance to the Science and Technology Committee in the House of Commons.  His passion for solving societal problems through research and innovation together with a vast network of collaborators from external bodies such as the European Commission, European Science Research Council, Qatar Foundation, British Council, and UK Local Government.

A passionate advocate of 'responsible internationalisation' in Higher Education, Vishanth draws from several years of experience in multinational organisations such as BAT Industries and IBM to support the University of Bradford's global engagement agenda.

Simon is a barrister whose areas of interest include employment, equality, safeguarding, and mental health law.  He sits as a part time judge.

In addition, Simon has or has recently had a number of independent regulatory roles (within sports, healthcare, and business) and board-level roles (within the NHS, dispute-resolution, professional regulation, charity, and sport).

Raja Waseem Ahmad is a seasoned humanitarian leader with an impressive 23 year career dedicated to poverty eradication in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.  His extensive experience in the international aid sector showcases his unwavering commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable populations around the world.

Waseem embarked on his humanitarian journey over two decades ago, when he joined the Islamic Relief Worldwide family.  Initially serving as a Programme Officer in the Balochistan province of south western Pakistan, he quickly demonstrated his dedication and capabilities.  This led to his progression to the role of Head of Programmes in Pakistan, where he played a pivotal role in advancing the organization's mission.

Throughout his illustrious career, Waseem has taken on leadership roles that have required him to respond to some of the world's most pressing crisis.  He led efforts to address major disasters, including the East Africa drought, the devastating Pakistan earthquake, and the catostrophic Indian Ocean Tsunami.  His ability to mobilize resources and coordinate responses in the face of such adversity showcases his leadership and resilience.

One of Waseem's notable achievements during his tenure as Director of International Programmes was securing and maintaining the prestigious Core Humanitarian Standard certification.  This recognition underscores the exceptional quality of the humanitarian programs he oversaw, highlighting his dedication to excellence.

Waseem's academic background is equally impressive, with an MSc in Project Planning and Management from the University of Bradford and an MSc in Economics from Arid Agriculture University in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.  These qualifications have undoubtedly contributed to his effectiveness in designing and managing impactful humanitarian programmes.

Beyond his professional endeavours, Waseem has extended his influence and expertise to organisations such as Lepra Health in Action.  His commitment to humanitarian causes is further demonstrated by his involvement as a member of the International Civil Society Centre's Board of Trustees and the Disaster Emergency Committee.  Additionally he served as a former board member of the START network.

Outside of his demanding career, Waseem enjoys spending quality time with his family.  He is a father of three and finds relaxation and recreation in activities such as walking and playing cricket and footballl.

His wealth of experience, leadership acumen, and dedication to improving the lives of those in need have made him a respected figure in the international aid sector.  As the CEO of Islamic Relief since May 2021, he continues to make a significant impact on the global humanitarian landscape.

Ibrahim graduated from International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan in 2005 with a Master's degree in Economics and Finance.  In 2010 Ibrahim completed his Chartered Management Accountant's degree from Chartered Institute of Management Accounts UK.

Ibrahim has 20 years of international experience, working in finance and commercial roles across large organisations.  Currently he is working as Commercial Director Finance for Atos, managing Public Sector & Defence market segment covering UK&I and Northern Europe Regions.

Dr Stewart Davies is Chair of OPRL Ltd, a Non-Exec Board Member of the Environment Agency and Chair of the Bradford Sustainable Development Partnership.

He is a member of the Bradford and Airedale Wellbeing Board,  He was formerly Chair of the Environmental Services Association and the Innovation Advisory Board at the Natural Environment Research Council, having served on the board of Innovate UK and the Sustainable Development Commission.

His business career spans process industry sectors (petrochemicals, steel and cement), facilities management and environmental services, with over 20 years experience as an MD and CEO.  He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.

Sally has been a senior leader in schools and colleges for the past forty years.  She has led two successful, innovative colleges - Milton Keynes (1996-2003) and Activate Learning (2003-2022).  Whilst, at Activate Learning she and her team transformed a medium sized failing institution into a high quality, financially strong group of seven innovative colleges across three counties, three training providers, six schools and international work with a turnover of 150 million pounds.  To achieve this Sally led over four mergers and acquisitions.  Sally's key interest is in creating learning organisations where people develop both their emotional and thinking capabilities.  To this end she developed a Learning Philosophy which became the cultural heart at Activate Learning.  

She is a keen advocate for vocational education and was the President of the Association of Colleges July 2020 until October 2022.  She was given a CBE in 2013 for services to education.  She has chaired and been a member of a range of local regional and national boards.  She is chair of Learning with Parents.  She coaches/mentors' senior leaders and works with a range of organisations on culture change and redesigning the curriculum.

Sally likes reading, learning travel and being active.

Paul is a businessman, investor and philanthropist with over 40 years' experience with a range of leading global companies in fast moving consumer goods, information technology, telecommunications, leisure and hospitality and media sectors.

His most recent role was as CEO of Arqiva Group, a privately held provider of critical UK national broadcast infrastructure where he is now a non-executive board member.

With a passion for technology Paul is a founder investor and member of the investment committee at Oxford Innovation EIS Growth Funds and is Chair at action.ai, providing voice based AI solutions for customer service organizations.

A committed philanthropist he supports a significant number of charitable organisations, with a focus on social mobility and educational impact.

Paul holds a BA in Scandinavian Studies from University College London and an MBA from the University of Bradford where in 2016 he was awarded an honorary doctorate. 

Sarah George has worked as a subject librarian at the University of Bradford since 2005, supporting a wide range of subjects, currently archaeology, biomedical sciences, chemistry and forensics.  She is a National Teaching Fellow (2017), Senior Fellow of the HEA (2014), winner of the VC's teaching excellence award (2014) and Chartered Librarian (2010).  Her previous jobs include field archaeologist, research assistant, school librarian, special collections assistant and care assistant.  She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Cambridge and masters degree from Bradford and Sheffield (joint award) and Leeds Beckett.

Sarah's professional interests include accessibility, diversity, good academic practice and information skills.  She is casework co-ordinator for the Bradford branch of the University and Colleges Union.

Rob James is a muscle physiologist who obtained his BSc and PhD at University of Leeds.  After 4 years of postdoctoral research at University of St Andrews he started as a lecturer at Coventry University.  His teaching was focused on biomechanics and muscle physiology.  He undertook various leadership roles at Coventry including Dean of Faculty, Deputy Dean and Associate Dean (Research), before joining Bradford as Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences in July 2022.  Rob is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), a chartered scientist (CSci) and an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB).  His main research focus is to utilise physiological techniques, such as the work loop technique, to better understand the effects of drugs, temperature, obesity or ageing on muscle performance.

Faiz Ilyas is the Student Feedback Coordinator for the University's Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences, working on increasing student engagement and student experience across the Faculty.  He also works on the Faculty's alumni and social media engagement as well as supporting accreditation activity.

Faiz is a licensed private hire driver and has extensive experience in the private hire and hackney carriage trade, currently a director at Fiacre Charter Ltd, formerly Ilyas Cars.  He also helped establish, La Reign, a women's make-up, hair and beauty studio.

Faiz originally joined the University of Bradford's Faculty of Engineering & Informatics in 2015, as a student where he pursued a degree in Civil & Structural Engineering, graduating with a BEng, first class honours.  during these formative years at the University, Faiz was actively involved in the Students' Union, taking on several voluntary roles in student societies and the UBU Council until he was elected to run the Union as the lad sabbatical officer and Chair of the Union's Board of Trustees.  Throughout this time, Faiz proactively worked with the University on various projects, ensuring the student voice was at the forefront of University decision making.  Projects included the Emm Lane campus relocation, sponsoring and securing the Graduate Workforce Bradford (GWB) Project, and the 2019 Vice-Chancellor recruitment.

Faiz is also extensively involved in the local community, through his involvement in his local parish council as well as having taken part in many initiatives such as campaigning on firework abuse, supporting Shearbridge Residents Association, Covid-19 Vaccine campaigns, amongst others.

Sanskrity Baraili is the elected Student Affairs Officer for the year 2024/25.  San has been at the University of Bradford since 2021, and graduated in the summer of 2024 with Bachelor of Science Second Class Honours in Psychology.  Previously the founder of the Psychology society on campus, and faculty representative for Social Sciences, she has been actively involved in all aspects of student life at Bradford from her first year at University.  

As Student Affairs Officer, San is committed to promoting good governance, transparency, and accountability between students at the University.  She is also keen to maximise student engagement and advocate for the betterment of students by promoting democracy on campus.

As an international student, San understands the full scope of worries and expectations that students have when starting University.  Her experience as Chair of the Activities Committee at UBU has given her first hand experience of the needs of the student body, and as a sabbatical officer she is dedicated to championing these needs on both a local and national scale.

Fathima Raizana Mohamad Razeen is the elected Education Officer for the year 2024/25. Raizana has been at the University of Bradford since 2021 and graduated in the winter of 2024 with Bachelor of Science First Class Honours in Nursing.  Previously elected Women's Officer for the 2023/24 academic year, Raizana has led on many events within the Union such as Reclaim the Night, International Women's Day and litter picking campaigns in the Bradford and Shipley area.

As Education Officer, she strongly believes that students should have the freedom to access necessary resources without limitations, and therefore is keen to develop the academic experience at Bradford.

Her experience as a student ambassador for the previous three years has seen her motivate young minds in their higher education journey at Bradford, and as a sabbatical officer she aims to build a stronger, more inclusive community where academic excellence and student wellbeing go hand in hand.