External Advisory Board

Flora Hamilton

CEO, Chartered Association of Business Schools (Chair)

Flora took up the position of CEO at the Chartered Association of Business Schools on 1st May 2023. Prior to this, she was the Director of Financial Services at the CBI. Whilst there she was responsible for directing the CBI’s lobbying on issues related to financial services, including sustainable finance and for the development of guidance materials for small and mid-tier businesses.

Paula Whitehouse

Deputy Dean for Engagement and Development, Aston University

Paula Whitehouse founded the Centre for Growth at Aston University where she has developed a portfolio of growth programmes and business support initiatives for entrepreneurs and small business leaders. Working with HM Government, Paula developed the curriculum for leading SME programmes Help to Grow Management and Help to Grow Management Essentials, delivered to thousands of business leaders by Small Business Charter accredited business schools. She is also a speaker on the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Business UK programme.

Professor Neil Stewart

Pro-Dean for Research, Engagement & Impact, Warwick Business School

Neil joined Warwick Business School as a Professor of Behavioural Science in 2017. Neil is currently Pro-Dean for Research, Engagement & Impact for WBS. Neil works with banks (Lloyds, Barclays, Natwest), UK Finance, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Gambling Commission, Rightmove, and the police (West Midlands, the Met) to explore financial decision making.

Professor Bob Doherty

Dean of the School for Business and Society, University of York

Professor Bob Doherty is Dean of the School for Business and Society and the University of York. Bob is also Principal Investigator of the five-year research programme called ‘FixOurFood’, one of only four UK funded awards from the UKRI (BBSRC) Transforming the UK Food Systems Strategy Priorities Fund. This interdisciplinary programme works with schools, businesses, farmers and policy makers to create transformative food system change.

Professor Beatrice D’Ippolito

Director of External Partnerships and Engagement, School for Business and Society, University of York

Beatrice D’Ippolito is Chair in Strategic Management and Innovation and Director of External Partnerships and Engagement for the School for Business and Society, University of York. She is interested in widening the understanding of how organisations learn through technological and non-technological innovation and how this learning shapes their inter-organisational relationships. Beatrice has carried out research with various types of organisations, based in the UK and internationally. Her research is published in leading strategy and innovation management journals and she actively contributes to shaping these fields through various editorial roles.

Jim Sibson

Group Head of Research and Partnerships, Babcock International Group Plc

Jim Sibson is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Project Professional with Babcock International Group, responsible for developing research and business collaborations to grow technology solutions. Jim’s career started in manufacturing systems engineering with Lucas Industries and then Hamilton Sundstrand. He joined Babcock as Project Leader for the Spanish S-80 Submarine Programme; was appointed Head of Produce Support before being seconded to lead capability development, helping shape the Group Technology Strategy.

Dr Uche Agwo RTTP

Director, Academic Contracting & Risk Management, GSK

Uche is a Director within the GSK Academic Liaison group, which is focused on supporting GSK scientists to collaborate with academia. Uche manages a broad portfolio of academic collaborations, aligning internal stakeholders with external opportunities and negotiating appropriate contracts. He also holds the role of strategic partnership lead for a number of UK universities. Uche has held a number of positions across GDK R&D organisations.

Professor Malcolm Skingle CBE

Previously Senior Director, Academic Liaison, GSK

Recently retired from his role as Director of Academic Liaison at GSK, where he managed a trans-Atlantic team for 30 years. His role involved close liaison with several groups outside the company e.g. government departments, research and funding councils, small biotechnology companies and other science-driven organisations. He continues to operate at the interface between industry and academia where he now manages a portfolio of projects. Malcolm sits on various Boards and Councils including the University of Exeter Council, UKRI Infrastructure Advisory Committee (Deputy Chair), Rosalind Franklin Institute board (Trustee) and the Science Industry Partnership (Chair). He has more than 70 publications including articles on the interface between industry and academia.

Ana Avaliani

Director, Enterprise, Royal Academy of Engineering

Ana leads the Royal Academy of Engineering’s UK and international entrepreneurship programmes supporting talented entrepreneurs and decision-makers to transform their breakthrough engineering and technology innovations into disruptive startups, spinouts and scale ups that solve the world’s most complex environmental, economic and social challenges.

Professor Emma Parry

Chair, British Academy of Management

Emma is Chair of the British Academy of Management, as well as Professor of Human Resource Management and Head of the Changing World of Work Group at Cranfield School of Management. Her expertise focuses on the impact of the changing external context on managing people, particularly the influence of national context, technological advancement and workforce demographics. Emma has published several books and numerous peer-reviewed articles, as well as undertaking research with a range of organisations. Emma was named in the top five HR thinkers by HR Magazine in 2022.

Ramin Bokaian

Head of Research and Policy, Chartered Association of Business Schools

Ramin joined the Chartered ABS as Research Manager in February 2018, before being promoted to Head of Research & Policy in August 2023. Ramin manages the research an dpolicy function for CABS, delivering in-house primary research, data analysis and publications for the benefit of members, and for lobbying and policy development.

Clare Viney

CEO, The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Vitae

Clare took up the role of Chief Executive Officer of CRAC in October 2016. A strategic leader with over 20 years’ advocacy, policy and external affairs experience, Clare is a Chartered Scientist and Chemist with extensive experience in the science community and not-for-profit sector,

Dr Joe Marshall

CEO, National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB)

Formerly Chief Operating Officer and Director of Strategy at NCUB, Dr Joe Marshall took over as Chief Executive in summer 2018. Prior to joining NCUB, Dr Marshall has held a number of positions across government and university organisations. As an academic specialising in government education policy and practice, he worked with a number of international agencies including UNESCO, WHO and the European Parliament.

Dr Nicola Eckersley-Waites

Policy Manager, Technology and Innovation, Confederation of British Industry (CBI)

Nicola is part of the Technology and Innovation Policy team at the CBI, where she leads policy work aiming to make the UK the best place in the world to innovate. Prior to this she worked at the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry on a range of innovation policy and international partnerships programmes. She has a background in neuroscience research, completing her doctorate at the University of Oxford and working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Geneva.​

Frances Burstow

Director for Talent and Skills, UK Research and Innovation

Frances Burstow is the Director for Talent and Skills for UK Research and Innovation. She has responsibility for leading the strategic development of UKRI’s approach to talent and skills and the transition to working in a collective manner across its £2b of talent initiatives.

She works to ensure the UK is developing national capability across the breadth of disciplines, working with academia, government, industry and third sector to address gaps skills gaps and to foster greater diversity and porosity of careers to support innovative solutions to economic and societal challenges, and drive the diffusion and adoption of research