Council members

Mukhtar Ahmed is an independent advisor within the healthcare sector. His senior leadership experience spans over 30 years within the biopharmaceutical, technology and healthcare industries. He was formerly the President of the Science Group at Clarivate Plc, the President for eHealth Solutions at Bioclinica and Global Vice President at Oracle Corporation.  He has also held executive and board level positions with various multi-national corporations including Medidata Solutions, Parexel and Kendle International, as well as non-executive and board/advisory positions with the National Health Service (NHS) and a variety of venture and private equity backed companies. 

Vineta Bhalla is a doctor and senior global public health leader with policy, strategy and implementation experience in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia and the World Health Organisation.  She specialises in health system redesign for integrated care and population health. 

Vineta was the Director of Community and Out-of-Hospital Care Programme at the NHS TDA until December 2015, having previously worked at the University College London Hospitals NHS Trust.  She is currently Clinic Lead for Deloitte UK-Middle East.  Vineta also serves on the Board of London Northwest Healthcare NHS Trust.  She chairs the London Northwest Healthcare Charity and the Joint Digital Care Record Programme for NW London. 

Vineta has received various honours and awards during her career, including Public Service Medal and National Day Honours from the Government of Singapore for her leadership in the fight against the SARS epidemic and for her role as the National Director of Hospitals for Singapore. 

Vineta was recently appointed as a Senior Editorial Advisor to the journal, Internal Health.  She has served as a Fellow with the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London and the NHS Staff College.  

Sharon Blackman is Managing Director, Head of Legal Services for Citi. She is an Employed Barrister (England & Wales) and NY Attorney Sharon heads the legal team supporting Citi’s Services business globally and serves on the Legal Management Committee (LMC). She is Chair of the Bank of England FXJSC legal subcommittee and a member of the global steering committee for Citi’s Black Heritage network. A mother of three, she is also a founding member of the Inhouse Pro Bono Group, trustee and playing member of the Croydon Symphony Orchestra, member of Brunel University Council, Corporate Advisory Board member for Urban Synergy and the Patchwork Foundation and BACFI representative on the Bar Council’s Race Working Group. 

In 2021 Sharon was listed in Cranfield’s Women to Watch 2021, became a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn and was recognized in the Queen’s Birthday Honors with an OBE for services to the financial sector.

Janet Dean is an experienced Executive Director, Non-Executive Director and Chair who has advised local authorities, national agencies and partnership organisations on strategic change and development in the fields of housing, regeneration and economic development, health, social care, and education. Since 1996 she has had a successful senior career as permanent and interim Departmental Head, Executive and Non-Executive Director in local government, housing association and arms-length companies, health bodies and independent charities and higher and further education.  Her past appointments include Non-Executive Director of the Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority, and of Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Governor of Sheffield Hallam University and Non-Executive Director of Metropolitan Housing Trust. She is currently a Governor of York College, chair of The Arts Society Ebor, a Director of Mount School Estates Ltd, and a Trustee of the Orkney Wireless Museum. Janet is also a writer and runs writing workshops, courses and retreats.

Professor Delpy is Emeritus Professor of Medical Photonics in the Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering at University College London (UCL). He originally studied physics at Brunel University, then spent two years working for Darchem Ltd, an engineering company, before going to UCL to work on the development of sensors for use in newborn infants. He spent 35 years at UCL developing techniques for the physiological monitoring of infants and adult patients. He is best known for developments of NIR Spectroscopy and Imaging of brain oxygenation. Many companies have marketed devices developed by him and his team.

At UCL, he was head of department for seven years, followed by seven years as Research Vice Provost. In 2007 he left UCL to become the CEO of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, stepping down in 2014. He was then Chair of the Defence Scientific Advisory Council from 2014 to 2017 and Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board for the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme from 2014 to 2019. He is currently a member of the Home Office Science Advisory Council and Honorary Treasurer at the IoP. Professor Delpy is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Medical Sciences and is a member of many advisory committees for universities, professional institutes and national academies.

Dr Gardner has been Chief Executive of the Academy of Social Sciences since 2019, where she is leading strategic growth and enhancing the Academy’s impact in promoting the social sciences. Previously she was Director of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). Before becoming the Society’s first female director, she was the first woman honorary secretary and co-led the Society’s multi-disciplinary Nepal Field Research Programme. At the Society, she led a strategic programme of modernisation and expansion, advocacy for geography, public and policy engagement.

Following her DPhil at Oxford University, Dr Gardner followed an academic career in geography, from 1979 to 1996 at London University. She has extensive experience in non-executive advisory, trustee and board roles, including personal adviser for geography to Lord Adonis (Schools Minister, Department for Children, Schools and Families); chair of the Exhibition Road Cultural Group; non-executive director or the British Antarctic Survey; and member of the government’s ‘Finch’ Review Group on Open Access to Scholarly Publications.

Dr Gardner holds four leading geography awards, six honorary degrees and a CBE for services to geography.

Mark Garrett is Chief Strategy Officer at Ricardo PLC having filled several other roles during his 21 years there including the leadership of both the European and US technical consulting divisions.  Prior to joining Ricardo, Mark spent 14 years in various powertrain-related roles in the Rover Group, including at the BMW Engineering Centre in Munich.  Mark is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of both the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Royal Academy of Engineering.  Mark is also the non-executive chairman of Secured by Design Limited.

Dr. Wael Hadid joined Brunel University London as a Senior Lecturer in Accounting in February 2020. Previously, he held positions at the University of Sheffield and the University of Liverpool. He earned his first degree from Damascus University and both his Master's and PhD from Brunel University London, where he was awarded The Vice Chancellor’s Prize for Best Doctoral Research.

Wael is actively engaged in research at the intersection of management accounting, operations management, and artificial intelligence. He has published in reputable journals in both accounting and operations management. In addition to his research, Wael serves as a reviewer for several respected journals in these fields and has recently been invited to join the editorial board of the Advances in Management Accounting journal.

Ms Hunt is the Director of the Royal Institution.  Ms Hunt was previously Head at Notting Hill and Ealing High School, GDST. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Physics from Imperial College London and a PGCE from the University of Oxford. Ms Hunt began her career in 1982 as a Teacher at The Cherwell Upper School in Oxford. After a variety of teaching posts in Australia and France, she returned to the UK in 1991, joining Putney High School as a Teacher of Physics. She moved to Wimbledon High School a year later, progressing to Head of Sixth Form in 1996 and to Head of the Faculty of Sciences in 1998.

Following a secondment to Goldman Sachs in 2000, Ms Hunt assumed the position of Deputy Head (Director of Studies) at St Paul’s Girls’ School. She assumed her previous role as Head in 2008.

Ms Hunt stepped down from her role as Head at NHEHS in August 2016. She plans to spend more time sailing, skiing and improving her French, and is looking forward to having the time and the opportunity to develop other aspects of her professional life, including her new role on the Brunel University London Council and existing commitment to the Royal Institution.

David was educated in Bristol and the University of Lancaster where he read history and politics and completed a PGCE at Birmingham University. David taught history and politics in a number of Grammar Schools in Kent and Buckinghamshire.

In 1992 David was appointed Deputy Headteacher at Goffs School, a large comprehensive school in Hertfordshire which specialised in languages. 

In 1998 he was appointed to the Headship of The John Warner School.  The school was rated as “outstanding” by OFSTED in 2011.  OFSTED described the school as “a rare example of a transformation that has been sustained over time”.  Grades increased from 5A*-C from 13% in 1999 to 98% in 2012 and at the same time had more than doubled the number of pupils on roll from 565 to around 1250.  The school held Investors in People Gold Standard and Champion Status together with Customer Service Excellence with complete compliance in all areas.

David was a National Leader of Education until 2014.  He served on the board of a major national charity promoting financial education in schools (PFEG) until its merger with Young Enterprise.  David also piloted a major project supporting language teaching in primary schools on behalf of the Göethe Institute.  He has also done extensive work in promoting the teaching of modern languages, including German, speaking at conferences and events, contributing to a number of videos and also meeting with German politicians to discuss the English education system. He has also given evidence to the APPG on the importance of teaching languages.

David is a highly supportive member of the local Chamber of Commerce and is deeply involved in a number of projects and served as a Patron of the Chamber of Commerce.

David has a special interest in financial education for school children and has given evidence to the All-Party Group at the House of Commons and spoken at the Gleneagles Conference sponsored by Goldman Sachs

 Additionally, David holds or has held the following posts:

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts·     
• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management and Member of the Institute of Directors.
• Member of Ambition Broxbourne which seeks to raise the economic performance of the Borough of Broxbourne and links with the Hertfordshire LEP.
• A non-executive director of a large catering company serving on its Remunerations and Audit Committee
• Headteacher Consultant for the Prince’s Teaching Institute overseeing projects, being a lead consultant at conferences and working with them on a continuing basis. 
• Trustee of Personal Financial and Educational Group, now merged with Young Enterprise
• University board member of the London Institute of Banking and Finance and Chair of its Audit Committee and is also the Board’s Safeguarding Lead
• Chair of the Regional Network for Chairs of school boards in SE Hertfordshire
• Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching
• Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Founders and Chair of its Education Committee.
• From September 2018 David served as CEO and Executive Headteacher of the Hoddesdon School Trust and now serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Professor Andrew Jones is an inter-disciplinary social scientist with a background as an economic geographer. He has held a number of successful leadership roles in higher education, including Dean of School of Arts and Social Sciences, Vice-President (Research & Enterprise) and latterly Deputy President at City, University of London. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society of Arts and has held a wide variety of roles for UKRI, including as a member of REF2014 and REF2021 panels. He is a trustee of the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), and was previously of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Professor Jones’ interest in issues of globalisation has seen him contribute to studies in the fields of political science, sociology and management studies. His research focuses on the global economy, including firms, governing organisations and the activities of key individuals.

His research has been particularly interested in how the activities of organisations relate to the ongoing development of a globalised economy. In relation to this he has investigated the working practices of staff in large 'global' organisations and how they use information technology, travel and mobility strategies; the nature of global knowledge management and the way in which local contexts and places shape competitiveness. Past projects include the globalisation of investment banking, consultancy and legal industries as well as the role played by specific cities as locations for these industries.

In 2004 he authored a study for the UK Government's Department for Education & Skills on the nature and significance of 'gap years', leading to a further long-term project examining overseas youth volunteering projects. This work explored the impacts on volunteers and, to a lesser extent, host communities of gap-year volunteering across the globe including schemes in Tanzania, Guatemala, Belize, Australia and Vietnam. A particular focus was how the kinds of soft skills developed in voluntary work are relevant to the way young people gain certain important skill-sets and abilities in an increasingly global job market.

Professor Jones' recent research has returned to business services, and considers in particular how globalisation in these industries is caught up in the rise and development of emerging economies in Asia, and most recently in achieving service sector led economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean. He also continues to work on the role of service industries in the green economy, and their important contribution to a low-carbon global economy.

Chris Maw is a former partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP where he led the West London office for a number of years and had wider responsibility for the Firm's private equity and private company markets across the South East of England. Since retiring from PwC, Chris has focussed on acting as a Trustee for various organisations, including The Dartington Hall Trust and The Forum Trust, as well as being the Chair of West London Business and being involved in supporting and advising a number of privately owned businesses. He is an Honorary Fellow of Brunel University London.

Prof Palmer sjoined as Chair in October 2022. He studied physics at the University of Sheffield before launching a distinguished academic career, notably at the University of Warwick, where he held roles including Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and then Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

His research has spanned condensed matter physics, medical physics and non-destructive evaluation and has led to the formation of three spin-out companies in conjunction with research students. His research into ultrasonic investigation of osteoporosis was recognised with the naming of a train on the East Coast Main Line – the Professor Stuart Palmer. More recently he has chaired the Council of Cardiff University for six years and was Visiting Professor at Queensland University of Technology. He has chaired or served on a wide range of committees for HEFCE and EPSRC, and is currently the Honorary Treasurer of the European Physical Society.

Vishal is the Education and Welfare Officer for the College of Business, Arts, and Social Sciences (CBASS). He has participated in university life as an Assembly Member and a Society Guild Member, which has given him a good understanding of the needs and aspirations of a diverse student community.

Vishal is originally from Rajasthan, India. He has done a Master’s in International Business and is excited to contribute to the development of the student body.

His interests for the year include creating more career prospects for students, providing accessible mental health services in multiple languages and encouraging collaboration between different departments to foster innovation and community.

Ms Rosingholm is a Venture Partner at Dreamstake Capital, a London based accelerator for technology start-ups. She is on the Board of Aid:Tech, a fintech company delivering development aid through blockchain digital identity, and Quarkonics, an AI driven technology solutions company. Ms Rosingholm was previously an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Investment Bank, and has studied in Norway, France and North America. She is a graduate of l’Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP, Grande Ecole) and has completed the General Management Program, Executive Education, at Harvard Business School.

Ms Rowlatt was Chief Analyst and Chief Economist at the UK Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and has held various other Government director jobs. Her current roles include Vice Chair of the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Council member of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, member of the Government of Jersey Fiscal Policy Panel, and Associate of Frontier Economics.

Chris joined Brunel in 2009 as the Laboratory Manager for the School of Sport and Education. Chris is currently the Services Manager for the College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, where he is responsible for all their technical and financial services, their infrastructure and business continuity and emergency preparedness. Before Brunel, Chris held Associate Lectureship positions at the Universities of Portsmouth and Winchester, in biomechanics and human physiology respectively.

Outside of academia, Chris serves as an officer in the Royal Naval Reserve. Initially trained as a Warfare Officer, he has since transition to an educational specialist role as a Training Manager, including instructing and assessing at the world-famous Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. During the national Covid-19 crisis, Chris was called into full-time service, providing strategic advice and military planning to the Thames Valley’s Local Resilience Forum. Additionally, he served as a strategic advisor to the South East’s Deputy Director of Public Health at Public Health England.

Claire Turner is an interdisciplinary scientist with a BSc in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Natal and a PhD in Biochemical Engineering from UCL.

Her aim is to enable all our students to have an excellent education and student experience irrespective of their background and circumstances. She is very interested in innovations in pedagogy and how we can use these in improving the student experience.

She was previously at The Open University where she taught Analytical Science, and interdisciplinary science. Her research is focussed around the analysis of volatile organic compounds, applied to diverse field as non-invasive disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring.

Ms Waltham is an experienced real estate litigation Partner at Gowling WLG (formerly Wragge Lawrence Graham/ Wragge & Co) which she joined in 2003 having previously been a Partner at Hogan Lovells between 1998 and 2003.  Prior to this Ms Waltham was a Solicitor at Lovell White Durrant, Oppenheimers and Linklaters. 

A graduate in Law from King’s College London, Ms Waltham was a Trustee at Our Sorority and is a mentor for students at her alma mater.

Jonathan joined Brunel in September 2023 from the University of Keele, where he was Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences.

Whilst at Keele, Jonathan was the strategic lead on a collaborative partnership with Harper Adams University to develop the UK’s 9th Vet School and the only joint Vet School in the country. He also led work on equality, diversity and inclusion, transforming Keele’s Foundation Year programme, interdisciplinary education and research, and oversaw £42million capital redevelopment of science teaching and research facilities.

Jonathan has over 30 years’ experience working on infectious diseases and the biology of human and animal pathogens. He continues to play an active part in science policy in the areas of food safety and security. Prior to Keele, Jonathan worked at University of Liverpool for 11 years where he held several roles including Head of Department of Infection Biology, helping lead the university’s submission for REF 2014. Previously Jonathan spent 14 years working in Scotland at the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh where he helped develop pioneering techniques for the identification of proteins which enable pathogens to enter and colonise the body.

An alumnus of Keele, where he gained a joint honours degree in Chemistry and Biology and a life-long commitment to the value of interdisciplinary research and education, Jonathan also holds a doctorate from the University of Aberdeen.

As the Education and Welfare Officer for the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences at Brunel University, and a former Student Assembly Member, Deepak is dedicated to enhancing academic and professional development for students and faculty. His role involves leading strategic initiatives, collaborating with academic and industry partners, and organizing workshops and seminars. With a focus on innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, he aims to support the college's mission and empower future leaders in engineering, design, and physical sciences.