Council Members

Dr Sally Howes OBE joined UEA as Chair in August 2021 and is also President of Fitzwilliam College Society, Cambridge. Non-executive roles have included the Chair of the UK Space Agency, Council Member of Surrey University and Chair of Surrey University Research Park, Independent Director of the Copyright and Licencing Agency (and Chair of its Audit and Risk Committee), NED of Parliaments Joint Investment Board (and independent member of several major programme boards in Parliament) and Chair of HR Wallingford Group Limited.

She supports Government, reviewing and assisting those leading major programmes, helping them to address complex digital transformation, commercial and governance challenges.

Jenny Watson joined the UEA Council in August 2025. Jenny currently chairs Broadland Housing Group, is the Senior Independent Director at the Reclaim Fund, and a non-executive director at the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. She was until recently Chair of GAMSTOP Group and a trustee at the Norfolk Community Foundation. Previous roles include as a past chair of both the Electoral Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission. 

Professor David Maguire joined UEA in May 2023 as Vice-Chancellor & President, providing academic and administrative leadership to all elements of the institution. He has more than 25 years’ experience in higher education, including having been Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich from 2011 to 2019 and Interim Vice-Chancellor at the Universities of Dundee and Sussex as well as Interim Principal at the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology.

He worked for global technology company, Esri, for 20 years in the field of Geographic Information Systems and is a former Chair of the Board of Jisc – the UK digital, data and technology agency focused on tertiary education, research and innovation. He was also a member of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) advisory board and the Universities UK Board. David is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) and is the author of over 100 papers and seven books.

Julian Blow is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation. Julian joined UEA in 2024 from the University of Dundee, where he had been Dean of the School of Life Sciences. Under his leadership Dundee was ranked the top university for biological sciences research in both REF2014 and REF2021 and was recognised for a range of successful enterprise initiatives in the biosciences.

In recognition of Julian’s research achievements, he has been elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and a Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization. He has served on many national and international scientific committees, including for the BBSRC, CRUK, ERC and NIH. He is currently Chair of the Scientific Committee of the Lister Institute.

Simon joined UEA Council in January 2023. Simon has nearly twenty years’ experience working as a senior officer in local government. He is currently the CFO of the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk. Prior to this he was the Executive Director of Finance & Commercial Services at Norfolk County Council. Simon worked at the BBC for 10 years in senior finance roles across TV, radio and new media.

Simon has a wealth of experience in trustee/director roles; he has been a trustee at The Nancy Oldfield Trust for the past four years and Norwich City Community Sports Foundation for the past four years. Previously he has been Chairman of Directors for Equinox Enterprises LTD (Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s property company) and was Vice Chairman and Chairman of local children’s charity Break for over 11 years.

Tom Spink joined UEA Council in April 2025 and became Senior Independent Member on 1 January 2026 .  Tom began his career with Aviva in 2002 holding many senior roles across the organisation.  Up until his retirement from Aviva in 2024, Tom was Group Sourcing and Property Director with responsibility for c.£1.9bn of spend and the commercial management of all strategic IT suppliers and property.

In 2017 Tom became a Non-Executive Director of the East of England Ambulance Service Trust and then in 2020, joined the Board of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Trust as a NED (which he stepped down from in December 2025) and Chairman of the Finance and Performance Committee. In March 2023, Tom became Chair of the NNUH.   

David Hansom joined UEA Council in October 2023. David is a practicing solicitor and a partner at international law firm Clyde & Co LLP where he leads the firm’s procurement law team. He is co-head of the firm’s Education Sector group and has significant experience of helping higher education institutions take opportunities and navigate risk. He has advised universities on international expansion as well as modernisation projects. David is ranked in all major legal directories and speaks French and German. David is a member of UEA Finance Committee.

Paul Loft joined the UEA Council in April 2025.  Paul has wide-ranging experience as a General Manager and a Finance Director in a number of retail businesses including Homebase and Habitat, GUS Home Shopping and Shoe Express/Shoe City and the Finance Director of Argos, Debenhams and Burton Menswear.  As a Non-Executive Paul has been a Board Member and Audit Committee chair of organisations including Peabody, the London Housing Association, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the largest legal regulator in the UK and Paradigm Trust, a multi academy trust which manages schools in London and Ipswich. Paul looks to bring his commercial experience to bear in organisations with a social purpose.

Dr Jonathan Paine joined UEA Council in August 2021. He is an investment banker and academic. He is currently a Senior Advisor at Rothschild & Co., where he has worked for the past 25 years as a specialist in the telecoms, media and technology industries. He is also a Supernumerary Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford, where he chairs the Development Committee and sits on the Investment Committee. He has served as a non-executive director on the boards of a major housing association, an NHS Trust and a children’s charity. He holds a D.Phil from Oxford University and is a published author of works on the economics of literature. He is also the Treasurer of the International Dostoevsky Society.

Lisa Perkins joined UEA Council in April 2025.  Lisa has over 25 years of expertise in delivering corporate innovation and cutting-edge technologies.  Until recently Lisa was Director of BT’s Research and Development Centre at Adastral Park. She was accountable for showcasing and commercialising the world class innovation and research at the Park to derive value for the business. Lisa managed key partnerships with world leading universities and industry in conjunction with research programmes to encourage and develop premier class expertise.

Lisa led Innovation Martlesham, a thriving tech cluster of 150+ companies. She actively promoted and developed an education enrichment programme, working with schools to encourage children and teachers to develop a love of technology.  As well as being chair of Tech East, Lisa is a board member of the Suffolk Business Board and a trustee for Lapwing Education. She is also a visiting professor at the University of Suffolk.

Victoria Phillips joined UEA Council in August 2024. Victoria is a solicitor retired from private practice. She specialised in trade union and employment law. She was previously Head of Employment Rights at Thompsons Solicitors LLP.

She was a member of the Internal Justice Council of the United Nations from 2012-2016. She has an Honorary Doctorate in Law from the University of East Anglia. She studied Law at UEA from 1980-83 and was President of UEASU 1983-1984.

Professor Jan Kaiser joined UEA Council in August 2024. Jan is Professor of Biogeochemistry in the School of Environmental Sciences (ENV). He joined UEA in 2006, following postdoctoral work at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics and the Department of Geosciences at Princeton University. Jan holds undergraduate (Universities of Hamburg and Bremen) and doctoral degrees in Chemistry (Max Planck Institute for Chemistry/University of Mainz).

Jan is a member of the UEA Senate (since 2023) and previously held several leadership roles in ENV, including Director of the Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (COAS) and Director of Finance. As Study Abroad Coordinator, Jan has advised and guided over 120 ENV students to the successful completion of their placement years at more than 30 universities in North America, Australasia and Europe.

Dr Kim Ridealgh joined UEA Council in August 2024. Kim is Associate Professor in Sociolinguistics in the School of Media, Language and Communication Studies (MLC). She joined UEA in 2014, following a visiting professorship at North East Normal University in Changchun China and postdoctoral work at the Free University in Berlin. Kim holds undergraduate (Universities of Hamburg and Bremen) and doctoral degrees in Egyptology (Swansea University). Kim holds undergraduate, master and doctoral degrees in Egyptology (Swansea University).

Kim is a member of the UEA Senate (since 2023) and is currently Head of School for Media, Language and Communication Studies. Kim has previously held the following leadership roles: Head of School for Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies (PPL), Head of Language and Communication Studies, Admission Director (PPL) and Faculty lead for Widening Participation for Arts and Humanities.

Stacey Armes joined as UEA Council Support Staff Member in August 2025. She began working at UEA in 2014 and is currently the Collections Team Leader for UEA Library.

Stacey holds a BA in Art History and English Literature from UEA and recently completed an apprenticeship with UEA to gain an ILM Level 3 Diploma for Managers.

Stacey has a strong background in public libraries, early years play work and local heritage, having worked in a variety of administrative, educational and customer service roles.

She is a lifelong and active volunteer, contributing to local community groups and charities and participating in several committees, such as the Norfolk Federation of Women’s Institutes and UEA UNISON. 

Amjad Daher joined University of East Anglia (UEA) Council in July 2025 and is an elected student representatives.  Amjad recently graduated from UEA with a BSc (Hons) in Economics and Finance.  

Amjad serves as the Communities and Culture Officer and Trustee at UEA Students’ Union for the 2025–2026 academic year. In this role, he is dedicated to fostering inclusive, supportive student communities by empowering student group committees and facilitating student-led initiatives. He promotes cultural representation, inclusive group dynamics, and a vibrant social experience to ensure all students feel connected, valued, and able to thrive during their time at university. 

Amjad also leads on impactful projects to improve the student experience, including enhancing transport services, developing campus-wide safety measures, improving campus food services to reflect a more diverse, inclusive, and culturally representative options.   With a background in finance, Amjad previously worked within UEA Student Union’s finance department (2023–2025), gaining valuable experience in student financial services and support.

As University Secretary, Ian Callaghan is responsible for the University’s governance, finance and planning, HR, commercial services and health and safety.

He joined UEA in January 2005 as Planning Accountant and held the roles of Director of Planning, Director of Finance, Planning & Governance and Acting Registrar and Secretary before taking on his current position.

Ian graduated from Sheffield University in Geography and has worked in financial and general management roles in various organisations including Barclays Bank, KPMG and Sainsbury’s.