Peer Review Quality Committee

Following an early career in the creative industries, Sam has spent the last decade and a half in student-centric leadership positions within a range of higher UK education institutions. As Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Experience at the University of Salford, Sam holds Executive responsibility for quality and standards of the academic portfolio, Executive responsibility for the Learning and Teaching Network within the university, Executive responsibility for developing the learning philosophy underpinning the student journey and Executive oversight of the wider pastoral and supporting infrastructure which underpins the student journey and outcomes. These responsibilities focus upon enabling student success in the context of performance against student quality metrics to ensure value for money.

Sam has also led on the university’s academic response to Covid-19. He has ensured teaching and learning practices have adapted towards delivery of excellent student outcomes, and that institutional practices are reimagined to learn from the pandemic as we tilt towards positive and lasting change.

Alongside work at Salford, Sam continues to work in leadership and thought leadership nationally and internationally, building on a range of external engagements and board experiences.

Elaine has worked in higher education for over 25 years, she has undertaken several roles including Assistant Dean Academic & Portfolio Development and Director of Academic Development & Diversity. Throughout her academic career she has been passionate about professional standards in academic practice and served on the Academic Board, Academic Assurance Committee and Board of Governors at Sheffield Hallam University. She also achieved Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2014.

She continued to build her experience and expertise in professional standards when, in 2014, she was appointment by the Privy Council as a member of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), one of the largest UK health and social care regulators in the UK, in 2015 she took over as Chair of the HCPC.

In parallel, Elaine has had a non- executive career spanning 25 years, beginning as a non-executive director at Chesterfield and North Derbyshire NHS Trust and then moving to Sheffield South West Primary Care Trust, followed by a governor role at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Foundation Trust.

In 2019 she became a director to the board on the British Dietetic Association, where she currently chairs the Board of the Sports and Exercise Nutrition Register. 

Elaine retired from her substantive academic role in January 2020 and now has a portfolio career working in the areas of academic development, professional standards and corporate governance.

Annette has recently been appointed as the Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at De Montfort University in Leicester.  She completed her first Degree in Social Studies at the University of Warwick and later completed her Masters Degree in Leadership and Management at Coventry University.  She is also an alumni of Advance HE’s successful, Diversifying Leadership Programme.

De Montfort University is a leading pioneer for EDI initiatives and activities in Higher Education and have recently become the first institutional holders of the Silver Race Equality Chartermark and Annette aims to build on this success by continuing to embed EDI considerations and actions in all aspects of university life for the benefit of all its staff, students and the university as a whole.

Annette is an accomplished manager and leader and who has a demonstrable ability to build and maintain strategic and purposeful relationships and collaborations, on a local, national and global scale.  She is recognised for her strategic influence and input on policy, practice and external engagements.

Annette is able to reflect on over 30 years of leadership and activism around EDI, which she has maintained throughout her working career in Higher Education and has been a passionate advocate for the importance institutional leadership has in tackling racial inequalities and embedding anti-racist practices. 

She is a member of several other Boards and Committees including the esteemed American based ‘National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education’ (NADOHE), which is the leading voice for Senior Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officers.  She is one of the founding members of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group for the Association of Research Management and Administration (ARMA), the Vice-Chair of the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, a member of the Women in Higher Education Network (WHEN) and an alumni of the International focussed leadership Common Purpose programme.

Nona McDuff is the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Student Experience at London Metropolitan University. She was awarded an OBE for her services to higher education and is a National Teaching Fellow and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Throughout her career in both further and higher education, Nona has been driven by her commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in her teaching, leadership and research. She is passionate about widening access and is dedicated to ensuring inclusion in higher education is recognised as an essential measure of quality in teaching and professional services. Nona is currently a member of the British Council’s Education Advisory Group and the Widening Participation Adviser to the National Saturday Club. She has been a panel member of the Teaching Excellence Framework, a member of the UUK’s Racial Harassment Advisory Group and a member of the ministerial Social Mobility Advisory Group which has prioritised the challenges and barriers students face in Higher Education. As the chair of the Higher Education Race Action Group (HERAG) with over 400 members. Nona was invited to address the All Party Parliamentary Group on Higher Education on diversity in academia where she challenged the ministers to take active steps to promote social justice through education. Nona’s work on the BAME awarding gap and the Inclusive Curriculum Framework gained sector recognition, was awarded the Guardian Teaching Excellence prize (2017) and has been disseminated across five other institutions as part of the Office for Students’ catalyst programme on student success. Nona’s research interests include inclusive curricula and differential attainment and she is regularly invited to speak on disability and widening participation nationally and internationally.

Professor McKellar has been the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Hertfordshire since 2011. He is chair of the Hatfield Renewal Project Board.  In 2015 he was elected as a Board member of Universities UK (UUK) and in April 2020 was appointed as UUK Vice-President (England and Northern Ireland). He was chair of the University Vocational Awards Council until 2019 and has been a member of the government’s Apprenticeship Stakeholder Board since 2016. He was Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Pirbright institute between 2015 and 2019 and since 2018 he has been a Non-Executive Director of the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock.

Professor McKellar was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2011 for services to science.  He was a distinguished researcher with interests in the pharmacology of anti-infective and anti-inflammatory drugs in domestic animals.

He graduated from Glasgow University Veterinary School in 1981 and went on to gain a PhD in Veterinary Parasitology in 1984.  In August 1997 Professor McKellar took up the post of Scientific Director of the Moredun Research Institute and Chief Executive of the Moredun Foundation.  In 2004, he was appointed Principal of The Royal Veterinary College of the University of London.

Jon is a higher education consultant with extensive experience in academic governance, quality assurance and developing practice in learning and teaching. He has ongoing expertise in undertaking institutional reviews having served as a reviewer for the QAA for over 20 years as well as being an Accreditor for AdvanceHE and for the Royal Society of Biology. He was also a member of the main TEF Panel. As a previous Pro Vice-Chancellor and, prior to that, an Academic Registrar, he has an in-depth appreciation of educational management and governance which has been broadened through his experience of serving on boards of governors and as an academic adviser in both higher and secondary educational institutions.

Jon is an emeritus Professor of Bioscience Education and has led on a range of educational projects, including assessment and feedback, academic integrity, belonging and retention and the student experience. In 2011 he was recognised as UK Bioscience Teacher of the Year, as a National Teaching Fellow in 2012 and as a Principal Fellow of AdvanceHE in 2013.