There are 16 members of the Board of Governors.
- 12 independent members
- One academic staff member
- One professional services staff member
- One student member
- The Vice-Chancellor
Sean Alleyne (Independent Member)
Sean is an accomplished executive with over 25 years of experience in investment banking and financial services, including as Chief Operating Officer for the Credit Suisse Investment Banking entities in the UK. In this capacity Sean oversaw strategic operations, key risk management and compliance processes and played a pivotal role in navigating complex industry transformations.
Sean currently serves as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of JN Bank UK where he is Chair of the Audit Committee. In this role Sean provides strategic oversight and ensures robust governance in financial reporting, risk assessment and internal controls.
A dedicated advocate for social impact, Sean has also served as a trustee for several prominent charities, contributing expertise in governance, financial stewardship and organisational strategy to advance their missions. His boardroom experience is complemented by deep insights into corporate governance, operational resilience and sustainable growth strategies.
Sean holds a Bachelor of Arts with honours in Economics from The University of Manchester. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), and is recognised for his ability to balance commercial acumen with a strong commitment to ethical leadership. The Black British Business Awards recognised Sean’s leadership as the winner of the 2022 Senior Leader in Financial Services and he was also a winner of the Powerlist Executive Leadership Council 'Executive of the Year’.
Stephan Burow (Independent Member)
Stephan has an international background, having been born in Germany before finishing schooling in Scotland. He has also spent time in the US and southeast Asia.
Stephan went to Kingston Business school, completing a BA (Hons) in Business Studies before embarking on his professional career and becoming a chartered accountant. He worked for many years in fast moving consumer goods (Unilever, JTI, Tesco/dunnhumby) before getting closer to the world of start-ups and scale-ups. The interest in the latter has taken him to Gousto, where he held a senior leadership role within finance. During his time, the business scaled to become a so-called unicorn (a start-up that successfully scaled to a valuation of >$1bn). He is now CFO of Lintbells, a private-equity backed pet care business.
Stephan is passionate about giving back and extending a helping hand and support to those at the beginning of their career, whether students or early professionals.
When he finds some 'free' time he loves to go for a swim, a cycle or more generally spend time outdoors.
Evelyn Eguridu (Independent Member)
Evelyn is currently an accomplished Global Senior Business Partner with previous roles spanning the Higher Education and NHS sectors. She is known for her commercial acumen, transformative leadership, and dedication to enhancing People & Culture strategies with a focus on business transformation, digital innovation, and workforce agility.
Currently, Evelyn serves as the Global Senior Business Partner at QBE Insurance, where she has developed and executed the People Strategy for the Group CIO for a global workforce. Her leadership in designing and implementing new operating models has streamlined workforce structures, talent pipelines, and leadership effectiveness.
Her previous roles at UCL include Head of HR and Senior HR Business Partner, where she led the HR Business Partnering function for the School of Life and Medical Sciences. Evelyn co-led the transformative project creating a Teaching Concordat addressing the working culture, conditions and support, contractual arrangements, career development and remuneration of Teaching Fellows, as well as aligning people strategies with UCL’s vision, leading strategic HR career pathways, and achieving significant improvements in BAME representation in senior roles.
Evelyn is a graduate of Kingston University and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
Her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is demonstrated by her sponsorship of the Global Women in Technology (WIT) Initiative and her involvement over the year in multiple culture and governance initiatives.
Evelyn is poised to bring her extensive experience, strategic vision, and transformative leadership to the governor role, driving innovative solutions and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Seetha Kumar (Independent Member)
Seetha Kumar is a Council member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
Previously, Chief Executive of ScreenSkills from 2015 to 2023, she led the organisation through its transformation from Creative Skillset to ScreenSkills, the screen sector’s strategic skills body, which unites people and companies to build an inclusive workforce for a project-based industry.
Seetha championed diversity and inclusion, advocated for progression, retention, and mid-career skills, and paved the way for a strategic partnership with Creative Diversity Network to work jointly on training, development, and diversity. Under her leadership, ScreenSkills, in partnership with broadcasters, streamers, and independent production companies, and informed by extensive data and insight, created an effective portfolio of training programmes and initiatives including the DCMS funded Discover Creative Careers programme.
Her career has included senior roles in both education and television. She was formerly VP of Pearson Qualifications International. In television she held a variety of roles including BBC Online controller, leading the roll-out of high-definition television at the BBC, and overseeing programmes such as Crimewatch UK. She started her career as the first woman reporter at the Financial Express in New Delhi, India, before working for independent production companies making programmes for Channel 4.
Her governance roles have included Creative Diversity Network, the Royal Television Society Education Committee, Southampton University, Federation for Industry Sector Skills and Standards (FISSS), One World Media and chairing the Mayor of London’s Skills Strategy Task and Finish Group.
In 2019, she became the first woman of colour to be awarded a Royal Television Society fellowship. She is actively involved in mentoring and finds the experience rewarding.
Hamza Haroon (Student Member)
I am an international student from Pakistan who arrived in the UK in 2022 to pursue a foundation year in Law and Social Sciences. Since then, I have consistently demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence and student representation. Over the past three years, I have served as a Course Representative, advocating for student needs and contributing to curriculum improvements. I was elected Vice President of the Kingston University Law Society, where I successfully organised seven impactful events, the highest number ever hosted by any society in the year 2024/25. One of my proudest achievements was representing a law firm (Addison & Khan Solicitors) at Kingston University's largest Law Fair and organising the fair at the same time in November 2024 in collaboration with careers department.
In addition to leadership roles, I have supported fellow students as an Academic Mentor for Level 4, guiding them through the English Legal System and helping them navigate their studies. My academic dedication was recognised when I achieved top marks in Public Law during my first year, which led to an internship with IG-Smart Ltd, facilitated by the Law Department. I also gained practical experience through a two-month internship at Central Chambers Law Solicitors (Criminal Defence Law Firm).
I have consistently achieved First Class Honours throughout my academic journey, including the foundation year, and was honoured with two prestigious awards Academic Excellence and Top Module in Public Law.at the Student Achievements Award 2025. And now I am serving as the elected president of the student union for the 2025/26 academic year which further endorses my passion for representing students and serving them as their true leader.
Outside of academics, I enjoy busy schedule, long drives, playing badminton, and networking with new people which are activities that keep me energised and inspired. I often reflect myself on the words of Robert Frost: “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep”.
Katharine Jackson (Independent Member)
Katharine has over 30 years' experience in publishing, much of it focused on providing resources for teaching, learning and research in Higher Education. Most recently she was CEO of Proprep, an early stage Edtech, providing online STEM learning which she developed to improve student outcomes in UK higher education. Prior to that, she was CFO/COO of the global academic publisher Sage for 18 years, leading the business through a period of significant growth, digital transformation and international expansion.
She has significant Mergers and Acquisitions experience both on the advisory side from her early career at PWC corporate finance and as a principal having negotiated and integrated multiple acquisitions throughout her career but particularly at Sage where acquisitions were an important engine of business growth. She has also sat on the boards of several start up, hi tech entrepreneurial businesses, advising them to the point of successful sale.
She is currently a trustee and Treasurer of SMA UK, a national medical and disability charity, she is the Vice Chair of Governors of a comprehensive secondary school in Clapham and is an adviser to the Physiological Society, sitting on the publishing committee.
Katharine trained as an accountant with PWC, she has an MBA from Henley Management College and a History degree from Durham University. She is based in Clapham, South West London with her family.
Ian Jennings (Professional Services Staff Governor)
"I was recently elected as the voice for Professional Services staff on the Board of Governors at a time when the sector is facing many challenges, both financially and politically. I am looking forward to working with the Board to identify strategies to positively influence Kingston University.
"My role at Kingston University is the Sports & Active Lifestyles Manager, and I have been in post since 2013. My responsibilities include the Tolworth Court sportsground, the recreational programme and on a Wednesday afternoon, supporting our student teams playing against other Universities.
"Prior to Kingston, I held the position Head of Sport at London Metropolitan University.
"I have a degree in History, a diploma in Management Studies (Leisure) and a masters in Economics.
"Outside of working at Kingston University, I can be found in the evenings either at my local athletics track coaching talented athletes, enjoying a yoga class or wild swimming."
Roger King (Independent Member)
Professor Roger King was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lincoln and is a Visiting Professor and Teaching Fellow in the School of Management, University of Bath. He is the Senior Director of Wells Advisory HE Ltd. – a higher education management consultancy company. He has published numerous books and articles on regulation, governance, science policy, and globalisation.
Roger has sat on numerous governance boards in higher education, including recently as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Richmond, the American University in London. He has been a Visiting Professor at a number of Australian universities, including the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Griffith University, and the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Currently he is a research associate at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the Centre for the Analysis of Risk and Regulation, where is also the conveyor of the Higher Education Regulation Network.
John Marsh (Independent Member)
John is a Partner at Ernst & Young LLP (EY) where he leads the Health Consulting Practice and specialises in People Consulting. John has consulted extensively across the public sector for the last 16 years for clients in Health, Central Government and Local Services. John is also a Non-Executive Director at Surrey Heartlands NHS Integrated Care Board and the Chair of Surrey Downs Health and Care Partnership Board.
Before joining EY, John worked in the Civil Service for 22 years in a range of different roles including Group HR Director of the Home Office with a particular interest in workforce transformation, organisational design, culture and talent management. John's Civil Service career included time in the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and the Prison Service.
John has a BA (Hons) in History from Bristol University and a Masters in Industrial Relations from University of Warwick. John is a Fellow of the Chartered University of Personnel and Development and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Consultants.
John has lived with his family in Surrey for the last 20 years and, in his spare time, enjoys gardening, running and other sports.
Caroline Mawhood (Independent Member)
Caroline was a prominent figure in auditing for more than 12 years as Assistant Auditor General in the National Audit Office and she now has a number of non–executive roles. She is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Chair of its Audit Committee and she is a member of the Audit Board of the European Audio Visual Observatory. She is also a trustee of the Wimbledon Guild which is a local charity.
For 8 years, until 2019, Caroline was one of three external members of the Audit Progress Committee of the European Commission. She has also been a member of the Audit Committees of the City of London (until March 2021), the UK Debt Management Office (until June 2019) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (until 2016) with representation on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. She has contributed to charity by being the Treasurer and Trustee of Breakthrough Breast Cancer and its successor Breast Cancer Now.
During her executive career in the National Audit Office, and as President of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, she played a significant role in the development of strong financial management in the public sector. Her experience encompassed auditing major UK government departments and running the corporate services of Audit Office. Caroline is a geography graduate from Bristol University and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
Bimal Patel (Independent Member)
Bimal is the Chief Finance Officer at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. He has over 20 years of NHS acute provider experience and has held the role of Chief Finance Officer in two NHS organisations. He is a CIMA qualified accountant and has worked at all levels within finance, from a Trainee accountant to Head of Financial Management and then to Head of Financial Control with a variety of experience.
Bimal's ethos for finance is to reduce as much waste as possible to give clinicians more time to deliver excellent patient care (in the NHS) and more resources for students (in academia).
Bimal is a Kingston University graduate who wants to be able to give something back to the university that gave him so much.
Tom Smyth (Chair)
Tom spent his executive career in financial markets across Europe, the last 25 years of which were at investment bank Rothschild & Co from where he retired as an executive vice chairman in 2022.
He was a non-executive director of Clarion Housing Group, the UK’s largest social housing association, from 2019 until 2024 where he also chaired its Treasury Committee and was a member of its Audit and Risk Committee.
He holds a degree in Economics from Durham University.
Tom strongly believes in the value of thriving universities to promote social mobility and to transform the lives and careers of individual students and the societies in which they live.
He has lived with his family in the Kingston area for the past 30 years.
Steven Spier (Ex-officio Member)
A respected expert in architecture, theatre and dance, Professor Spier was appointed Acting Vice-Chancellor in October 2016, before being made Vice-Chancellor in May 2017. He was formerly Dean of the University's Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, which rose to prominence as one of the top providers of design education, both in the United Kingdom and around the globe, under his leadership.
Before becoming Vice-Chancellor, he also held the post of Pro Vice-Chancellor for Culture and Civic Engagement – a role in which he was pivotal in strengthening links with the wider community and forging an extensive network of high-profile external partners.
A strong advocate of excellence in teaching, research and enterprise, Professor Spier joined Kingston University in September 2012 after heading the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Ulster. Born in Canada, Professor Spier grew up in the United States. He holds a degree in philosophy from Haverford College, Philadelphia, and completed postgraduate studies at the Southern California Institute of Architecture. His early career saw him based in a number of European cities, including a period teaching at the world-renowned Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich. He was later founding principal of the HafenCity University Hamburg in Germany, which specialises in urban planning, architecture and civil engineering.
An acclaimed expert in contemporary Swiss architecture, Professor Spier's many published works include Swiss Made, named one of the books of the year by Architects' Journal in 2003. Also a specialist in choreography as a form of spatial organisation, he edited the first English-language book on renowned choreographer William Forsythe, William Forsythe and the Practice of Choreography. It Starts from Any Point.
Professor Spier has links with a wide range of cultural institutions. He was a founding director of the board of Architecture and Design Scotland, is an honorary fellow of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland and of German body Bund Deutscher Architekten and was a long-serving board member of Scottish Ballet. He is also a board member of the cutting-edge Glasgow-based production house Cryptic – much vaunted for its work fusing music, sonic art, theatre and multimedia.
Katy Taylor (Independent Member)
Katy is Chief Executive at Wightlink, the Isle of Wight ferry. She was previously Chief Customer Officer at Southern Water; prior to that Chief Strategy and Customer Officer at FTSE250 transport group Go-Ahead. She has also held director-level roles at Kroll, VTB Bank and IG Group.
Katy is a Non-Executive Board Director of Anchor care and housing group, an Advisory Board Member of micro-donation charity Pennies.
Katy has as MA in Strategic Marketing from Kingston Business School and CIMA accounting certificate and lives and runs in Kingston.
Richard Thomas (Independent Member)
Richard is a Chartered Accountant with experience in the private and public sectors. Most recently, he was Chief Financial Officer at the British Council which operates in around 100 countries supporting the English language, education and arts to build trust in the UK and help connect UK institutions with partners around the world. Before that he had Finance Director roles at BBC News, BBC World Service Group and in the South West London NHS partnership.
Richard qualified as an accountant with Deloitte Haskins & Sells (now part of PwC) and has a History degree from the University of Manchester. He is a trustee on the board of the Robins Foundation, the Bristol City FC charity, which works to promote education, health and wellbeing in South Bristol. He lives in Wimbledon and has four children and two stepsons.
Behrouz Zafari (Academic Staff Member)
Behrouz is a Chartered Structural Engineer (CEng MIStructE) with over 30 years of experience in both industry and academia. Currently, he is the Course Leader for postgraduate studies in Structural Design and Construction Management at the Department of Civil Engineering, Surveying and Construction Management (CSCM) within the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and the Environment (ECE).
He holds a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and has educated and worked at six national and international universities in various roles, including student (UG, PG and PGR), Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Course Leader for undergraduate and postgraduate Civil Engineering programmes. This extensive experience has given him a comprehensive perspective on higher education.
As an academic citizen, Behrouz actively participates in networks and teams such as EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion), Sustainability, the BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) Network, and the REC SAT (Race Equality Charter – Self Assessment Team). These engagements provide valuable insights into the sector's challenges and opportunities. As a member of the Academic Council, he represents the staff of the ECE faculty and is familiar with Kingston University's strategic priorities, including the Town House Strategy.
Behrouz’s research focuses on pultruded Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) structural composite shapes and systems. He has published several research papers in leading journals, and his work has contributed to industry-wide standards and design guidelines for FRP structures, including the American Standard ASCE SEI 74-23, the Eurocode Technical Specification (FprCEN/TS 19101:2022), and FRP Bridges - Guidance for Designers, CIRIA, C779, 2018.
