AHEP Chair & Trustee | Rachel Hill-Kelly FAHEP – Assistant Company Secretary, QAA
Rachel is currently Assistant Company Secretary at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. Rachel has a strong governance background and supports our Board and all aspects of the organisation’s governance including compliance with charity and corporate governance legislation. She also coordinates complaints investigations and appeals and representations from providers on outcomes of QAA reviews. Rachel started her career in higher education 15 years ago at a Lifelong Learning Network and since then has held roles at the Universities of Birmingham, Oxford and Reading. She taught in primary schools for a few years, is a qualified teacher and Chair of governors at her children’s school.
AHEP Vice-Chair & Trustee | Jim Irving MAHEP – Pro Vice-Chancellor Students and Governance Solent University
Jim is an experienced higher education leader with a proven record of success. Jim has first-hand experience of the diversity of the sector and the impact that we make for students and communities. Jim is a collaborative leader who is dedicated to developing service excellence and delivering organisational change through coaching and mentoring. He is passionate about the role of the Association of Higher Education Professionals in supporting colleagues to fulfil their career ambitions.
In addition to his current role, Jim has held positions at the University of Portsmouth, Imperial College London, the University of Southampton, the University of York, and York St John University.
Honorary Secretary & Trustee | Nikki Pierce (she/her) MAHEP – Registrar and Secretary, De Montfort University
Nikki is Registrar (Academic) and Secretary to the Board at De Montfort University, where she is responsible strategic oversight of governance, compliance and all aspects of our academic administration and student services.
Prior to joining DMU, Nikki was Academic Registrar and Director of Student, Academic and Information Services for over seven years, where she was responsible for Registry and Student Administration, Student Services, Library Services, and IT Services. She also led the development and implementation of the university’s Access and Participation Plan. As a member of the Academic Registrars Council (ARC), Nikki chaired the Student Loans Company Stakeholder Operations Group, and was a member of the SLC Stakeholder Forum. Nikki has also worked at Leeds Beckett University, and several higher education institutions in London, including King’s College London, University College London, Imperial College London, and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.
Nikki completed a first degree and an MPhil in Social Anthropology at Swansea University and holds an MBA in Higher Education Management from the University of London. She has been a proud member of AHEP/AUA for over 20 years. In her spare time, Nikki enjoys cooking, long-distance running, and walking with her border collie, Jasper, in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.
Treasurer & Trustee | Lucy Hayward MAHEP – Finance Manager Warwick Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick
Lucy is Finance Manager at the University of Warwick in the Mathematics Institute and has worked at the University since Oct 2020. She is a CIMA qualified accountant with 25 years experience and prior to working at the University, was a Financial Controller in Industry.
Trustee | Jonathan Dempsey MAHEP – Deputy Director of Operations, University College London
Jonathan has worked in HE for nearly 20 years across a variety of areas, from student support to registry, volunteering to accommodation managing. Using these generalist skills he has ventured into consultancy work most recently working with Buckinghamshire New University reviewing their student policies such as safeguarding and Prevent. Jonathan is passionate about the staff and student experience focussing on social justice and equity, This work is carried on not only in his professional life but also academic as he pursues a professional doctorate at the University of Bath in Higher Education Management where his focus is on the impact of extenuating circumstances on student outcomes.
Trustee | Josh Gulrajani FAHEP – Aston University, Birmingham
Josh Gulrajani is Director of Planning, Performance, and Student Statutory Returns at Aston University. Responsible for the strategic and operational planning and the coordination of approximately £200m of resources annually, Josh leads the various strands of the integrated planning process, and is currently driving the embedding of performance monitoring to the University’s business processes. He is also accountable for the University’s obligations to the Designated Data Body, Jisc, and oversees all student statutory and external reporting for Aston University.
Previously Head of Data and Planning at Bath Spa, he has considerable experience across strategic planning, data and insights, and performance monitoring in higher education.
Josh was Deputy Chair of the TEF Subject Pilot from 2017-19, was involved in the QAA Strategic Advisory Committee, sat on the Augar Review User Reference Group, and has been a Quality and Standards and Degree Awarding Powers Reviewer since 2019. He speaks extensively on the use of data in higher education for the enhancement of teaching, learning, and the student experience.
He holds a law degree from the University of Essex, and completed the AUA PgCert in HE Administration, Management and Leadership in 2019. He is the HE Governor for Warwickshire College Group, one of the largest FE providers in the country, Vice Chair of South Bank Students’ Union, and a Trustee of the Association of HE Professionals (formerly Association of University Administrators).
Trustee | Daniel Robbins – Head of Marketing, Communications & Commercial Strategy, University of Birmingham
Daniel is Head of Marketing, Communications & Commercial Strategy at the University of Birmingham, where he leads marketing and communications for a multi-million-pound portfolio of commercial and campus services and is a member of the senior team. He has over a decade of marketing experience across higher education and the private and third sectors, specialising in brand, communications, digital transformation and commercial growth.
Daniel is passionate about developing people and championing the contribution of professional services colleagues across higher education. Alongside his role as an AHEP Trustee, he mentors emerging HE professionals through the CUBO Mentoring Scheme.
Trustee | Emily Maddock Khan FAHEP – Head of College Services, Kaplan International Pathways
Emily Maddock Khan (she/her) is a Higher Education professional with over 15 years experience in the sector. She is Head of College Services at the University of Nottingham International College, a Kaplan International Pathways college, responsible for Student Services, Registry, EDI and Progression. She is a Fellow of AHEP and is a DBA candidate in Higher Education Management at the University of Bath, with research focused on EDI, HE staff development, AI, globalisation, and decolonisation, and is a member of the International Centre for Higher Education Management and the Society for Research into Higher Education.
Emily has previously worked in registry, international development, admissions, and teaching across five UK universities, two HE colleges, and one pathway provider. She completed the AUA PgCert in HE Administration, Management and Leadership in 2022.
Trustee | Mike Mercer FAHEP – Director of Students and Registrar , Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts
Mike has worked in Higher Education for almost thirty years, following a career in the Royal Navy. He is currently the Director of Students and Registrar at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts, having previously been the Deputy Academic Registrar at UCLAN and the Head of Student Services Delivery at the University of Manchester, where he worked for 18 years. Mike is currently leading LIPA through the degree awarding powers process at his Institute.
Mike strives to develop and enable the people that work for him to deliver their best and encourages all his team to connect through AHEP. A passionate campaigner for equality Mike fills his spare time looking after his three elderly rescue dogs!
Trustee | Paul Anderson – Head of Professional Services, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow
Paul is currently Head of Professional Services in the University of Glasgow’s School of Health and Wellbeing. With a career in Higher Education spanning the last decade, Paul has significant experience across both Scottish and Irish HE.
His career has covered a broad range of professional services, including strategic planning, finance, governance, learning and teaching, research support, organisational change, school management and staff development. Prior to his current role, Paul held positions across the University of Glasgow and University College Dublin, giving him experience of different institutional and national Higher Education environments.
Alongside his current role, Paul is Co-Chair of the University of Glasgow Shadow Board, a mentor through both AHEP and the University of Glasgow, and founder of the Scottish Health Schools Operations Network, which brings together professional services colleagues from across Scotland to share practice and address common challenges.
Paul was awarded the Robbie Ewen Fellowship in 2025, which took him to Karolinska Institute and the University of Copenhagen to explore different approaches to professional services operations, the student experience, staff wellbeing and income diversification.
Paul is particularly passionate about supporting the development and recognition of professional services colleagues, creating opportunities for career progression and strengthening connections across the sector.
Trustee | Professor Wendy Finlay BSc (Hons) PGCert PhD FAHEP (she/her), Pro Vice Chancellor Education and Students
Wendy is Pro Vice-Chancellor – Education and Students at the University of the Built Environment, where she provides strategic leadership across the University’s student-facing and education-facing professional services, spanning the full student journey and the delivery and enhancement of the education offer.
Wendy has worked in higher education leadership and management for over two decades, across universities, further education and small and specialist higher education providers. She brings particular experience of leading complex change and developing student-centred approaches to education across different institutional and regulatory contexts. She is passionate about widening access to higher education and about creating flexible, work-integrated and professionally relevant learning opportunities that enable students to succeed alongside work and other commitments.
Wendy is Professor of Higher Education Innovation and Leadership and holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Queen Mary, University of London. She is a Fellow of AHEP and is committed to strengthening the professional contribution, recognition and development of colleagues working across higher education.
Trustee | Valarie Williams-Foy – FCIPD, FAHEP, MBA, PGCE, BSc. | Head of Leadership Development & Leadership Academy Lead, Imperial College London
As Head of Leadership Development, Valarie leads Imperial’s Leadership and Coaching Academy and is responsible for shaping and delivering the University’s leadership development strategy. She works closely with senior leaders and colleagues across the institution to design innovative programmes and experiences that develop leadership capability at all levels. With extensive experience in leadership, talent, succession management and organisational development, Valarie is passionate about creating inclusive, evidence-based learning opportunities that enable individuals and teams to thrive. Through coaching, facilitation, and strategic partnership, she supports leaders to navigate complexity, strengthen collaboration, and lead with authenticity and impact in an ever-changing environment.