Board and Committees

Last modified: 12 November 2024

UKCISA is led by a Board of Trustees, with six committees who report to it. Committee members are mainly representatives of member organisations and sector bodies.

Our Board of Trustees meet four times a year and consist of:

  • a Chair of the Board
  • an Honorary Treasurer
  • nine elected members
  • up to six members co-opted by the Board to ensure an appropriate balance of skills, interest groups and expertise

The Board is supported by six committees:

  • Finance, audit & risk
  • Membership
  • Nominations
  • People and organisational development
  • Strategic advisory (including UKCISA’s practitioner networks)
  • Student advisory

UKCISA has two practitioner networks who also sit on our Strategic advisory committee:

President

Last modified: 06 August 2024

Lord Karan Bilimoria, CBE, DL

Lord Bilimoria became UKCISA’s President in 2015. He is the founder of Cobra Beer, Chairman of the Cobra Beer Partnership Limited and of Molson Coors Cobra India – both joint ventures with the global brewing company, Molson Coors.

He is the Founding Chairman of the UK India Business Council, a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London, a former Chancellor of Thames Valley University (now the University of West London), Chancellor of the University of Birmingham and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Judge Business School, Cambridge. He was himself an international student coming to the UK on a scholarship for a diploma in accounting at what is now London Metropolitan University and then graduated in law from Cambridge.

In 2004, Karan was appointed a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to business and entrepreneurship, and in 2006 he was appointed an Independent Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords and created Baron Bilimoria of Chelsea in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Among a range of other roles and responsibilities, he is also Co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on International Students. 

Chair of the Board

Last modified: 06 August 2024

lamberts

Professor Koen Lamberts
Professor Koen Lamberts is President and Vice-Chancellor of University of Sheffield. He was previously Vice-Chancellor & President of the University of York. He is also Chair of the Board of Trustees at UCAS, Chair of the N8 Research Partnership and Chair of the Employers Pension Forum for Higher Education. He is a Board Member of The Russell Group, the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership, the Outward Mobility Strategy Board, Universities and Colleges Employers Association, the White Rose University Consortium, the Worldwide Universities Network and Yorkshire Universities. 

Originally from Belgium, he has worked in the USA and then at the University of Birmingham and the University of Warwick (where he was Pro Vice-Chancellor and later Deputy Vice-Chancellor). Professor Lamberts has a particular interest in international links in general and international student issues.

Trustees

Last modified: 12 November 2024
  • Professor Koen Lamberts, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Sheffield (Chair)
  • Ross Porter, Associate Director, Visa Compliance & Financial Aid, London Business School (Vice-Chair)
  • Peter Barnes, Chief Financial Officer, Study Portals (Honorary Treasurer)
  • Mervyn Adams, International Compliance Manager, City of Glasgow College
  • Lynsey Bendon, Assistant Director (Operations and Student Experience), University of Sunderland
  • Emma Gwynnett-Davies, Manager, International@CampusLife, Swansea University
  • Maria Loray, International Project Coordinator, The Union, Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Adityavarman Mehta, #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador, University of Leeds
  • Sally Saca, Head of International Student Advice Team, Oxford Brookes University
  • Laura Rose-Troup, Head of International, Newcastle College
  • Cat Turhan, Director of Membership Services, Imperial College Union
  • Hamish Walker, Head of Student Immigration Service, University of Edinburgh
  • Lizzie Wright, Head of International Student Support, Imperial College London
  • Chris Chang, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement & Student Life), University of Portsmouth
  • Jonny Exon, Head of College Life, University of York

Committees

Last modified: 01 October 2024

Each committee is chaired by a trustee. Committees will meet 1-3 times a year, and contribute to the running of the organisation.

The current Chairs are:

  • Finance, audit & risk committee: Peter Barnes, Chief Financial Officer, Study Portals (Honorary Treasurer)
  • Membership committee: Vacant
  • Nominations committee: Ross Porter, Associate Director, Visa Compliance & Financial Aid, London Business School & Vice-Chair of UKCISA Board of Trustees
  • People and organisational development committee: Lynsey Bendon, Assistant Director (Operations and Student Experience), University of Sunderland
  • Strategic advisory committee: Lizzie Wright, Head of International Student Support, Imperial College London
  • Student advisory group: Adityavarman Mehta, #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador, University of Leeds (Chair) & Vartika Khandelwal, #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador, University of Liverpool (Vice-Chair)

Annual reviews

Last modified: 07 August 2024
© 2024 UK Council for International Student Affairs

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