Board of governors
Clinton Aideloje
Students' Union President (Wellbeing). Clinton is originally from Nigeria and most recently completed a course in photography at Teesside University. He chose to study here after being impressed by the amazing facilities available on his preferred course and the diverse community that he feels allows most international students to settle in quickly. He was elected by his fellow students to represent them and ensure their voice is heard in March 2025 and will serve in the role until July 2026.
Dean Benson
CEO, Visualsoft
Ada Burns, Chair
Ada was Chief Executive of Darlington Borough Council until 2018 and prior to moving to the north east in 2005, occupied senior positions in London Councils. She has played leadership roles in the Tees Valley and in the North East, and has experience in governance of FE and Sixth form institutions. Ada is currently a Non-Executive Director of the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and a Trustee of a community arts centre in Barnard Castle.
Dann Cooley
Operations & Facilities Manager, National Horizons Centre
Professor Paul Croney OBE
Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Teesside University.
Dr Nick Johnson
Nick is currently Chief Strategy Officer at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult with over thirty years of experience delivering sustained value creation through the commercialisation of science and technology. Nick's previous senior roles include Commercial Director, Centre for Process Innovation Ltd; Strategic Marketing Director, Johnson Matthey; and Strategic Marketing Director, Catalent. Nick currently holds Non-Executive Director position at Life Science Index Limited.
Yasmin Khan
Director/trustee of the Teesside-based Halo Project charity; National Advisor to the Welsh Government on Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence; Alumna of Teesside University.
Professor Geoff Layer OBE
Vice-Chancellor's Adviser, Coventry University; formally Vice-Chancellor, Wolverhampton.
Scott Martin
Scott is a Fellow of the Institute of the Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He is currently employed as Executive Director of Resources at Karbon Homes with responsibility for finance, treasury, people and organisational development, ICT and digital transformation. His previous positions have included senior finance and general management roles within the housebuilding sector.
Daniel Moore
Daniel is currently a Senior Lecturer from the School of Health and Life Sciences where he leads our chiropractic provision. In 2024 Daniel was awarded National Teaching Fellowship by Advance HE for making an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession. Daniel sits on the Education Committee of the General Chiropractic Council and Education Task Force for the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health (G-MUSC). Passionate about the transformative potential of higher education, Daniel engages in research and knowledge exchange projects focused on the impact Teesside University can have, both in the Tees Valley and internationally as far afield as Malaysia & Chile
Joel Mullan
Joel is Director of Analytic Learning, a specialist consultancy focused on global education and skills policy and research. Joel's particular expertise relates to educational planning and financing, TVET and school-to-work transitions, and edtech. He has worked extensively with UN agencies, governments, NGOs and educational institutions. Originally from Middlesbrough, he previously worked on skills policy development for the Mayor of London, and in strategy for the edtech agency Jisc.
Kate O'Sullivan BEM
Kate is the founder of K8OS Leadership & Coaching Ltd and offers significant operational and leadership experience with the Sports, Higher Education, Chemicals, and volunteering sectors. Kate has a number of non-executive roles and is the former Deputy Chair of British Rowing.
Ganesh Poshala
Students' Union President (International). Ganesh is originally from India and most recently completed a course in Food Science and Biotechnology at Teesside University. He chose to study here because of its reputation as one of the best universities in the country for his course and having been impressed with the quality of teaching, research opportunities and industry connections. He was elected by his fellow students to represent them and particularly ensure the voice of international students is heard in March 2025 and will serve in the role until July 2026.
Alfredo Ramos
Alfredo Ramos is Investment Director at the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, where he leads the organization's investor engagement and investment strategy. Alfredo has forged his career in highly entrepreneurial settings, bringing deep tech investment expertise from both investor and entrepreneur perspectives. A multilingual senior executive with over 15 years of experience in business leadership, strategic planning, and consulting across diverse industries and geographies, he substantially contributed to the scale-up and exit of high-growth innovative technology companies as a key member of the executive leadership and established corporate venturing operations from the ground up.
Richard Rollison
Richard has held various roles within the Scottish Government since 2007 and is currently Director of International Trade & Investment, Scottish Government with lead responsibility for Scottish Government policy and delivery on international trade and investment including leadership and management of staff. Richard is currently a Board Member of the Scottish Ballet.
Dermot Russell, Deputy Chair and Chair of Resources Committee
Dermot is currently Head of Corporate Finance at PD Ports having previously been Group Chief Finance Officer for some 16 years. Prior to taking up employment with PD Ports in 2000, Dermot held senior positions with Northumbrian Water, Grainger Plc and Deloitte Haskins & Sells.
Claire Vaughan
Claire is currently Legal Director at Johnson & Johnson MedTech UK & Ireland. Prior to taking up her current role, Claire's previous senior positions have included Senior Corporate Counsel, Establishment Labs Inc, Vice-President Commercial Legal, Sage plc, and Global Lead Commercial Counsel, BioRad Laboratories Inc. Claire is currently a Director and Trustee of the Great North Air Ambulance Service
Godfrey Worsdale OBE
Director, Henry Moore Foundation. Formerly: Director, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead; Founding Director, MIMA, Middlesbrough; Director, Southampton City Art Gallery; Director, Cultural Instructions, London. Trusteeship: Northern Art Collection.