Meri Braziel has over 25 years in the global telecommunications and ICT industry, beginning her career with Sprint International as Finance Manager of EMEA and has held several Managing Director and CEO roles of technology companies in the UK. From 2011-2015, Meri was CEO of Keycom plc, an internet service provider to public sector organisations, including higher education, military, and hospital accommodation. She is also a co-founder the Women in Telecom and Technology networking group. Meri graduated with a BSFS from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in International Economics and a Masters Degree in European Studies from Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies.

Steve Denton
Chief Operating Officer and Registrar, Nottingham Trent University

Steve graduated in Law from Lancaster University in 1986 following which he spent a further year as a sabbatical officer at the students' union. After a career in Local Government, in 1997 he became University Secretary and Clerk to the Board at Thames Valley University (now University of West London). In May 2001, Steve became Registrar and Secretary of Leeds Metropolitan (now Beckett) University. In 2011 he was appointed Pro-Director, Strategy and Organisation at the Institute of Education, University of London, where, as Chief Operating Officer, he was responsible for all professional support services, and led the merger of the IOE with University College London in December 2014.

Steve has served on many national committees and working groups, including the Board of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA); as Honorary Treasurer of AHUA and a former member of the Board of Trustees of the AUA. Most recently he was a member of United Kingdom Standing Committee for Quality Assurance.

As Chief Operating Officer and Registrar at NTU he is responsible for Finance; Human Resources Estates; Campus Services; Digital Technology; Academic Registry; Marketing, Communications and
Student Recruitment; Governance, Legal and Policy; Student Support Services and Strategic Planning and Change. Steve also leads on the University’s approach to sustainability. Steve is a keen supporter of Oldham Athletic Football Club.

Felix Emotu, International and Postgraduate Students' Officer, Leeds University Union

Biography coming soon

Steve Gilley
Director of Infrastructure, University of Bradford

A Chartered Surveyor, Steve has over thirty years’ experience in property, gained in the public and private sectors. He is joining us from the University of Leeds, where he has worked for the past fifteen years, most recently as Director of Estates and Facilities. In this role he oversaw two major campus transformation programmes, with capital investment resulting in the construction of over twenty new buildings and extensive refurbishment of the existing Estate. He oversaw acquisition of new land and property to widen the opportunities for additional Commercial and Research activity.

Committed to sustainability, Steve most recently led the Estates response to the University of Leeds’s ambition to becoming a Net Zero organisation by 2030 and will oversee the strategy for Bradford to fulfil its own de-carbonisation strategy. Steve is passionate about placemaking and the impact of landscape and public realm to support a positive sense of wellbeing at work. Whilst at Leeds, he also directed strategic change within the Estates function, developing a programme office to support project delivery, led reviews to improve and develop the services, and introducing significant structural change to modernise the service to harness the benefits of Digital Transformation.

Prior to his time in Higher Education Steve worked for HBOS Group Property managing the delivery of new retail banking facilities, major office developments and data centre projects in the UK and Europe for over five years. Steve initially trained as a Quantity Surveyor working in a large UK consultancy for over a decade moving through the organisation and diversifying into Project and Programme Management for a wide range of blue chip companies, property developers and leisure developments.

When he is not working, Steve is a passionate landscape photographer and is often to be found happily snapping away somewhere in the Yorkshire Dales.

Sue Green
Interim Director of Residential Services, University of Leeds

Biography coming soon

Harish Jayaseelan, Welfare Officer, Leeds Beckett Students' Union

Biography coming soon

Joanne Norry MBE
Director of Library and Student Services, Leeds Beckett University

Jo Norry MBE is Director of Library and Student Services at Leeds Beckett, leading a broad portfolio of services bringing together libraries, student IT support, academic skills, learning technologies, student advice and wellbeing, disability advice, and student money. She was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours 2022 for services to higher education and social inclusion. Having worked in higher education for over 30 years, Jo has been at Leeds Beckett since 2000, following posts at Sheffield Hallam University, University of Northampton and York Minster. She is a chartered librarian, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, and holds postgraduate qualifications in librarianship, human resource management and a Masters in Medieval English Literature from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Jo is also a Trustee of the Thackray Museum of Medicine, and has served as a trustee on the Board of SCONUL (Society for College, National and University Libraries). She was Chair of the Northern Collaboration from 2018 to 2021, an organisation of university libraries in the north, and co-led the establishment of its successor, Academic Libraries North, in 2021.

Lokesh Sharma, Activities and Events Officer, Leeds Beckett Students' Union

Biography coming soon

Jacqui Short
Head of Central Services, Leeds Beckett Students' Union

Jacqui Short is Head of Central Services at Leeds Beckett Students' Union. Her remit covers LBSUs Finance, HR and Administration functions, as well as supporting elected officers.

Starting out in CRM & Market Research back in 2012 at Huddersfield Students' Union, and working in other areas including Communications and Events before eventually moving into her most recent role, Jacqui has nearly eight years experience in the sector, five of those being in Senior Management.

As a graduate of the University of Leeds with a bachelors degree in Chemistry, Jacqui also has strong ties with Leeds and the knowledge and experience of what it is like to be a student living here.

Jacqui is passionate about digital development and improving the experience for both staff and students at Leeds Beckett through efficient and intelligent systems and processes, making sure the SU keeps up with the digital natives of today.
Outside of work Jacqui is a volunteer Team Leader at Greenbelt Festival, leading a large team to raise funds for the non-profit festival, a keen outdoors person who loves to ski and hike, and has climbed Kilimanjaro, the National 3 Peaks, and regularly takes on physical challenges for charity.

Sue Stones
Deputy Chief Executive, Leeds University Union 

As part of the senior leadership team at LUU, Sue supports all areas of the organisation's work to ensure that students love their time at Leeds. Within her role Sue has specific responsibility for operational and commercial activity including generating income for the charity through its commercial outlets, managing facilities, sustainability, health and safety and safeguarding within the organisation. Sue also oversees events and business development at LUU.

Sue has worked at LUU since 2019 and prior to joining was CEO for a social enterprise in Leeds. Before working in the charity sector her toles were in retail and hospitality working for 15 years at Harvey Nichols as Finance and Operations Manager and then General Manager for several stores within their portfolio.

Chris Warrington
Head of Student Support, University of Leeds

Chris has worked at the University of Leeds since 1998. Moving from a role in Quality Assurance in 2008 Chris has worked on a number of institutional projects, including the development of Leeds for Life from its inception, the Leeds Partnership (with Leeds University Union(LUU)) and the development of the Leeds Curriculum.

Chris took on a new role in 2013 to manage academic student opportunity. This included working closely with a range of stakeholders across the University, through strategic development of the academic infrastructure, to enhance student opportunity.  In November 2014 Chris took up the post of Head of Student Support leading the University’s approach to supporting students. As well as this overall responsibility, and working in partnership with LUU, the role includes oversight of the key specialist Disability Service along with the Student Counselling & Wellbeing teams and international student support. Alongside the specialist services the Head of Student Support role includes managing the University’s relationship with Leeds Student Medical Practice (local NHS general practice), and the Chaplaincy. Chris is also an Executive member of the AMOSSHE organisation (which supports student services across the HE sector).

Officers of Unipol Student Homes

Nikki Verity, Chief Executive (interim)
Elizabeth Smith, Director of Finance
Victoria Tolmie-Loverseed, Deputy Chief Executive (interim) and Company Secretary
Tony Vyse, Director of Compliance and Development
Tom Hill, Assistant Chief Executive - Housing
Nicola Brown, Assistant Chief Executive - Hub Services
Andrew Livesey, Assistant Chief Executive - IT and Communications

All contactable at:

Unipol Student Homes
155/157 Woodhouse Lane
Leeds
LS2 3ED