The Governors of FfWG act as both trustees of the charity and directors of the company. They are elected at the Annual General Meeting and hold office for three years, with an option to be re-elected for a further three years. Two members of the Board are ex officio representatives from BFWG. They are all passionate about women’s education and want to ensure that the charity is as successful as it can be. They are the custodians of the charity’s assets and ensure that it is governed to the highest standard possible. To enable this, Governors come from a variety of backgrounds and have a variety of skills. They come from higher education, the law and the investment sector. Our current Board members are:
Professor Jane Hart, BSc, PhD
Current appointed Chair of the FfWG. Jane is a Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Southampton. Her teaching and research is about glaciers, sediments and the Ice Age, as well using Sensor Networks to monitor the environment. She has experience in numerous leadership roles including external examiner of PhD and undergraduate programmes, academic appointment boards and grant committees.
Aisha Alshawaf, BDS 1986, FDSRCS, MFGDP, Diploma in Implant Dentistry, Royal college of Surgeons of England
Aisha is the British Federation for Women Graduates (BFWG) representative on the FfWG Board of Governors responsible for the liaison between the Governors and the Federation. She graduated in Iraq in 1986 and has worked in the UK since 1992. She spent 11 years working in hospital oral surgery services, gaining the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and was accepted onto the Specialist list for Oral Surgery. She worked for four years in general practice before joining St Dunstan’s Dental Practice in Canterbury in September 2000 as an associate dentist. She also works as an Oral Surgery Specialist at the Kent & Canterbury Hospital. She has been a member of the BFWG for over ten years and is currently Vice President for the University Women of Europe
Judith Aston, PhD, MA, PGCertHE, BA
Judith is Associate Professor of Film and Digital Arts at the University of the West of England, Bristol working across academia and industry building interdisciplinary teams for teaching and research. She started her working life based in Cambridge developing pioneering creative technology projects in the UK’s fledgling interactive and immersive media sectors. She is aware of the glass ceiling for women in academia and is passionate about equal rights in terms of access to education.
Carolyn Carr, MA (Oxon), DPhil
Carolyn is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics at Oxford University. Her research interests include cardiac physiology and metabolism, with a particular focus on cardiac progenitor cells. She is the current chair of the Grant Committee.
Caroline Graham
Caroline is a solicitor specialising in company law and corporate transactions and governance. Previously she founded and managed a small charity that works with deprived children and families in western Uganda.
Caroline brings to the governorship, both a commitment to the aims of FfWG and relevant expertise, both as a lawyer and as a current and former trustee of other charities.
Kay Howell BA (Hons)
Kay Howell is the current President of BFWG, of which she has been a member for many years. A retired Head of Modern Languages and Advanced Skills Teacher in a comprehensive school, she spent several years after retirement working with a schools improvement service, mainly supporting newly appointed department leaders.
Shirley-Anne Sherriff, BA (Hons)
Shirley-Anne has worked in the global manmade fibres business for more than 35 years. With extensive experience in product commercialisation and management of textile chain activities, she moved into independent consulting in 1994. She co-founded Opus Business Consultants, a specialist fibres consultancy with a particular focus on market research, strategy and sustainability. Born in South Africa, she is committed to women having access to the transformative powers of good education, as well as valuing the benefits that they can, in turn, bring to their families, communities, and broader society.
Sam Tully, MA ACA
Sam is a senior investment banker who grew up and later worked in India. He has been involved in the world of investments since starting his career as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse. He has worked with clients, including charities, on managing their investment portfolios and brings this expertise to the Board of FfWG. Through both his time in India and personal experience he believes strongly in the need for achieving equality of educational opportunity between the sexes.
“I received my Foundation Grant as I neared the completion of my PhD. It was extremely helpful to me as I was able to complete my thesis within my desired time frame. After completing my PhD, I enjoyed six years working in Cambridge’s thriving IT industry. Although few pure mathematicians can claim to have used their research outside of academia,I was delighted to be given the opportunity to work for Spatial Technology Ltd. I continue to work for them as a contractor back home in New Zealand.”
Dr Audrey Tan Hayes
DPMMS, University of Cambridge