Mark Swales, Chair of UUK/GuildHE Code Governance Board
Mark has worked in the Higher Education Sector at a senior leadership level since 1988 with a strong focus on the development of commercial, estates and facilities management services.
Paul Burns, Chair of UUK/GuildHE Code Compliance, Assurance and Scrutiny Board
Paul manages the Accommodation Office at The University of Manchester.
William Tandoh, Ministry of House, Communities and Local Government
I am the Team Leader for the Non-Traditional Tenures team in the Private Rented Sector Division, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
He has chaired four UK national sector bodies bringing together higher education professionals from a wide range of disciplines to share best practice and improve performance. He was appointed by UUK/GuildHE in 2022 as the Chair of the Governance Board for the Accommodation Code of Practice.
He was Chief Estates and Facilities Officer for Sheffield Hallam University between 2010 and 2020, one of the largest providers of Higher Education in the United Kingdom where he was primarily responsible for its estates, facilities, commercial and academic timetabling functions. He has extensive experience of the ACoP having been involved in its initial launch and subsequently being responsible for its administration in the first seven years of its operation.
Paul has 23 years’ experience in Student Accommodation working in pastoral as well as managerial roles and is committed to improving customer service in residences. Paul has worked with the UUK ACoP since its inception and with colleagues from the University of Manchester established the Practitioners’ Conference to develop good and best practice. He continues to take great pride in seeing it go from strength to strength. Amongst his many passions he cites; alphabetised lists, Italy, Japan, Lou Reed, Manchester City FC, The Velvet Underground and Ultra-marathons.
I have responsibility for the legislation governing the three Codes of Practice for purpose built student accommodation and maintaining the list of educational establishments signed up to the Codes. I am also responsible for the governance arrangements between MHCLG and the two Code providers to ensure the effective operation of the codes and address emerging issues in the sector. I am also a member of the Governance Board (UUK/GuildHE Code) and the Committee of Management (ANUK/Unipol codes).
Jenny Shaw, HE External Engagement Director, Unite Students
Jenny Shaw leads on national policy research into the student experience and producing influential reports such as Living Black at University and the Applicant Index.
Gwen Smyth, Project Manager, Queen's University Belfast
Gwen joined the Queen's accommodation team in 2005, starting as a Facilities Manager, moving to Residential Manager for 12 years where she found her passion for working and helping students.
Meridith Farley, Business Improvement Officer for Residential Services, University of Exeter
Meridith is the Business Improvement Officer for Residential Services at the University of Exeter.
Jenny has previously led on student experience and student wellbeing for Unite Students, setting up the first student support team in the PBSA sector and contributing to national guidance. Prior to working with Unite Students she held senior roles in the HE sector, leading on widening access and inclusion. She is currently seconded one day a week to the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce, working on Compassionate Communication, and a national Competency Framework for responding to distressed students.
Gwen then moved into the role of Operations and Compliance manager and finally Project Manager, overseeing the building of new accommodation and summer lifecycle projects at QUB.
Meridith has worked in the role for the past two years, prior to which she was the Deputy Manager in the Accommodation Office. She has strengths in process improvement and compliance and is particularly passionate about improving the accommodation experience for underrepresented student groups.
Laura Maclean, Head of Accommodation and Customer Services, University of Kent
Laura has a passion for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity, she is dedicated to enhancing the lived experience of all students, ensuring they feel supported and valued throughout their university journey.
Mandi Clark, Head of Accommodation Administration & Reslife Services, University of Manchester
Mandi has a background in hotel management and joined the world of student accommodation in the PBSA sector in the year 2000.
Tom Callow, Head of Security, University of Central Lancashire
With over 25 years of cross-industry experience, Tom Callow is a highly accomplished security professional specialising in risk-based security management, operational efficiency, and asset protection.
Laura brings a wealth of expertise in student accommodation, hospitality and event management, backed by a decade of experience in the higher education sector.
In 2002 Mandi moved north and joined the University of Stirling in the newly created role of Senior Residences Manager, latterly taking the role of Acting Head of Residential Services where she was heavily involved in the Residential Strategy which saw 4 new build halls of residences over a 3-year period.
Mandi joined the University of Manchester in April 2015 as the Head of Accommodation Administration with a remit to lead, direct and manage accommodation services across the whole of the UoM estate of c8500 bedrooms and the accommodation office. Shortly after arriving, Mandi was asked to take on the implementation of ResLife across Manchester's owned and leased halls. They now have a team of 20 full time ResLife professionals living and working in halls with around 150 ResLife Advisors participating in 365-day cover for residents.
His career spans the higher education sector, corporate investigations, law enforcement, and aerospace engineering, where he has successfully led large teams, implemented security technologies, and developed risk mitigation strategies.
As the current Head of Security at the University of Central Lancashire, Tom oversees a team of 60+ security professionals across multiple sites, ensuring a safe and secure environment for students and staff.
He is leading a five-year security transformation strategy, integrating new technologies and more student-focused ways of working.
Prior to this role, Tom was Head of Campus Security at Staffordshire University and his proactive approach to Martyn’s Law compliance and CONTEST counter-terrorism strategies set industry benchmarks in the higher education security sector.
Previously, Tom served as Security Manager at a large copper mine in Zambia, managing a significant annual security budget and a workforce of over 800 personnel. He implemented largescale surveillance and fraud monitoring systems, saving the company over $US1m annually, and ensured compliance with the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights.
His background includes extensive experience in corporate investigations, tackling high-profile
fraud and corruption cases using data analytics and intelligence-led security practices. He also served for 10 years as a police officer in the UK, developing strong expertise in crisis management and emergency response across two police forces.
Holding a Master’s degree in Security and Risk Management from the University of Leicester and
multiple professional certifications, Tom is also an active member of The Security Institute (SyI)
and AUCSO.
Helen Rutherford, Head Of Sustainable Campus Facilities Management, University of Staffordshire
Helen has a BSc Hons. in Environmental Biology and an MSc in Environmental Sustainability and Green Technologies, and is currently the Head of Sustainable Campus Facilities Management at the University of Staffordshire.
Brian Scott, Head of Maintenance, University of Kent
Brian Scott is Head of Maintenance at University of Kent, and has over 35 years knowledge and experience in Facilities Services.
Paul Rossi, Head of Student Advice & Safeguarding Support, University of the Arts London
Paul is an executive member of AMOSSHE (The Student Services Organisation) and a board member of UUK/GuildHE Code Compliance, Assurance and Scrutiny Board.
Helen has worked in both government bodies and HE institutions in environmental and sustainability roles and has first hand experience of the changes in the sector in relation to our environment and our impact on both the local environment, but how this also impacts global aspects and the changing demands of students.
As part of her role on the CUBO board, Helen hopes to provide a supportive community, harnessing the great work being done across the sector in relation to sustainability, capturing best practice and also create a sustainability strategy which is future focused, student focused and based on behaviour change and demonstrable improvements for the business and the local environment. We all know that change is needed to reduce our impact on the environment, but it needs to be easier to do the right thing, than continue to do what we're doing!
Starting his career in power generation, Brian secured UK Power Generation Student and Apprentice of the Year. He later progressed his career as an MEP Contract Manager & Quantity Surveyor and attended Henley Management College, later becoming Commercial Director for one of the UK's largest facilities maintenance companies. His career has provided involvement in facilities services at Rolls Royce, BAE, V&A, Aldermaston, BBC, JLL, NHS, Wells Fargo, Virtus, Lumen, BlackRock to name a few, and often involved defining technical and commercial tender strategies for whole estate maintenance or specific projects.
In recent times he has worked in genuine Critical National Infrastructure including managing the Operations and Performance of systems delivering 3GW 5% of the UKs power demand and Site Services Manager with MAGNOX delivering facilities services & projects with Regulated Compliance at Dungeness & Sizewell Nuclear Power Stations.
Paul has worked in student support services for over 25 years, and has served on the Boards of both UKCISA (the UK Council of International Student Affairs) and NASMA (the National Association of Student Money Advisers).
