Afternoon Plenary Speakers

The Collaboration Challenge

Dr David Duncan

Deputy Vice Chancellor - Operations and Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary at University of Glasgow

David Duncan is the University of Glasgow’s Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary and Deputy Vice Chancellor for Operations. Prior to this, David was Registrar and Secretary at the University of York, a post he held for 8 years. Before then he was Secretary of the University of Dundee from 2001-8. David is a graduate of the University of Aberdeen and holds a Masters degree and a PhD in history from Queen’s University, Canada.

Eve Lewis

Director at sparqs

Eve Lewis is the Director of student partnerships in quality Scotland (sparqs). She has worked in the field of student engagement for over 20 years, previously within Heriot-Watt University Students’ Association, prior to taking up her post as Head of sparqs in 2010. During that time she has led many innovative developments, including pioneering work linking course representative systems with senior decision-making processes and implementing one of the first schemes of student-led learning and teaching awards in Scotland. Eve has been involved in developments around the role of students in Scotland’s Quality Enhancement Framework since its inception over 10 years ago and in her current role is responsible for ensuring support for this to institutions and their students’ associations within Scotland’s 19 universities and 26 colleges. Eve is a member of many of the key committees in the Scottish post-16 sector, supporting agencies in developing their student engagement activities. She led the research and development work in Scotland that resulted in the nationally agreed Student Engagement Framework for Scotland, a resource widely used within the Scottish college and university sectors and beyond. Current projects include supporting the developments of Student Partnership Agreements, inputting into the current review of the Quality Enhancement Framework and developing student engagement in quality across a range of non-traditional student journeys. Eve’s work has at its foundation, a belief that the more engaged students are in their academic communities, the more likely they will be to go on and play active and substantial roles in civic and political society. Her work is built on the principle that the more we work in partnership with students, the better the student learning experience and the more successful our colleges and universities will be.

Dr Roddy Yarr

Executive Lead Sustainability at University of Strathclyde

Dr Roddy Yarr is responsible for the University of Strathclyde’s operational sustainability commitments, delivering large scale climate change and social responsibility initiatives that address the University’s response to net zero and sustainability issues across all of its operational assets in west central Scotland.

In response to the Climate Emergency, Roddy has developed an innovative, bold and collaborative 'Climate Neutral Districts' vision deploying 100% renewable heat, power, active travel, adaptation and well being solutions across all University assets in the central belt of Scotland. This multi-award winning vision takes an collaborative and partnership approach to enable ‘scale and speed’ of climate action in Glasgow and the City Region, seeking to create sustainable places, businesses, organisation and communities.

A respected sustainability expert, Roddy leads the Sustainable Strathclyde team of professional experts and he is Project Sponsor for a number of major capital and operational schemes. Roddy successfully led the delivery of the £20M district heating energy project at the Glasgow city centre campus. He developed the design and funding programme that has enabled the delivery of the University’s first energy carbon neutral building in operation at the new National Manufacturing Institute Scotland in Renfrewshire. He is project sponsor for the £13M ‘Heart of the Campus’ people-first open space redevelopment at the University and the local community at Townhead and Ladywell.

Roddy advises and works with a wide range of sustainability groups across the city and region. He leads the Sustainable Glasgow Partnership green infrastructure and transport hub and he is the convenor of Climate Ready Clyde a multi agency partnership in the City Region working on adaptation. Roddy leads the Clyde Mission Net Zero Group that is seeking to decarbonise the Clyde Corridor Roddy is a board member of the Clyde Climate Forest Programme Group and an external advisor and board member of the West
Dunbartonshire Energy Company LLP which operates the award winning Queens Quay Heat Pump and Energy Centre. He is an external advisor to the Scottish Parliament’s Sustainability Board and to the Glasgow Metro Project. Roddy is also a member and sustainability advisor for the Monklands Hospital Replacement Committee. Roddy is the deputy chair of the AUDE Sustainability Group and he is an EAUC Fellow. He is also a Trustee of the Friends of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.

Email Roddy
Connect on Twitter
Connect on LinkedIn

Astrid Smallenbroek

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant at University of the West of Scotland

Astrid started her career at the University of Stirling Students’ Union as Union President. She had a strong focus on equality diversity and inclusion and built strong relationships to ensure that marginalised student groups were represented and considered at every level of the university.

She is currently the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant at the University of the West of Scotland. She is responsible for the delivery and monitoring of equality and diversity across the University, and its underpinning legal requirements. This role requires a collaborative approach and works closely with staff networks, colleagues, managers and senior managers.

Visit Contact Us for our details.