Global Committee
This Committee is responsible for reviewing and supporting international activities across the Coventry University Group and providing assurance to the University’s Board of Governors that such activities where appropriate support the international theme of the University’s corporate strategy as well as the other international activities.
Global Committee (formerly known as International Advisory Committee) Terms of Reference
Peter Reynolds
Chair of the Global Committee and Independent member of the Board of Governors
Peter, first appointed to the Board of Governors as an Independent Governor in September 2020, is a marketing and sales specialist with over 30 years’ experience in consumer goods and professional services in national and international leadership roles. He was previously a board governor of Instructus (a charity that supports apprenticeships and other workplace learning) and Chair of The Institute of Paralegals.
Peter’s international know-how comes from 15 years living and working overseas. Based in Bangkok for seven years, he worked across the whole of Asia helping companies create and implement growth strategies. On moving to Switzerland, he led the EMEA sales function for a large US consultancy.
Peter is active in his local community, being a committee member of drama and folk music groups.
Peter is also a member of Strategy, Finance and Resources Committee and Board of Governors.
Rajat Saboo
Independent Governor
Appointed as a Non-Executive member of the International Advisory Committee in 2020, Rajat is currently the Global Director of Strategy and Business Development for the aviation fuels unit of bp, Air BP. Rajat initially joined bp in 2011 in a range of Analyst roles covering commercial / corporate development and strategy for Castrol across Automotive, Industrial and Marine markets. They previously worked at Vestas Wind Systems in Denmark, as their Servicing unit’s Strategy Development and Implementation Specialist. Working at Accenture he consulted Sallie Mae on loan management of Federal and Private education loans.
Rajat holds a Master of Business Administration from HEC Paris and a Bachelor of Engineering from Bangalore University.
Richard Thomas
Independent Governor
Richard spent the early years of his career as an engineer and manager in manufacturing industry before moving into higher education. He has worked in a number of UK higher education providers, in roles ranging from lecturer to Assistant Vice Chancellor. Throughout his career he has been heavily involved in teaching and curriculum development in a broad range of STEM related programmes.
In addition, he has been involved in leading numerous applied research and knowledge exchange projects with a wide range of industrial partners. Richard served on the PVC International Advisory Group for Universities Wales and is a former Visiting Professor at Wuhan University of Technology. He has been heavily involved in STEM outreach activities and, during his time in the North of England, worked closely with the National Science and Media Museum on the Yorkshire Games Festival and with a number of cultural organizations, reflecting the diversity of the region.
Alongside his academic career, Richard also worked as a music journalist for many years. He has been a member of the Council of Guild HE and the project board of the Teaching Excellence Framework, and is currently a governor at Wrexham Glyndwr University, a member of the Board of Trustees at the National Museum of Wales, and a non-executive director at Careers Wales. He is passionate about the power of education to transform the lives of individuals and the strong role that universities can play in the social and economic wellbeing of the UK.
Richard is also a member of the Education Committee and Research Committee.
Steve Haywood
Independent Governor
Steve started in the automotive industry after leaving school at the age of 16 and taking up a Technical Apprenticeship with Triumph Motors, part of the group which is now Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The majority of Steve’s career was with JLR, progressing through numerous roles to eventually playing a key role in many of JLR's new model launches.
Three years of leading Value Leadership for JLR gave great knowledge and understanding of the financial drivers in the business of value management and efficiency improvement. In 2010, Steve left JLR to set up his own consultancy business and developed a portfolio of client activity helping businesses such as Healy Cars, Lotus Engineering, Proton Motor Company and a number of Tier 1 companies in their business development and product development delivery. Over the next seven years, Steve worked for Ricardo plc and Tata Technologies before retiring from full time employment in 2020 and returning to his consultancy business, through which he is currently supporting Norton Motorcycles in the UK.
Adekemi Adebajo
Independent Governor
Adekemi works at Legal and General Investment Management (LGIM) as a Transactions Director where she has the overall responsibility for the coordination of LGIM’s activities associated with on-boarding of New Pension Risk Transfer (PRT) business. She is also responsible for projects associated with improving the current on-boarding process for PRT transactions. Adekemi joined LGIM in January 2015 from Capita Employee Benefits where she was Head of Asset Transfers and was responsible for building and managing a specialist asset transfer team.
Prior to that, she worked at KPMG and Willis Towers Watson as an investment consultant managing transitions on behalf of clients and also researching transition managers and custodians. She also worked as a transition manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland. Adekemi graduated from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and holds a BA (Ed) in English. She also obtained an MBA from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and holds the Investment Administration Qualification (IAQ) and Investment Management Certificate (IMC).
Adekemi is a member of the LGIM Culture Club, which seeks to ensure that that LGIM is a diverse and inclusive workplace. She co-chairs the Attract workstream, which partners with schools and charities to provide students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to experience what it like to work in Investment Management and also leads the LGIM Prayer Group, collaborating with colleagues to run the Annual Carol Service.
Adekemi is also a member of the Board of Governors and the Governance and Nominations Committee.
Hiten Patel
Independent Governor
Hiten is a Governance & Risk Director with an international technology organisation. He has extensive leadership and global experience from over twenty years of non-executive board appointments, providing strategic, commercial, organisational, financial and technological direction. These roles have occurred across various institutions and charities, including education, professional membership, social housing, regulated, not-for-profit and the third sector. Hiten provides a strong corporate governance, strategic and regulatory lens to issues considered by the Board, directors, and management. Hiten has served as Chair, Trustee, Governing Board Member, Chair of Audit & Risk and Chair of Finance Committees during this time.
His executive experience includes corporations within Financial Services, Technology Vendors, Education Services and The National Trust. He has extensive experience leading, managing and delivering transformational business and digital change. These roles have been with large international companies, covering different countries, cultures, and complexities, including local, regional & government regulations. Skills and competencies provided by Hiten include governance, legal, compliance, people & culture, IT (digital & cybersecurity), QI (quality improvement), outsourcing, services, finance, audit & risk management.
He is an Advisory Board Member at the Housing Ombudsman, and member of its Audit & Risk Assurance Committee. Hiten is also a Board Member at The Pioneer Housing and Community Group, and member of its Audit & Assurance Committee.
OduduAbasi Umo-Odiong
Your SU Sabbatical Officer
Odudu is the current Community Officer of Coventry University’s Student Union. Prior to this position, he completed his postgraduate studies in International Business Management at the University. He previously worked as the International Students Community Engagement Lead in the Student Union and sat on the Committee of two societies within the Union. He is a practising lawyer in Nigeria where he founded and runs a charitable organisation called CJAF.
Odudu represents students’ interest and brings his experience as a student in three different countries (Mauritius, Nigeria and the United Kingdom) to the table. He is also a member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Janet Chapman
Independent Governor
Janet enjoyed a long executive career working financial services in the UK and the USA. She held senior roles in Citigroup, Nationwide Building Society and Mistubushi UJF. Her time with Nationwide reinforced for her the importance of building societies and she now serves as a non-executive director for the Tipton and Coseley Building Society.
Recently elected as a governor of Coventry University, she is also a trustee for the Museum of the Home, the Black Country Living Museum and the Regal Tenbury Wells reflecting her passion for the role of education, arts and culture in our society. She lives in Worcestershire.
