Meet the team

We work to enhance the sustainability of the university or within our wider communities, which filters across the Group with many people having responsibility for various aspects. Below are a few examples of key roles with direct responsibility and contribution to sustainability at Coventry University:

Senior Leadership

Governance and delivery of the Group Net Zero Carbon targets, Environmental Management policy and sustainability performance is the overall responsibility of:

• Ian Marshall (Deputy-Vice-Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer)

In addition, senior leads for aspects of sustainable development include:

• SDG Accord - Jo Dobson (Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor - Group Policy)
• Sustainability in Teaching and Learning - Andrew Turner (Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor - Curriculum Development)
• Sustainability within Estates, Facilities, IT and Catering - Mark Cammies (Managing Director), (Property, Facilities and Infrastructure Manager)
• Sustainability within Estates and Facilities - Lisa Hofen (Director of Estates)

Environment Team

Is responsible for managing and coordinating sustainable development across the University Group and reporting on progress. Our Environmental Management Policy defines how we control our impacts, and our Environmental Management System ensures we continuously perform and improve. The team also has a strategic role in planning for how University responds to climate change, changes to legislation and local and national policy.

Engagement and participation in our activities is critical to how we work. We work closely with curriculum and research teams to support activates and be able to view and report on our performance across the University. The team:

• Selina Fletcher (Environment and Sustainability Manager)
• Jo Sharman (Sustainability Advisor)
• Michael Checkley (Energy Manager)
• Ellie Rathbone (Energy and Data Administrator)
• Brendan O'Reilly (Sustainable Transport Manager)
• Obiajulu Iweka (Sustainability Reporting Specialist)
• Robert Everitt (Environment Assistant - Internship)
• Paid Student posts equating to 0.5 FTE

To contact any of the Environment team staff please email: envteam.est@coventry.ac.uk

Waste and Recycling

• Miranda Collett (Cleaning and Domestic Services Manager)
• David Drysdale (Waste and Recycling Coordinator)

Catering

• Michael Ricketts (Head of Estates Soft Services)
• Ais Reynolds (Catering and Retail Manager)

To contact a member of the Waste and Recycling or Catering team please email: genenq.est@coventry.ac.uk

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

The CSR team are responsible for delivering the CSR framework. This supports community action which aligns to our role as a Civic University. Within the framework we focus on the provision of education opportunities for people from all backgrounds, improving accessibility and opportunities within our communities. Enterprise and innovation is embedded in the culture of the university and is key to creating a sustainable future, our social enterprise hub is a registered social enterprise and supports the community in nurturing new social start-ups. We also seek to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities.

CSR Team

• Natalie Dickens (Head of Stakeholder Engagement)

Coventry University Social Enterprise

Find out more about social enterprise and the SDGs in the latest annual report.

The team:

• Joao Esquerdo (Business Development Manager)
• Husen Ismail (Enterprise Programme Manager)

Contact the CUSE Team: myidea@coventry.ac.uk

Our Fablab team bring social enterprise and sustainable ‘making’ into the community. Encouraging local residents to gain skills and develop products to support employment. These projects are based around the circular economy with the Eco Furniture Factory bringing old furniture back to life

• Helen Lewis (Fablab Manager)
• Kevin Taylor (Technical Skills Instructor)

Sustainable Curriculum

Sustainability is embedded within our curriculum framework, utilising the SDGs as a guide to deliver teaching and other opportunities that support sustainable development. This work is led by:

• Andrew Turner (Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Teaching & Learning)

The Academic Enhancement and Professional Development (AEPD) team have a specific role in monitoring and developing sustainability impact, supporting staff development for Education for Sustainable Development and are also a partner in the Responsible Futures kitemark

We have dedicated academic staff within Faculties and professional services that work on sustainability integration in the curriculum, and within external networks and programmes.

• Jaliyyah Ahmadu-Bello (Assistant Professor Academic - SDG Lead Faculty of Business and Law)
• Gideon Howell – (Associate Head of School - Enterprise & Innovation and Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme)

Your Students' Union

The students' union actively work on sustainability initiatives and have a ‘community’ of students engaged in activities to support sustainability. Several members of students' union staff have specific sustainability responsibilities within their role including: 

• Paul Burt (SU Chief Operating Officer)
• Michael Lappin (SU Director of Enterprise)

To contact any of the Your SU Sustainability Staff please email: community.su@coventry.ac.uk

Research Teams

One of the core focus themes of our research is Sustainability and Resilience. Four of our research institutes are wholly aligned to sustainability with research teams dedicated to developing solutions and practices that can generate sustainable change.

• Research Institute for Clean Growth & Future Mobility (Led by Carl Perrin)
• Research Institute for Sustainability, Equity & Resilience (Led by Michel Pimbert)
• Research Institute for Peace, Security & Social Justice (Led by David McIlhatton)
• Research Institute for Responsible Business, Economies & Society (Led by Nigel Berkeley)

Within the Institute for Sustainability, Equality and Resilience CAWR’s research focuses on developing new knowledge in social, agroecological, hydrological and environmental processes, as well supporting communities in developing resilience. The team has a wealth of expertise all focussed on sustainability and resilience within specialist subject matter.

• Moya Kneafsey - Director, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience: Sustainable territorial food systems, community food initiatives
• Marco van de Wiel: Fundamental processes of resilience in water and food systems
• Jonathan Eden and Bastien Dieppois: Climate change, extreme weather events
• Sue Charlesworth: Resilient food and water systems in practice
• Julia Wright: Agroecology, agriculture, and nutrition
• Jana Fried: Community self-organisation for resilience
• Chiara Tornaghi: Policies and institutions for resilience
• Margi Lennartsson-Turner: Organic and therapeutic horticulture
• Judith Conroy – Chair of Sustainability Committee, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience.

View the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience staff list.

Take a look at our Sustainable Development page for further details.