Contact us

James Hutchinson

Director, Strategic Delivery Unit

As Director of Strategic Delivery Unit (SDU) James oversees the University's major initiatives, bringing together governance and oversight with the capacility to deliver change.

Between 2014 and 2017 James oversaw the largest change programme the University has undertaken in its recent history. The Transformation Programme initiated a new operating model for the University focussed on supporting the University's ambition to enhance its global position and presence.

Prior to joining the Transformation team James was College Registrar for the University of Exeter Business School with overall leadership responsibility for the School's Professional Services and £50 million operating budget.

From 2008-2013 James was Chief Executive to the University of Exeter Students' Guild. During this period James also served as non-Executive Director to NUS Services Ltd, a national purchasing consortium purchasing c. £100 million of products and services for students' unions throughout the UK.

Outside of work James serves as a trustee and non-Executive Director to EDP Drug and Alcohol Services; a charity based in the South West committed to reducing the harm caused by substance misuse and social exclusion through work with individuals, families and communities. James is also Chair of governors for the Duchy Primary School.

Gill Preston

Assistant Director, SDU

Gill is the Programme Manager for Global Enhance.

Gill joined the University in 2011 and has been involved in numerous projects and programmes during this time, including Programme Manager for the Local Delivery of Education Services project. Prior to joining the University, Gill worked for over 10 years as a management consultant delivering business transformation projects in the public and private sector.

Liz Mundy

Portfolio Benefits Manager

Liz provides portfolio benefits management support for University investments - covering both cashable benefits as well as non-cashable tangible benefits. She provides quality assurance on business case content - costs and benefits. Liz also manages the SDU Business Analysts team. Liz has a background in chartered accountancy.

Chris Cousins

Programme Manager

As a Programme Manager Chris gets involved in managing and leading on various programmes and projects. The largest of which currently is the CRM Phase 2 project which builds on an existing CRM platform to deliver a number of digital enhancements to the work that our Student Recruitment teams carry out.

Chris is also a Lean Coach and responsible for delivering Lean training to colleagues. This role allows him to consult with teams where they require process review and improvement with the specific aim of finding efficiency and increasing value in the work they do.

Susannah Day

Project Manager

Susannah has worked at the University since 2013, and in the SDU since 2018.

Toby Giles

Programme Manager

Toby has been at the University since September 2018, and has worked across a range of programmes and projects, including Engineering 2020, the PROTECT study in the Medical School and various other pieces of consultancy style work. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has rolled out the IT hardship scheme for the end of the 2019-20 academic year, supported the People CBRG and led the development of the safe teaching spaces guidance which have been in place throughout all university teaching spaces. More recently he has been supporting the creation of the University's Return to Campus guidance and the Future of Work programme, which will look at our post-pandemic ways of working.

Roo Haywood-Smith

Programme Manager

Roo joined the University in early 2012 to support the establishment of the Strategy and Security Institute in the College of Social Science and International Studies (CSSIS). She became involved in a number of entrepreneurial activities in SSIS and led on business development. Between 2016-2018 she was SSIS Deputy Director of College Operations taking on more strategic roles within the Executive before a stint as Acting Director of College Operations.

In June 2018 Roo became Manager of the Living Systems Institute and was instrumental in supporting the University to recruit LSI's new Director and reconfigure the labs to accommodate his tissue culture laboratory. Roo was seconded to support the University's Covid response in March 2020 from where she moved to the Strategic Delivery Unit in February 2021.

Before joining the University Roo served in the British Army for 15 years including 5 years in Germany, flying helicopters in Northern Ireland in a counter-terrorism role and as a Management Planner for the then Defence Aviation Safety Centre.

Away from work Roo has a variety of experience in working on and delivering projects including the establishment of a thriving Community Shop; she is also involved in actively supporting her children's sports clubs.

Tanya Dale

Project Manager

Tanya is currently a Project Manager working within the Environmental & Climate Emergency Team on the following:

• Carbon Net Zero Roadmap
• Carbon Literacy Project
• Low Carbon Commitments - 2019-2020 Initiatives
• Low Carbon Commitments - 2020-2021 Initiatives
• Thematic Forum
• Policy Statements

Rick Walker

Programme Manager

Rick joined the University in 2015 as Project Manager for the Business Intelligence project, part of Transformation.

Mark Plummer

College Operations (Cornwall)

Mark is part of the College Operations and Research Services teams on the Penryn Campus, mainly supporting the Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) but also working with teams across the campus to support a number of initiatives ranging from the Cornwall Strategy to the Covid-19 response and helps link the SDU with colleagues, departments and partners on the Cornwall Campus.

Fiona Haworth

Portfolio Business Analyst

I joined the University in 2015 as a Business Analyst for the Future Finance project, where I have been responsible for undertaking detailed BA work involving producing & presenting process documentation and user requirement specifications, and supporting the procurement process.

I was appointed Portfolio Business Analyst in July 2017, responsible for reviewing and analysing University business processes, identifying the best approach and methodology for carrying out business process reviews and overseeing the work of fixed-term and contract Business Analysts to ensure quality and consistency of approach.

Prior to joining the University, I worked as a Business Analyst for an Outsourcing and Consultancy company, involved in a number of different projects for different customers, including Whitbread plc QCDA (as was), Tesco Compare, Renault Formula 1 to name but a few.

Please get in touch if you'd like more information about business analysis at the University and hoe the SDU & I can help & support you.

Tel: 01392 72 3135

Email: f.haworth@exeter.ac.uk

John Hodgkinson

As a Business Analyst who joined the University in August 2019, my role is to document the various activities of the organisation, understanding what is done, how it is done, and the resulting areas of difficulty experienced by staff and students. Through analysing their requirements, I am able to suggest improvements, such as changes to processes or the use of alternative information technology. I then work with services to implement these changes and measure their value, to demonstrate that their predicted benefits have been realised.

I am currently working on the Examinations and Assessments project under the Global Enhance programme, which seeks to introduce an improved, seamless and integrated assessment platform across the University.