Alumni Awards - meet the Judges

Claire chaired Social Enterprise UK for over ten years and worked with government and leaders from the sector to create the first strategy for the Social Enterprise movement. She was recently appointed Crown Representative for the Voluntary and Social Enterprise Sector. Claire also leads the Blackburne House Group, which operates a number of social enterprises alongside its educational offer to women and award-winning School for Social Entrepreneurship.

Joanna Newman joined the ACU in April 2017. It is the world's oldest international university network, with more than 500 members in over 50 countries. Joanna’s previous positions include Vice-Principal (International) at King’s College London, Director of the UK Higher Education International Unit (now Universities UK International) and Head of Higher Education at the British Library. In 2014, she was awarded an MBE in recognition of her work promoting British higher education internationally.

Prior to her role in UUKi, which represents UK universities internationally, Vivienne was Head of Political Affairs at Universities UK. She previously worked in Parliament for the Chair of the Education and Skills Select Committee, and as a higher education policy specialist.

She is a Director of UUK; a member of the Board of the UK India Research and Innovation Initiative and the Strategic Partnerships in Higher Education Fund and a member of the British Council’s Education Advisory Group.

Cathy Walsh is the CEO of ACE*E leadership services, and has led transformational change within several challenging London FE colleges. Cathy’s work has won several national awards, particularly for the engagement of students in entrepreneurial activities. 

Invested for her services to further education in 2015 and recognised by the Times FE Educational newspaper with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, she was the Mayor of London’s first appointed FE CEO to the London Enterprise Panel.