The Vice-Chancellor chairs the University Executive Board, which includes:
Vice-Chancellor
With a career dedicated to higher education and the pursuit of academic excellence, Professor Burke has held senior positions at the University of Nottingham, University of Stirling, Queen Mary University of London as well as, most recently, at the University of Leicester. He has a distinguished international research profile in Operational Research. His research investigates intelligent decision support methodologies in complex environments and lies at the interface of Computer Science and Mathematics. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and President of the Operational Research Society.
As an institutional leader, he has demonstrated strategic vision and operational effectiveness by driving new initiatives, managing complex programmes of change and generating significant and sustainable growth.
Senior Executive Assistant and Governance Officer
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost: Professor Andrew Edwards
As Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Professor Andrew Edwards is the standing deputy for the Vice-Chancellor and President, providing strategic academic leadership across the University’s three colleges.
He is responsible for the University’s academic planning process including resource allocation and capital planning.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor also has overall responsibility for the University’s academic performance via the line management of three Pro Vice-Chancellors, three Heads of College and Vice-Provosts. He deputises for the Vice-Chancellor when required.
As Chair of the University’s Planning and Transformation Group, Professor Edwards works closely with the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Finance Officer, Chief Planning Officer and Chief People Officer to provide leadership on the University’s strategic and operational performance.
In 2025, Professor Edwards was Executive Board lead and Senior Responsible Officer for the University’s Academic Review and Restructuring Project. He is the Executive lead for campus Trade Union engagement.
Professor Edwards is also Executive lead for the University’s Global strategy and Executive Board lead for Sustainability.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost is a member of the University’s Executive Board, Senate and Council.
Prior to his appointment as Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Edwards was Pro Vice-Chancellor for Welsh Language, Civic Engagement, Strategic Partnerships and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (2020-24), having previously been Dean and Head of the College of Arts, Humanities and Business (2012-20). In these roles, he demonstrated an exceptional ability to manage diverse and complex portfolios, serving as a positive ambassador for the University both domestically and internationally.
A historian, Professor Edwards’s research focusses on political change in Wales and the UK after 1945, the history of Welsh devolution and social change in postwar Britain. He began his academic career as a research assistant on a major ERSC funded research project on Devolution and Constitutional Change (2002-04), before being appointed to a Lectureship in Modern History. He was awarded a Personal Chair in 2015. He is Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and Higher Education Academy.
Professor Edwards was born and grew up in Caernarfon, Gwynedd and is a fluent Welsh speaker. He is also a Bangor alumnus, having completed his BA (1997), MA (1998) and PhD (2002) at the University.
Executive Assistant, Ms Bethan Nelson b.nelson@bangor.ac.uk
Mr Michael Flanagan is the Chief Operating Officer at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.
Michael has strategic responsibility for the leadership of a coherent professional service (including the Student and Academic Services Directorate, the Estates & Digital Infrastructure and Development Directorate, the Governance, Legal and Civic Directorate, Human Resources and Marketing, Recruitment & Communications ), as well as for health, safety and emergency management and oversight of key University licences.
A surveyor by profession, Michael was previously Director of Estates and Digital Services at the University of Leicester. Prior to this he was a member of the Executive team at the University of Greenwich and a former director and advisor to the London Legacy Development Corporation on master planning and viability for mayoral regeneration priorities. He led estates and facilities management of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Olympic stadium and has led on integrated digital and infrastructure in two London councils.
Professor Nichola Callow is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education & Student Experience).
As Pro Vice-Chancellor she has strategic responsibility for teaching & learning, the student experience, student employability and providing academic contribution to student recruitment. She currently is a member of the QAA Board and is the Chair of the QAA Wales Strategic Advisory Committee.
Nichola graduated with a BSc degree in Physical Education and Psychology, a PGCE in Outdoor Activities and Science and a PhD in Sport Psychology from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in 1991, 1992 and 2000. She received a Personal Chair in 2012.
Nichola is a British Psychology Society Chartered Psychologist with an international reputation for her research related to imagery for sport performance and she also conducts research in the areas of leadership, group dynamics, and resilience. Her research has a translational focus (theory to practice) at an elite and professional level.
Executive Assistant, Donna Llechid Williams d.l.williams@bangor.ac.uk
Professor Paul Spencer is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research). As Pro Vice-Chancellor Paul has strategic responsibility for improving research quality and preparing for the next REF, increasing research and industrial grant income, maintaining and building the University’s industrial research network, maintaining and building research partnership networks, the University’s innovation portfolio and the various regional investment and growth zone (North Wales Growth Deal, AI Growth Zone, North East Wales Investment Zone, Anglesey Freeport).
He is a Board member of M-SParc Ltd the University’s wholly owned Science Park, as well as a Director of the joint venture PRIMOS Ltd that owns and operates the RV Prince Madog. Paul formally represents the University on the Anglesey Freeport Board and Ambition North Wales (CJC) Committee. Paul is also on Medr’s Research and Innovation Committee.
Paul received a B.Sc. degree in Applied Physics and a Ph.D. degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Bath in 1990 and 1994. He was a research assistant on several EPSRC funded research projects at the University of Bath before moving to a lecturer post at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in 1996. He became a senior lecturer in 2003 and received a Personal Chair in 2006. In 2007 he was appointed Head of the School of Electronic Engineering, a post he held for seven years. In 2009 he was appointed Head of the College of Physical and Applied Sciences and in 2017 he was appointed Dean of the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering.
His main research interests are semiconductor laser dynamics, optical feedback effects, pulse propagation, and optical waveguide properties of optoelectronic devices. He has been an author on more than 100 journal papers and 140 conference papers and is a regular reviewer of archival journals. In 2000 he won the Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) best engineering award and he is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Welsh Language, Culture and the Region)
Professor Enlli Thomas is a leading figure in Welsh language, bilingualism and education research, and currently serves as the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Welsh Language, Culture and Region and Head of the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.
She is Professor of Education Research, and a Visiting Professor at Umeå University, Sweden. She is currently PI on a £761,000 research grant, funded by Welsh Government, looking at the implementation of the Ein Llais Ni design-based implementation project as a Collaborative Professional Learning programme for teachers across Wales.
She has held several key roles at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. She moved from the School of Psychology to the School of Education in 2007, and later became Head of School (Education & Human Development) in 2014-2018. She has also held positions as Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning (Welsh) and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Welsh Language prior to taking up her current role.
Outside of the university, she currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, and is Chair of the Coleg’s Academic Board. She also serves on an Expert Advisory Board to the Minister for Education, having also served as a member of Welsh Government’s Welsh Language Partnerships Council – an expert advisory board that provides advice and feedback to the Minister with responsibility for the Welsh language.
She was the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Learned Society of Wales (LSW) Hugh Owen Medal for outstanding educational research in Wales, and became an elected Fellow of the LSW in 2023.
Executive Assistant, Rhian Roberts rhian.roberts@bangor.ac.uk
Tracy Hibbert is Chief People Officer, and has strategic responsibility for providing advice, guidance, and leadership across the University on all key areas of Human Resources, people operations, wellbeing, organisational development, staff recruitment and retention, and providing advice on equality, diversity and inclusion.
Tracy is a member of Universities Human Resources (UHR) Wales, the professional organisation for Human Resources practitioners in the higher education sector and has served on the national UHR Executive. She is also the Chair of the Universities Advertising Group (a consortium of Universities working together to procure cost effective recruitment advertising for the sector) and a member of Education Competencies Consortium’s (ECC) Insights Group – an informal forum helping to shape ECC’s thinking on reward, role evaluation, and workforce challenges in HE/FE.
Tracy has extensive experience of working in the higher education sector, prior to which she worked for the Home Office. She is a Fellow of the CIPD (the professional body for HR).
Senior Executive Assistant to the University Secretary: Karen Williams karen.williams@bangor.ac.uk
Gwenan Hine is the University Secretary and has strategic responsibility for all aspects of the governance of the University including strategic oversight, advice and support for the Council, the Senate, the Court, the Executive Board and the Council Sub-Committees (Finance Committee, Audit & Risk Committee, Nominations & Governance Committee, Welsh Language Affairs Committee and People & Culture Committee and the Remuneration committee).
In addition, Gwenan has oversight for the Governance, Legal and Civic Directorate, which includes the Archives and Museum Collections, Canolfan Bedwyr, the Executive Office, Governance and Risk, Legal and Compliance Services and Pontio Arts and Community Engagement. Gwenan oversees the University’s Honorary Degrees process, chairs the Compliance and Civic Engagement Committees.