Dr Alison Heydari
A champion of trauma-informed, community-based policing at local and national levels, Dr Heydari is the Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service and the most senior black British female police officer in the UK. She has held major strategic roles including leading neighbourhood policing for the Met and serving as the national lead for out‑of‑court resolutions.
In 2023 she was appointed programme director for the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Police Race Action Plan, driving national work to improve trust, confidence and legitimacy in policing for Black communities.
Her partnerships with the Greenwich Business School and our Centre for Research on Employment have created a platform for meaningful collaboration between academia, policing and communities. Her leadership has opened opportunities for students, researchers and practitioners to work together on issues of national importance, including race equity, organisational reform and community trust.
Chief Superintendent Shaun White
A senior Kent police officer with nearly 30 years of experience, Shaun started his career with the Metropolitan Police Service in 1995. Since his transfer to Kent Police, Shaun has served as the North Kent divisional commander and, more recently, the strategic prevention lead. In this capacity, he has made a significant impact on communities across the county.
He is a vocal advocate and influential figure within high-harm and vulnerability policing. A key member of Kent Police’s County Lines and Gangs Team, he has been recognised for his efforts in protecting vulnerable young people and dismantling drug supply networks – work that led to a High Sheriff Award in 2022. He was also awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2024.
Shaun has a long-standing association with the University of Greenwich through public lectures, Race Action Plan events, mentoring and knowledge exchange, which have all enriched the student experience.
Bronwyn Hill CBE
Bronwyn Hill CBE is a distinguished former Chair of the University of Greenwich's Governing Body and former Permanent Secretary, whose exceptional service to the University has left a lasting mark on the institution.
A former senior civil servant, her roles include being regional director for the Government Office for the South West and director general for major projects and London at the Department of Transport, where she was responsible for transport’s contribution to the 2012 Olympics plus major projects to support economic growth, including Crossrail. She was awarded a CBE in 2001 for services to transport.
As permanent secretary for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs between 2011 and 2015, she was one of only eight female permanent secretaries across the entire UK government.
She has continued to influence public policy and governance through non-executive positions. In addition to sitting on the board of the Office for Nuclear Regulation, she is a trustee of The Royal Parks.
Bronwyn served as a member of the University of Greenwich’s governing body from 2017 to 2025, first as vice chair and then chair. Notable achievements from this time including working alongside the Vice-Chancellor to steer the university through the COVID-19 pandemic and the return of on-campus teaching, and the creation of our ‘This is Our Time’ strategic plan to 2030.
David Harewood OBE
An actor, director, author and political activist, David is an acclaimed performer and star of theatre, TV and film.
He made history as the first Black British actor to play Othello at the National Theatre in 1997 and has risen to greater prominence as a creative powerhouse, social campaigner and charity fundraiser.
His work as the UK ambassador for UNICEF has helped to highlight the challenges facing neonatal health services and the timely delivery of lifesaving vaccines to children in need.
As the current President of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Harewood continues to help shape the performers of tomorrow. He was awarded an MBE in 2012 and an OBE in 2023 for his services to drama and charity.
Mete Coban MBE
A University of Greenwich alumnus currently serving as the Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, Mete was the youngest elected councillor in the history of the London Borough of Hackney. In this capacity, he delivered the groundbreaking Hackney Community Energy Fund to provide clean, environmentally conscious, community-owned energy for not-for-profit organisations.
As the founder and CEO of the youth-led charity, My Life My Say, Mete led the 2024 ‘Give an X’ campaign to drive voter registration among young people, which helped drive a surge of over 480,000 newly registered voters ahead of the 2024 General Election.
A highly active member of our alumni network, Mete has led workshops, civic outreach programmes and guest lectures designed to engage with students and inspire them to embrace citizenship, youth leadership and politics. His efforts to improve the lives of young people led to him being awarded an MBE in 2020.
Brian Johnson
Also known as Bizzy B, Brian is a pioneering DJ and music producer who is a foundational architect of the UK breakbeat hardcore, jungle, and drum and bass scenes.
He is the founder of Brain Records, the East London music label he established in 1992 from his home studio in Leytonstone. One of the most forward-thinking labels of its era, Brain Records has launched the careers of many influential dance artists including DJ Zinc, Peshay and Technical Itch, and pioneered the use of home computers in music production.
He continues to be a prolific writer, producer, DJ and engineer, with his tracks reaching the UK Singles Chart and featuring in the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles.
His ‘Trackers & Breakbeats’ exhibition at the Stephen Lawrence Gallery at the university became the gallery’s best-attended event ever. He is developing an online course to document and teach the cultural and technical history of UK hardcore and jungle music production for future generations.
Dr Sophie Carr
Dr Carr is a mathematician, statistician and founder of the company Bays Consulting, which uses data science and analysis to solve business problems.
Dr Carr is an executive committee member for the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences and the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences, and serves on the general council of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. She was also the vice president for education and statistical literacy at the
Royal Statistical Society.
Widely recognised for her engaging approach to mathematics, including being named the World’s Most Interesting Mathematician, she has led multidisciplinary projects across multiple sectors, from predictive algorithms for food demand to assessing housing risks and evaluating cultural education initiatives.
Dr Carr has strong links with the university. She has delivered talks and keynote speeches, and taken part in outreach events with school students to promote mathematics – and particularly encouraging girls to study STEM subjects. Through Bays Consulting she has employed Greenwich graduates and encouraged students to apply for roles.
Robert Taylor
Robert (Bob) Taylor is the co-founder and chairman of the Kent Farmers Market Association (KFMA), a non-profit organisation that provides outlets for more than 400 producers to sell their goods directly to consumers at over 1,400 market events every year, and promotes sustainable agriculture.
During the COVID-19 pandemic Bob orchestrated the ‘Eat Kent’ project, which built on the growth in interest in eating and cooking local produce to increase sales from local traders across the county and ensure the supply of high-quality food to families.
Bob’s ongoing tenure as a board member for the National Association of Farm Shops and Farmers Markets is just one of the many ways he influences and improves the availability of fresh produce in the Kent area. Through the KFMA he has also partnered with the NHS in Kent to promote health eating and weight loss.
He also works within the Gravesham, Medway and Swale Food Innovation Partnership to facilitate groundbreaking research on the relationship between markets and community dynamics. His vital work in supporting the local food chain has encouraged consumers and growers alike to create a rapidly expanding ecosystem of healthy eating throughout Kent.
Marion Regan MBE
Marion is a prominent British agriculturalist and business leader, and one of the UK's most influential growers of food produce. She is a prominent figure in UK farming and appears regularly in science and farming media.
After studying botany at Oxford University, Marion started her career at Hugh Lowe Farms in Kent. She rose through the ranks to become the farm’s joint owner and a specialist in soft fruit. The farm has been the exclusive supplier of strawberries to the Wimbledon tennis championships for 30 years, using an approach based on sustainability and biological pest control, and she was awarded an MBE in 2014 for services to the fruit and vegetable industry.
Marion has longstanding links with the university. Through her partnership with the School of Science and its Natural Resource Institute in the Faculty of Engineering and Science, she has provided research opportunities, materials and employment for Greenwich students for years. She has participated in campus events and ran a stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for the School of Science in 2025.