Lord Guthrie was commissioned into the Welsh Guards in 1959. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1961, Captain in 1965 and in 1966 became a troop commander with 22 Special Air Service Regiment serving in Aden, the Persian Gulf, Malaysia and East Africa. In 1968 he became a squadron commander with 22 Special Air Service Regiment serving in the Persian Gulf and the United Kingdom. He returned to the Welsh Guards in Münster in 1970 and was promoted to Major later the same year.
Promoted to Colonel on 31 December 1979, he undertook a tour of duty in Northern Ireland in Spring 1980 for which he was appointed OBE. He then spent two years as Colonel on the General Staff for Military Operations at the Ministry of Defence. Promoted to Brigadier on 31 December 1981, he became Brigade Commander of 4th Armoured Brigade in 1982.
In 1987, Lord Guthrie became Assistant Chief of the General Staff at the Ministry of Defence. In 1989 he was promoted to Lieutenant-General and appointed General Officer Commanding 1st British Corps, and, having been appointed KCB in the New Year Honours 1990, he relinquished his command on 2 December 1991.
Lord Guthrie became Chief of the General Staff (CGS) on 15 March 1994, being advanced to GCB in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1994. As CGS, he was responsible for providing strategic military advice to the British Government on the deployment of troops for the Bosnian War. He went on to be Chief of the Defence Staff in 1997, in which role he advised the British Government on the conduct of the Kosovo War, before retiring in 2001.
He was created a Life Peer, as Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank, in the City of Dundee, in June 2001, and sits as a crossbencher in the House of Lords.
Lord Guthrie is President of several charities, including Action Medical Research, the Army Benevolent Fund, the Federation of London Youth Clubs and the Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Association. He is a Deputy Lieutenant for Dorset, a Knight of Malta and Patron of the Cardinal Hume Centre.
Lord Guthrie became Chancellor of the University in 2013.
Professor Gerald Pillay, the Vice-Chancellor & Rector, is the Chief Academic and Administrative Officer of the University and, amongst many other things, is responsible to University Council for the organisation, direction and management of the University and leadership of the staff.
Professor Pillay, a citizen of New Zealand, was born in the former British colony of Natal in South Africa. He is widely published and has a distinguished academic career. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Rhodes University and a Doctor of Theology degree from the University of Durban. After lecturing at the University of Durban-Westville, Professor Pillay became Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of South Africa in 1988.
In 1997 Professor Pillay became Foundation Professor and Head of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Otago University, New Zealand’s oldest University, based in Dunedin. In 1998, he was asked to serve as the first Head of Liberal Arts within that University. He has served in senior leadership roles at The University of South Africa and the Human Sciences Research Council in Pretoria and has lectured in several institutions abroad.
Professor Pillay joined Liverpool Hope University College as Rector in 2003 and become Liverpool Hope University’s first Vice-Chancellor in 2005 when the institution was given full university status.
In 2009, Professor Pillay was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Merseyside, assisting the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside in carrying out her role as the Queen’s representative on Merseyside.
University Council is responsible for managing the business and affairs of the University. This includes determining our mission and policies as well as ensuring the financial solvency of the institution. All plans for academic work, the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor and the Rectorate team, as well as the level of tuition fees, must be agreed by the Council.
For full biographies and council minutes, please visit our University Council page.
The Rectorate Team comprises the University's leaders who all report to the Vice-Chancellor & Rector.
Professor Gerald Pillay is Vice-Chancellor & Rector of Liverpool Hope University. The Office of the Vice-Chancellor is managed by Mrs Sheila Hayes.
The Vice-Chancellor & Rector is also the Chief Academic and Administrative Officer of the University and, amongst many other things, is responsible to University Council for the organisation, direction and management of the University and leadership of the staff.
With responsibility for academic development throughout the University, including leading planning and implementing strategies to improve scholarship, recruitment of high quality staff, developing key research clusters, responsibility for the Personnel Office and overseeing Quality Assurance & Enhancement.
With responsibility for resource allocation, development and maintenance of the estate, budgeting and financial planning.
The Office has overall responsibility for the following:-
With overall responsibility for everything that directly influences student development and well-being including the Student Administration Office, Recruitment, Chaplaincy, Teaching and Learning, pastoral care in the Halls of Residence and the Library and Learning Spaces.
Professor Atulya K Nagar – Dean of Science
Professor Kenneth Newport - Dean of Liberal Arts, Education and Social Science
The Board of Regents supports the University's Strategic Development agenda. Regents act as advocates for the University, helping to connect the University to people, networks and organisations who recognise and wish to contribute to the mission and values of Hope.
Robert Atlay DL is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist with over 40 years professional experience and is both a Member and Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Among his many professional roles, he has served as Medical Director of Liverpool Women’s Hospital and as chairman of the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Liverpool.
He has been appointed by a number of Secretaries of State to serve on the Maternity Services Advisory Committee, the National Transplant Panel and the English National Board of Nursing Midwifery and Health.
He was High Sheriff of Merseyside in 2003/04 and has been a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Merseyside since 2003. Bob has also served with distinction on Hope’s University Council.
John Cowdall was educated at Preston Catholic College and went on to have a career in local government. He was the Chief Executive of three local authorities over a period of twenty-three years, seventeen of which were as Chief Executive of West Lancashire Council. Since leaving local government, he has run his own management and development consultancy, John Cowdall Associates.
He is extensively involved in the Catholic church as a Trustee of the Archdiocese of Liverpool and has been a member of the Patrimony Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference for England and Wales since 1998. The Committee advises the Conference on the care and maintenance of historic churches.
He was Chairman of Cardinal Newman College, a Catholic 6th Form College in Preston for ten years and is currently Chairman of Stonyhurst College, an Independent boarding and day school in the Jesuit tradition in the Ribble Valley.
He is Chairman of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
Rosemary Hawley MBE, JP was born in New Delhi and educated at Lady Eleanor Holles School in South-West London and King’s College, London, where she read for a degree in English. Following a period of service overseas in Ghana teaching her subject in a teachers’ training college and some community service in South Wales, marriage to Anthony in Wolverhampton then took Rosemary with her husband to Bermondsey. There she worked with the local Community Health Council and served on the Board of Guy’s Hospital.
Her record of nearly a quarter century of service in the NW region included Board membership of Merseyside Regional Health Authority and Liverpool Family Health Service Authority, the chairmanship of North Mersey Community NHS Trust, of Knowsley Primary Care Trust and of Liverpool’s prestigious School of Tropical Medicine, as well as 9 years membership of the Board of Governors at Liverpool John Moores University. She has served as a magistrate and as High Sheriff and Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside and remains a trustee of The Reader Organisation. In July 2012, Rosemary received an honorary award of Doctor of Laws at The University of Liverpool.
Angela Jones, OBE DL stepped down as Chair of Alder Hey in October 2012, bringing to an end a decade of what the Trust described as inspirational guidance and leadership. She joined the Trust on the day that the Redfern Report on organ retention was published and played a major role in restoring public confidence in the hospital and rebuilding relationships with the community, while supporting staff in building back their pride in working in the organisation.
She was instrumental in steering Alder Hey through many significant challenges and achievements, including its recent Foundation Trust status in 2008. Her chairship has also coincided with the Trust gaining the highest possible ratings from the Health Care Commission and the Care Quality Commission for the seventh consecutive year.
Renowned for her enthusiasm, Angela Jones has been a strong advocate for equality and diversity across the Trust and forged valuable relationships with Merseyside MP’s, Liverpool City Council, local councillors and the local community. She was also trustee of the Alder Hey Imagine Appeal and the Ronald McDonald House. On stepping down as Chair of the Trust, she was immediately made the first Honorary Past Chair by her successor, Sir David Henshaw, and continues to work as an ambassador for the Trust.
In June 2006, Angela was made Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside for work within the community and health and this was soon followed by an OBE in 2007 for ‘Services to Health in Liverpool’. Her most recent accolade came in 2009 when she was awarded ‘Outstanding Chair of the Year’ by the North West ’s Leadership Academy.
Professor James Keaton MBE, BSc, LLD, LHD FSDC, FRSA, FCIM, was educated at St Edwards College, Liverpool, the University of Liverpool, and Harvard University. Most recently, he was awarded the title of Doctor of Humane Letters, LHD (honoris causa) at Liverpool Hope University’s graduation ceremony. The honour recognises Professor Keaton’s wide-ranging contribution to Merseyside, and in particular, his work in building links between the education sector and major businesses and organisations.
Former Director of ICI Organics Division, Professor Keaton spent 22 years with the British chemical company. He is Past President of the Society of Dyers and Colourists and was awarded silver and gold research medals and honorary life membership. Professor Keaton was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by the Catholic Church and is a Freeman of the City of London as a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Dyers.
He was a Trustee of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and was Chairman of Governors for Upton Hall Grammar School. Up until 2015, he was Chairman of the National Trust NW Regional Board and in January 2012, received an MBE for his services to Heritage in the North West. Professor Keaton was Pro-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool and Chairman of its Management School Advisory Board up until 2014.
In 2015, Professor Keaton was appointed Non-Executive Chair of the Liverpool Hope University Business School Advisory board and became an Honorary Business Fellow. He was instrumental in developing Liverpool Hope University’s five-year research partnership with Everton Football Club and was named Ambassador for the Club.
Professor Keaton recently took on the mantle as Chairman of ‘The Liverpool Hope University Foundation’- an endowment to benefit future generations of students at a time when public funding tightens.
John Kennedy is a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist. He founded John Kennedy Civil Engineering in 1961 and built it into one of the most successful construction and engineering businesses in the UK. He sold the company in the 1990s to a major international corporation and focussed on assisting the growth of a range of new enterprises while also creating the John Kennedy Charitable Foundation which has invested in tremendous causes throughout the UK, Africa and South America.
John served on the North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) as well as numerous other public and private sector initiatives to assist the economy, environment and infrastructure in his adopted home and business base in North West England. He founded the annual John Kennedy Lecture at the Institute of Irish Studies at Liverpool University while also sitting on the governing body of Liverpool John Moores University.
Awarded the CBE in 2003, John who was raised and educated in County Mayo in Ireland, was honoured with a Papal Knighthood from John Paul the Second in 2005. Both honours acknowledged his unique and persistent contribution to civil life and to charities at home and abroad. He was entered into the Equestrian Order of St. Gregory The Great in 2006 by the Bishop of Shrewsbury and later into the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St.George in a special ceremony at Westminster Cathedral in 1997. He became a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater Manchester in 1997 as well. He sums up his philosophy as ‘Those of us who are blessed with success have a duty and responsibility to assist and guide those who require encouragement and support to succeed and be self-sufficient wherever possible’.
Sir Netar Mallick is Professor Emeritus of Renal Medicine in Manchester. He has been President of the Renal Association of Great Britain and Ireland and Adviser to Her Majesty's Government on renal disease, President, Nephrology Board, Union European des Mèdecins Specialistes, Chairman of the European Dialysis and Transplantation Association Registry and, as such, a Council Member of the European Renal Association.
He has developed and led internationally renowned Departments of Renal Medicine and Transplantation services. He was Inaugural Fellow of the British Renal Society 2003 and first holder of a Lifetime Achievement Award for Asians 2003 (Jewel Awards). He has written and lectured widely on renal disease and renal replacement therapy. Until 2000 he was Medical Director of Central Manchester Trust.
Knighted in 1998, he was High Sheriff of Greater Manchester (2002-2003) and is a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater Manchester. He has also been President of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society and of the Manchester Medical Society.
Barry Owen OBE, BA, FRICS, HFLJMU is the Chairman of Mason Owen and founded the Company in 1967.
For four decades Mason Owen has been at the forefront of the commercial property sector in the United Kingdom and has offices in Liverpool, London, Edinburgh, Chester and an associated office in Dublin. They provide expert in all aspects of the surveying profession. The organisation’s subsidiary company, Mason Owen Financial Services, is a specialist in property and general insurance brokerage.
Mr Owen has been involved with all aspects of the business, particularly with investment and development over five decades and is very well respected across the business community on Merseyside.
Mr Owen is a significant and hugely enthusiastic collector of modern art and his firm's offices - a fascinating mix of old and new - are hung liberally with eclectic works.
He is a patron of a number of Arts related causes and received an OBE for services to Business and Charity in 2009.
He is an alumnus of Liverpool University and has received an honorary fellowship from the Liverpool John Moores University.
Mary Reynolds is an Alumna of Liverpool Hope University (Notre Dame) and, having been Head teacher of three successful schools in East Anglia and Surrey, was appointed to the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton as an Advisor, supporting schools in the development of Religious Education, and Leadership and Management in Catholic Schools.
Subsequently, she was appointed Schools’ Commissioner and Director of Schools in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton in 1998. She retired from this position in December 2014. In addition to directing the overall management of the Diocesan Catholic Schools Service she has specific responsibility for the inspection and monitoring of the Catholic nature and leadership of diocesan schools and colleges. This includes advising on the appointment of senior staff, Foundation Governors and the provision of appropriate training and support.
Mary represented the diocese on education forums locally, nationally and internationally and was an executive member of the Catholic Education Service, for more than 10 years. In addition to holding a teaching certificate, CCRS and Bachelor of Arts degree, she holds a Masters Degree in The Management of Change from Sussex University. She is a registered section 48 Inspector, a director of ‘Rainbows’ and a director of a property management company in South Wales.
She is a Trustee of Missio, part of the worldwide network of Pontifical Mission Societies. In 2016 she was appointed a Dame of The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great by The Holy Father, Pope Francis, for services to Catholic Education. She currently has her own education consultancy; Mary Reynolds Consulting.
His Honour John H Roberts was educated at Caldy Grange Grammar School, West Kirby and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he gained a BA 1st Class Honours Degree in Law and a Masters Degree.
Between 1969-1971, he lectured in Law at The University of Liverpool and was called to the Bar by Middle Temple in 1970. He practised at the Bar on the Northern Circuit between 1970 and 1993.
In 1983 he became an Assistant Recorder and between 1988 -1993 served as a Recorder. In 1993 he was appointed as a Circuit Judge sitting in Manchester. Between 1997- 2001 Judge Roberts was Resident Judge at Bolton Crown Court and between 2002-2013 sat at Liverpool Crown Court until his recent retirement.
Judge Roberts lists his recreations as rugby union, golf, cricket and music and is a member of the Athenaeum (Liverpool), Heswall Golf Club and Oxton Cricket Club.
Stephen Burrows DL is one of the most experienced and respected professionals in the North West having spent 40 years working in RBS up until 2001. During his career with RBS, Stephen held a variety of positions, including Senior Vice President and Manager, New York office in 1978 and Executive Vice President, North America in 1982. He later became the local Director in Liverpool, which was followed by an appointment as Regional Corporate Director in the corporate and institutional banking division at that time.
Following retirement from the Bank, Stephen joined Brabners LLP in 2001 as Chairman. He is a past Regional Chairman of Coutts in Merseyside and North Wales and was appointed an Ambassador for Professional Liverpool in 2013, having stepped down as Chairman the previous year.
Stephen is a Deputy Lieutenant in the Merseyside Lieutenancy.
He is involved with various charitable organisations and is a Director and Trustee of Wirral Hospice St John’s and Chairman of the Empowering Youth Foundation.
Stephen is an active member of Caldy Golf Club and enjoys football (Liverpool FC), rugby, opera and theatre.