Who's Speaking?

Dr. Astrid Wissenburg is Director of Communications and Information at the Economic and Social Research Council, and is responsible for the strategic direction of ESRC’s knowledge transfer and impact initiatives, relationships with research users including industry, and information & knowledge management.

David Sweeney has been Director (Research, Innovation and Skills) since 2008. In this role he is responsible for developing policy on Research (including the Research Assessment Exercise and Research Excellence Framework), Business & Community and Employer Engagement.

David Docherty is Chief Executive of the Council For Industry and Higher Education, and Chairman of the Digital Television Group, which is the industry body for digital television in the UK.

Dr Wendy Piatt is the first Director General of The Russell Group of Universities, appointed to set up an organisation providing strategic direction, policy development underpinned by research and communications for the 20 major research-intensive universities in the UK.

Roger is a graduate and fellow of University College London and was Montefiore Professor of Geography at the University of Exeter from 1991 and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for eight years until he resigned to take up his post at the School of Advanced Study. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1990 and appointed CBE in 2005.

Professor Davies has been the Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University since October 2003. Under his leadership, the University has adopted a radical and ambitious agenda for change, building on strengths and attracting substantial external investment to accelerate the pace of development.

Robert Allison is Professor of Geography and Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sussex. After a PhD at King’s College London, an Addison Wheeler Fellowship at Durham University and a Lectureship at University College London, Bob returned to Durham, where he was Head of the largest Department of Geography (RAE 5** / QAA excellent) in the country.