Summer School Speakers
Gavin McLachlan
Vice Principal, Chief Information Officer, The University of Edinburgh, UK
Gavin was born in Toronto. He graduated in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia and he holds an MBA from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California with a major in international business.
Gavin was appointed as CIO and Librarian at Edinburgh in 2015. A member of the University of Edinburgh Senior Leadership Team, he is the Vice Principal, budget holder and senior manager of the Information Services Group spanning IT, Data, external IT service and product units, Libraries, Heritage collections, Museums and online education platforms. Gavin is one of the university leads on our Digital and AI strategy.
Previous to Edinburgh he worked at University College London (UCL) for 6 years as the Deputy Chief Information Officer and the Director of Research IT Services. Prior to UCL, he held a number of senior IT management positions at Computacenter and Capita Education Services (part of the Capita Group) and in a number of other private sector organisations.
Gavin is an external member of the Oxford University Information and Digital Committee, as well as an expert advisor to Scottish government as the chair of the Scottish Government expert group on the Digital Identity Assurance and ScotAccount programmes.
Samantha Lancet Grant
Director of Communications, University College London, UK
Samantha Lancet-Grant is Director of Communications at UCL (University College London). UCL is the 9th best university in the world according to the QS World University Rankings 2024, with 10 subject areas ranked in the global top 10.
At UCL, Sam leads communications to UCL’s internal community of over 60, 000 students and staff, as well as external communications and stakeholder engagement through the UCL media relations and public affairs functions. She is also the university lead for crisis communications planning and delivery.
Prior to joining UCL, Sam led communications for His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). Sam oversaw the Service’s communications response to COVID, playing a major role in HMPPS’ management of the pandemic across 117 prisons in England and Wales. This work led to her team winning the ‘Best In-House Communications Team’ category at UK COVID Comms Awards 2020 and at the UK Corporate Comms Awards 2021.
Sam worked in a variety of other roles for the UK Government including as the Head of the Global Communications Network at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Here she oversaw communications delivery and capability across a global network of over 400 communicators at British Embassies and High Commissions around the world.
Koen Goethals
President, University College Ghent, BE
Koen Goethals obtained a Master and a PhD in Biological Sciences from Ghent University (UGent). He pursued a career as a researcher in the field of molecular biology and in 2002 was appointed a tenured lecturer in Molecular Genetics at UGent.
In 2004 Koen started as Chief Academic Administrator of UGent, responsible for the administration and policy in research, education, personnel, juridical affairs, communication and internationalization. Together with the rector, the vice-rector and the Chief Logistic Administrator he was responsible for the daily management of UGent.
In 2017 Koen changed gears and became President of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Ghent (HOGENT). HOGENT has 18.500 students, supports 24 professional Bachelor programs and 14 associate degree programs in a broad range of vocational fields. Apart from that, HOGENT also provides 4 academic bachelor programs and 6 master programs in the arts (music, drama, film, photography, …).
Next to teaching, the institution is involved in practice oriented research and service to society in the vocational domains and academic-artistic research in the arts.
Grete Kvernland-Berg
Partner, PA Consulting Norway, NO
Country Head and partner in PA Consulting Group Norway, public healthcare and change expert. Grete holds an MsC in Business administration from North University. She works with health innovation across management levels, including MoH, regulators, health trusts and primary care communities. She and her team leads the Norwegian healthcare system’s innovation hub “InnoMed”. InnoMed’s mandate is to contribute to a customer centric and integrated health system through product and service innovation. She has specialized in designing and implementing new ways of providing care with use of telehealth, as Norway has an ambition of providing 30% of outpatient consultations online and through “hospitals from home”. She works alongside clinical and administrative leaders to make change happen.
Since 2014, she worked for the National Telecare program in Norway. The program has resulted in 70% of Norwegian primary care communities now offers telecare as the first choice of care. The design driven initiative has led to massive savings across local governments with use of technologies enabling self-mastery and less need of physical care. Grete is a strong believer in a wholistic approach to reach lasting change within healthcare, where organisational, cultural, technical, regulatory and ethical barriers must be solved in combination.
Riika Mäki-Ontto
HR & Service Director, University of the Arts Helsinki, FI
Dr. Riikka Mäki-Ontto has 20 years of experience in the academic world. She currently serves as the HR and Service Director at the University of the Arts Helsinki, responsible for HR and service development, including organizational change and work ability management.
Riikka has extensive experience in leading change and developing organizational culture. Throughout her career, she has successfully managed several demanding development and change projects.
Previously, Riikka held various positions at Aalto University, including Project Manager, Head of Operational HR, HR Manager, and Head of Academic Affairs. She has developed quality systems at both Aalto University and the University of the Arts Helsinki. Riikka holds a PhD in Technical Physics, earned in 2001
Gert Jan Scheurwater
Director Foresight & Strategy Development TU Delft, NL
Dr. Gert Jan Scheurwater (1963) is Director of Foresight & Strategy Development TU Delft. He has over 30 years of experience in strategy and policy development within the complex environment of academia.
He holds degrees in History of Philosophy and Epistemology (MA, PhD) and Public Administration (MPA). His expertise spans foresight, institutional strategy, research policy, inter-institutional research collaboration, (financial) restructuring, university governance, and organizational development.
From 2013 to 2022, he served two consecutive four-year terms as Secretary General of TU Delft, overseeing the university’s central decision-making processes and acting as general counsel to the Executive and Supervisory Board respectively.
Since 2023, in addition to his position as director, he is also leading the newly established Strategic Foresight & Innovation Unit at TU Delft.
Mike Shore-Nye
Senior Vice President, Registrar and Secretary, University of Exeter, UK
Mike joined the University of Exeter in January 2016 and is the Senior Vice-President and Registrar & Secretary, with responsibility for the institution’s entire Professional Services team and for the effective and efficient operations and governance of the University. As a member of the University’s senior management team and University Executive Board he plays a key role in the development and implementation of the major strategies and plans that enable the University to fulfil its mission and vision to be a world leading and globally significant institution.
As University Secretary, Mike ensures the University conforms to regulatory and legal requirements through the effective application of the executive committee structure in support of robust and effective University governance.
Mike has a particular responsibility for overseeing the development and implementation of the University’s Capital Investment strategies especially in relation to the Estate, Digital and IT infrastructure. Part of Mike’s role supporting the compliance framework of the University includes chairing the Compliance Committee and the University Health and Safety Committee, as well as oversight of the University Audit Committee. Mike is also Co-Chair (shared with the Provost) of the Environment and Climate Emergency Board.
As part of his work sponsoring the evolution of the University’s community engagement strategy and its commitment to being a true exemplar of a 21st Century Civic University, Mike chairs the Unviersity Community Panel as well as supporting the delivery of the University Arts and Culture Strategy.
External roles in Exeter include being the University nominated-member of the Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust. Nationally, Mike is Deputy Chair and member of the AHUA Executive Board, the AHUA lead for Home Office liaison in relation to immigration matters and is the lead negotiator for the UCEA JNC team for the USS pension team.
Mike’s early career, after graduating with a degree in English Literature from the University of York in 1991, began in the food and drinks industry. In 2003 he fulfilled his ambition to work in Higher Education and moved from the private sector to become Director of Residential and Leisure Services for the University of Liverpool for four years before moving to the University of Manchester as the Director of Sport Trading and Residential Services. As a member of the University’s senior management team at Manchester Mike also supported the Registrar and Secretary through the delivery of a series of strategically significant projects and was supported through the UUK Aspiring Registrar’s programme. In 2011, Mike took up the post of Director of Change Management and Process Improvement at the University of Manchester with responsibilities including supporting the University through a portfolio of institutionally significant change projects. He was then Chief Operating Officer for Queen Mary University of London for three years from January 2013 with responsibility for all Professional Services and was a member of the Senior Executive team
Andrea Silvestri
General Director, University of Turin, IT
Since 2021 Andrea Silvestri is the General Director of the University of Turin, the third in Italy by size, with 82,000 students and 4,500 staff.
As the University General Director, he is responsible for the overall organization and management of the services, leading the University staff, and managing the University infrastructures and financial resources.
Prior to joining the University of Turin, Andrea developed his professional career in the consultancy sector, in the mega events organisation (Olympic Winter Games) and in the philanthropic institutions, with different roles in Italian and European organisations.
He has been part of the governance of the European association of foundations (Philea, formerly EFC) and is currently a member of the Supervisory Board at the European Cultural Foundation.
Sarah Smith
Advanced Executive Coach & Leadership Development Adviser, UK
Sarah is an experienced senior leader, advanced executive coach and leadership development adviser with particular experience in strategy, governance, change and people development.
Recent senior leadership roles in the University of Edinburgh include: Vice-Principal Strategic Change & Governance and University Secretary; and Vice-Principal Leadership Development.
Before that she was a senior policy civil servant working in Scottish Government, including as Director of Strategy and Director of Learning; and in the UK Government, including on international development and international negotiations.
Her leadership development work draws from this breadth of experience as well as her own research and learning, including a recent Masters in systems psychodynamics and change at INSEAD.
Stephan Van Galen
HUMANE Board Member; Secretary General, University of Groningen, NL
Dr. Stephan van Galen has been the Secretary-General of the University of Groningen since September 2015. He is secretary to the Executive Board (President, Rector Magnificus, and Vice President), the College of Deans, and the Supervisory Board. In his role as director he is responsible for all University Services departments, excluding the library and IT. He is responsible for 750 FTE.
The University of Groningen has 7,000 FTE staff, 37,000 students and a budget of 900M Euro. He started his career in 2000 as a senior policy officer at the Association of Universities in The Netherlands (VSNU). In 2003 he became General Secretary of the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO), where he was director for strategy and administration.
Stephan read Imperial History at King’s College London and continued his studies at Leiden University and the School of Oriental and African Studies. The title of his 2008 Leiden PhD thesis was ‘Arakan and Bengal. The rise and decline of the Mrauk U kingdom (Burma) between 1500-1700’.
Since 2024, Stephan is a Board Member of HUMANE.
HUMANE Panel
Nadine Burquel
Summer School Director and Director General of HUMANE
Nadine is the Director General of HUMANE. She works closely with the Chair and the governing bodies on HUMANE’s strategic developments. She manages the HUMANE Office to offer the membership an attractive portfolio of professional development and networking activities. She has been involved with HUMANE since its foundation in the mid-nineties, until December 2022 as Executive Director of the three residential schools (the Barcelona Winter School, the Berlin Summer School and the Asia School).
Nadine has extensive director level experience, having worked with multiple international non-profit organisations, university networks and international boards. She has wide knowledge of leadership, governance and management in higher education institutions, and the global trends in the higher education sector. As EFMD Director of Business School Services she was responsible for a wide portfolio of large global events and communities of practices, interacting with business schools and universities in the wider Europe, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, the Gulf, as well as North and South America. More recently in Maastricht University she was strategic adviser to the leadership of the School of Business and Economics, advising on international accreditation, the internationalisation strategy, and delivering societal impact.
She has significant experience with EU (higher) education policy and programmes since the early days of the Erasmus programme. She has a strong track record of EU projects, leading large EU-funded European university networks and providing technical assistance to the European Commission. She is high level EU policy expert, working at system level in Brussels and beyond, carrying out capacity building and evaluations of EU interventions, having worked with EU Delegations in many countries.
Alex Pellacani
President of HUMANE; Director General, University of Trento, IT
Alex Pellacani graduated in Economics in 1995, is certified chartered accountant since 2000 and has been appointed as member of the Board of HUMANE in June 2022.
He is currently the Managing Director of the University of Trento, a role he was appointed to in 2016. The University of Trento counts around 16,000 students, close to 1.600 employees, about equally divided in academic and non academic staff.
As Managing Director, he is responsible for the implementation of the strategies and objectives defined by the governing bodies of the University. He has the overall responsibility for the management and organisation of the support services.
Among his professional roles, Alex Pellacani held the position of Chief Financial Officer of the University of Trento from 2008 to 2015. He has broad experience in accounting and finance management processes. Based on his technical background, he has been involved as a national board member for the definition of the accounting and reporting principles in the Higher Education Sector established by the Italian Ministry of University and Research.
Prior to joining University of Trento, he worked for major multinational consulting firms, including Arthur Andersen, Deloitte and Accenture. In particular, in Accenture he was manager in the Global Business Solutions Division, responsible for consulting projects in the areas of administration, finance and management control.
Alex has served on the HUMANE Board of Directors since 2022 and has become its President in January of this year.
Andrea Silvestri
General Director, University of Turin, IT
Since 2021 Andrea Silvestri is the General Director of the University of Turin, the third in Italy by size, with 82,000 students and 4,500 staff.
As the University General Director, he is responsible for the overall organization and management of the services, leading the University staff, and managing the University infrastructures and financial resources.
Prior to joining the University of Turin, Andrea developed his professional career in the consultancy sector, in the mega events organisation (Olympic Winter Games) and in the philanthropic institutions, with different roles in Italian and European organisations.
He has been part of the governance of the European association of foundations (Philea, formerly EFC) and is currently a member of the Supervisory Board at the European Cultural Foundation.
Stephan Van Galen
HUMANE Board Member; Secretary General, University of Groningen, NL
Dr. Stephan van Galen has been the Secretary-General of the University of Groningen since September 2015. He is secretary to the Executive Board (President, Rector Magnificus, and Vice President), the College of Deans, and the Supervisory Board. In his role as director he is responsible for all University Services departments, excluding the library and IT. He is responsible for 750 FTE.
The University of Groningen has 7,000 FTE staff, 37,000 students and a budget of 900M Euro. He started his career in 2000 as a senior policy officer at the Association of Universities in The Netherlands (VSNU). In 2003 he became General Secretary of the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO), where he was director for strategy and administration.
Stephan read Imperial History at King’s College London and continued his studies at Leiden University and the School of Oriental and African Studies. The title of his 2008 Leiden PhD thesis was ‘Arakan and Bengal. The rise and decline of the Mrauk U kingdom (Burma) between 1500-1700’.
Since 2024, Stephan is a Board Member of HUMANE.
