Shaun has over 20 years of senior-level university management and strategy, governance, fundraising and external relations. Drawing on a strong legal background, he advises some of the leading names in higher education and non-profits and oversees complex projects and assessments at critical periods. He’s also an experienced interim executive leader, able to shift a team into higher gear when the need arises.
He is a qualified Barrister and brings an acute legal brain to best practice in higher education governance. Shaun has delivered governance and strategic projects with universities including Bath, Swansea, Cumbria, Nottingham, Sussex, Manchester, Bangor, Durham and York.
Shaun’s fundraising expertise lies in creating and leading major campaigns, having designed the first of its kind at Reading, and working with clients including universities, schools and major charities. He has led campaign assessments and provided senior-level fundraising support for clients including King’s College London, Queen’s University Belfast, Sheffield Hallam University, the Science Museum Group, Charterhouse School, Newcastle University, Shakespeare’s Globe, Dublin City University, and Maynooth University.
Shaun led External Affairs at the University of Reading, where he was responsible for UK and international recruitment, marketing, communications, development and alumni, and events. He established the fundraising function at the University of Reading, running the first-ever comprehensive campaign with a target of £100 million. He was also a key part of the Senior Team that undertook the successful merger between Reading and Henley Management College.
In the area of strategy, he oversaw a market review and restructure at a leading UK law school, a new Medical School strategy, and has carried out advisory work for the Irish Universities Association. He has led on complex projects such as guidelines for Freedom of Expression for European Human Rights Commission (EHRC), a health and safety review at University of Sussex and a race equality review at Central School of Speech and Drama.
Shaun has been a governor at two schools, and has served on the boards of CASE, the CBI and the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, and MQ: Transforming Mental Health. He has a deep knowledge of the UK and Irish higher education sectors and in particular an understanding of the politics and sensitivities that are part of achieving change.