The University is committed to exhibiting best practice in all aspects of corporate governance. As the Governing Body of the University, Court is responsible for the University's system of internal control and for reviewing its effectiveness.
Court comprises lay core members, co-opted members, ex-officio members and staff members. Lay core members have 'experience of industrial, commercial or employment matters or the practice of any profession' and remain an absolute majority, whilst the co-opted membership includes at least one person having experience in each of 'local government' and 'the provision of education'. Court has a total possible membership of 25 with 13 forming the lay core, 6 being co-opted, 3 being ex officio (Principal, Vice-Principal, President of the Students' Association) and 3 representing academic and non-academic staff.
The membership of Court for the year to 31 July 2011 is as follows:
| COURT MEMBER | OCCUPATION |
| Mr Nigel Hawkins Chair of Court 
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Retired. Formerly Chief Executive, John Muir Trust Nigel Hawkins was Chief Executive and Principal Founder of The John Muir Trust, a leading UK charity dedicated to the protection and conservation of wild land for both nature and people, and a Director of JMT (Trading) Ltd. On behalf of the Trust he has bought some of Scotland's finest landscapes including Ben Nevis, Scotland's and the UK's highest mountain. In other roles, he has been President of the Dundee and Tayside Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Director of Dundee Enterprise Trust, Director of Discovery FM Ltd, Board Member of The North of Scotland Water Authority for five years, Deputy Chairman of Dundee Science Centre Ltd (Sensation), Chairman of Dundee City Festival, Director and Co-founder of the Knoydart Foundation, Director and Co-founder of the John Muir Birthplace Trust, and Director of The North Harris Trust. He was made a Fellow of the University of Abertay Dundee in 1998 and later became a Member of Court becoming convener of the Estates and Campus Services Committee and then Vice Chairman of Court. He is a keen mountaineer and outdoor activist and has a wide range of interests covering politics, environment, arts and business. Nigel Hawkins lives in Auchterhouse, Dundee, and in Sommocolonia, near Lucca in Italy. Register of interests
Paid Employment
Retired Directorships etc. North Harris Trust (non-paid) Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University None Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
Dr Tom Abraham
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Retired (former Managing Director, HBoS) Tom Abraham retired in December 2006 after a career with the Bank of Scotland, where significant roles included Head of Audit, Head of HR, Managing Director and Board member of the Corporate Division. He is a Past President of the Institute of Bankers in Scotland and is currently the Chairman of the Advanced Management Programme Scotland, a Trustee of HBoS Pension Fund, a Director of Hamilton & Kinneil (1987) Ltd, and Chairman of H & K Estates Ltd. Tom Abraham lives near Roslin, is married with two children and his hobbies include travel, shooting, fishing and golf. Register of interests
Paid Employment
Retired (former Managing Director, HBoS) Directorships etc. Chairman - Advanced Management Programme Scotland Ltd Trustee - HBOS Pension Fund Director - Hamilton & Kinneil (1987) Ltd Chairman - H & K Estates Ltd Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University None Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
|
John C Burt OBE |
John C Burt John Burt has been at the helm of Angus College for 16 years and has brought the College to where it is today as “Scotland’s Best Community College”. Angus College is one of the most highly respected further education colleges in Scotland with over 11 million investment being made in recent years so that Angus students enjoy brand new, state-of-the-art learning environments. Whilst at Angus college John Burt has held a variety of posts including Director of the Association of Scottish Colleges, Chair of Principal’s Forum in Scotland and Director of Scottish Further Education Unit. He also served as a member on forums including Fife and Tayside Wider Access forum and Tayside Economic Forum. A graduate of Edinburgh University and Moray House College, Mr. Burt has wide experience as a lecturer, educational manager and sectoral leader in Scotland. In 2006 Mr. Burt was awarded was awarded an OBE for services to Further Education in Scotland. Register of interests Directorships etc. Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University |
Mr Kenneth Cargill
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Retired (former Head of News and Current Affairs BBC Scotland) After graduating MA LLB from Edinburgh University, Ken Cargill worked with BBC Scotland from 1972-2002 in a wide range of roles including reporter, film director, series producer, editor of the day Reporting Scotland, and Head of Radio and TV News and Current Affairs. From 1999-2002 Ken was project executive on the BBC's Pacific Quay Project. After retiring early, Ken was a visiting professor at Strathclyde University and an honorary professor at Glasgow University. He was director of UK Media Projects from 2002-2007. Ken lives near Friockheim in Angus. Register of interests
Paid Employment
Occasional freelance writing Directorships etc. None Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University None Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
| Mr David Dorward | Chief Executive, Dundee City Council David Dorward joined Perth & Kinross Joint City Council as an Accountancy Assistant in 1971 and, as part of the Scottish local government reorganisation in 1975, moved to Tayside Regional Council. While at Tayside, he held a variety of posts including financial responsibility for services as diverse as education, social work, police, fire, water and sewerage. In 1994, he was appointed Depute Director of Finance. From 1994 to 2006, he was responsible for the Tayside Pensions Funds, currently valued at over £1.5 billion. In 1995, he was appointed Director of Finance for Dundee City Council. In 2003, his duties were extended and he was redesignated as Depute Chief Executive (Finance). Over the last 12 years, David has also been a Director of arms-length companies such as Dundee Energy Recycling Limited, Dundee City Developments Ltd, Dundee Leisure, Discovery Education Dundee, Dundee Airport Ltd and Sustain Dundee; and has served on a variety of working groups for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and Audit Scotland. David qualified as a Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) accountant in 1982 and from 1984 to 1989 was a final year examiner with CIPFA. He was a member of the CIPFA in Scotland Executive from 1999 to 2006 and in 2003 was Chair of CIPFA in Scotland. David Dorward was appointed Chief Executive of Dundee City Council in October 2009. Register of interests
Paid Employment
Chief Executive, Dundee City Council Directorships etc. Dundee Airport Ltd Dundee Design Ltd Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business Dundee City Council Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University Dundee City Council Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
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Mr Eddie Frizzell CB
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Retired (former Head of Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, Scottish Executive) Eddie Frizzell is a former senior civil servant, retired from the post of Head of the Scottish Executive’s Enterprise Transport and Lifelong Learning Department. Previous roles included Chief Executive, Scottish Prison Service and Director, Locate in Scotland, the inward investment attraction agency. He also served on secondment to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as a First Secretary in the office of the UK Permanent Representative to the EU in Brussels. Eddie Frizzell was, until February 2008, an external member of HM Prison Service Audit Committee (England and Wales). Eddie is a visiting professor at Queen Margaret University, an adviser to Charteris plc, and a member of the Board of the charity, Trefoil House. He is currently leading an Independent Inquiry into the former Kerelaw Residential School, which was run by Glasgow City Council. He is married and lives in Edinburgh Register of interests
Paid Employment
Advisor to Charteris plc Visiting Professor in Public Service Management, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh Directorships etc. Director, Trefoil (registered charity, established as company limited by guarantee) Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University None Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
| Mr Mark Grossi | Vice President NCR Labs, NCR Corporation Mark Grossi is responsible at NCR Labs - NCR’s global advanced development organisation – for leading an inventive and highly creative team focused on designing and developing new self-service technologies for banking, retail, travel, healthcare, hospitality, gaming, entertainment and the public sector. Mark joined NCR in 1979 after graduating from Abertay University and began his career working with some of NCR’s most innovative hardware and software engineers. He and his team worked with technology suppliers and customers on self-service software and hardware and this led to the development of the automated teller machine (ATM), which transformed the way consumers bank. First as a member and later as head of NCR’s Strategic Solutions Group, Financial Systems, Mark Grossi brought forward several key technologies including Java-based ATM, Iris identification and contactless user interface. Mark Grossi has developed a strong architecture and design community and a research-based innovation culture and the development of three research and development labs for NCR – in Atlanta, USA, Dundee and Cebu in the Phillipines. Register of interests
Paid Employment
Vice President, NCR Labs Directorships etc. None Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University Scottish Enterprise Tayside Board Member Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
Mr Colin MacDonald
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Computer Game Studio Manager Colin has been involved in the Games Industry since 1990 and is the former Studio Manager for Realtime Worlds, specialising in the entertainment sector producing games such as Lemmings, Prince of Persia, Grand Theft Auto, and Crackdown. Colin lives in Dundee. Register of interests
Paid Employment
Studio Manager, Realtime Worlds Directorships etc. None Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University None Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
Mr Angus William Macmillan Douglas OBE
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Retired (former Director, Scottish Blood Transfusion Service) Angus Macmillan Douglas was employed for 20 years by British Petroleum plc in roles including Chief Executive of BP East Africa, Commercial Manager for BP Gas in Europe and as Director of External Affairs for BP Group. On retirement from BP, he took up post as Director of the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service and held associated roles as Chairman of the UK Co-ordinating Group of Blood Services, Director of the European Association of Blood Services and Director of the Common Services Agency of NHS Scotland. After retiring from the NHS, Angus Macmillan Douglas took on the role of a small farmer, is Chairman of Leah Healthcare and Chairman of Angus Conservative Association and co-manages a European Commission Public Health Project. Angus Macmillan Douglas is married with two children and lives near Forfar. Register of interests
Paid Employment
Chairman of Leah Healthcare Limited Directorships etc. None Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University Member of Scottish Enterprise's Advisory Group on Biotechnology Chairman of the Angus Conservative Association Significant Pecuniary Interests A retired member of the British Petroleum plc Pension Scheme A retired member of the Scottish Public Pension Scheme Shareholder in various public limited companies. In particular I would declare my wife's and my shareholding in BP plc. Shareholder in Leah Healthcare (chiropractor clinics) My wife and I own and manage a 150 acre farm I run a part-time management consultancy business |
Ms Ann F Markham OBE
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Retired Chair, NHS Education for Scotland Born and educated in Dundee. Ann started her career in Education as a Primary Teacher in her home city. Her career then took her into Higher Education, first as a Lecturer in Teacher Education in Sunderland and then on to senior posts in Plymouth and Brighton. At the time of her retiral she was Dean of the Faculty of Education, Sport and Leisure at the University of Brighton. During her career, Ann has served on a range of National Committees and Boards both north and south of the Border. Currently she is a Board Member of NHS National Service Scotland and one of two Scottish representatives on the UK Sector Skills Council for Health, of which she is Vice Chair. Ann also Chairs the Scottish Executive’s Working Well in NHS Scotland Group. Ann was appointed Chair of the NHS Education for Scotland Board in 2002 and has been re-appointed for another 4-year term of office to December 2009. Register of interests
Paid Employment
Chair, NHS Education for Scotland NHS National Services Scotland Board Member Directorships etc. Vice Chair, UK Sector Skills Council for Health Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business Chair of NHS Education for Scotland Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University Vice Chair, Sector Skills Council for Health Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
Mrs Louise Martin CBE
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Retired (former international sportswoman and academic) Led Scotland’s successful Commonwealth Games Bid Louise Martin was elected the Hon Secretary of the Commonwealth Games Federation for a second term at the General Assembly in Jamaica in 2003. The first woman to hold a post on the CGF Executive, she was also the first woman Chairman of the Scottish Commonwealth Games Council and she led Scotland’s successful Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Bid. Louise has been involved in the Games both as competitor and an administrator, competing in the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia where she made the swimming finals in the 100m and 200m backstroke. After retiring from sport, Louise trained in nutrition at what is now Queen Margaret University and spent 20 years as a teacher, examiner and latterly as a lecturer. She has held various positions in a number of sporting areas. Louise is currently board member of UK Sport and Scottish Institute for Sport, as well as chairman of the Scottish Hall of Fame Selection Panel. Register of interests
Paid Employment
None Directorships etc. None Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University None Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
Mr Daniel McLaren
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Retired (Former Assistant Chief Executive NHS Tayside) Daniel (Danny) McLaren joined the Health Service in 1973 and has worked throughout the UK in NHS Finance. Danny was born and educated in Dundee and studied at St Andrews University. He is married with three children and lives in Dundee. Register of interests
Paid Employment
None Directorships etc. None Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University None Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
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Mr William Mohieddeen
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President of the University of Abertay Dundee Students' Association William is from Earlston in the Borders. Commonly known by Abertay students as ‘Mocko’, he graduated in 2011 in Sports Coaching BSc (Hons). Throughout the last four years, he established Abertay’s Tartan Army society, and has been president of the society for the last four years, sitting on the Students’ Representative Council throughout. William has played for the University Gaelic football team in 2007 which led to being a top-3 nominee for Dundee Sport Person of the Year 2010 and representing the Scottish Universities Gaelic football team in March 2011. Register of interests
Paid Employment
Student President Directorships etc. None Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University None Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
Mr James Nicholson
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Head of Student Services at the University of Abertay Dundee James Nicholson has been nominated by Senate to membership of Court. He is Head of Student Services at the University, ensuring that students are supported and oriented into academic study and life. He manages and provides direction for the support services that students use throughout their studies including career development, academic support, Chaplaincy, counselling and advisory. He is responsible for the University’s widening participation strategy and is Chair of the Equal Opportunities Committees. James has an honours degree in Social Policy Research from the University of East London and a master’s degree in Social and Public Policy from the University of Brighton Register of interests
Paid Employment
Head of Student Services The University of Abertay Dundee Directorships etc. City of Dundee Educational Trust - Governor (unpaid) Abertay Student Centre Company - Governor (unpaid) Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education - Executive Member Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
Dr Andy Samuel
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Lecturer Sociology at the University of Abertay Dundee Andy Samuel is the elected academic staff member of Court. He is a Lecturer in the School of Social and Health Sciences, within the Sociology division and year tutor for Year 2 of the Social Sciences Degree. Register of interests
Paid Employment
Lecturer Sociology at the University of Abertay Dundee Directorships etc. None Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University None Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
| Ms Shirley Scott |
Shirley Scott retired in early 2011 from her post as Vice-Principal at Adam Smith College, and joined the Court of the University soon after.
Shirley has more than 30 years’ experience in Scotland’s college sector, having joined Glenrothes College in 1980 as a temporary part-time lecturer. Over her subsequent career, she held the posts of senior lecturer, Head of Faculty, Director of Curriculum, Associate Principal, Assistant Principal and finally, Vice-Principal of Adam Smith College. She also represented the College on a number of national strategy groups covering all aspects of tertiary education.
She played a key role in the merger of Glenrothes and Fife Colleges to form Adam Smith College in August 2005, and was closely involved in research which revealed Fife’s “degree deficit” – a smaller proportion of the population educated to degree level than most other parts of Scotland. After the merger, Shirley began to work closely with Abertay University, building on its long-established relationship with Fife College.
Shirley was instrumental in the setting up of the Abertay University Centre at Adam Smith College in 2008. This partnership has greatly improved access to high quality degree-level education for enthusiastic and able people in Fife, at a time and place that fits around their personal commitments and lifestyles. More than 1500 Fife people have now achieved degrees they might not otherwise have been able to study. In effect, their lives have been changed as a result of the work the Adam Smith/Abertay Partnership. |
Mr Ian Simpson
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Head of Estates and Campus Services at the University of Abertay Dundee Ian Simpson is the elected representative of the full-time support staff of the University on Court. Register of interests
Paid Employment
Head of Estates and Campus Services at the University of Abertay Dundee Directorships etc. None Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University None Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
Professor Elizabeth Wilson
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Executive Nurse Director, NHS Tayside Elizabeth Wilson was born in Dundee and trained as a nurse in Dundee Royal Infirmary. On completion of her training, she moved to London where she worked in various nursing posts. On returning to Dundee, she trained as a Health Visitor and worked for Fife Health Board. She completed an MSc in Nursing and Health Care Management at Edinburgh University and subsequently became a Clinical Director for the then Dundee Primary Healthcare NHS Trust. Following the amalgamation of the organisation into NHS Tayside, Elizabeth was appointed as Executive Nurse Director at the Board in 2006 and is also a Visiting Professor of Nursing at Abertay University. Her passion is patient care and she has made every effort in her career to stay close to frontline services and also to shape and influence strategy at local and national level Register of interests
Paid Employment
Executive Nurse Director, NHS Tayside Directorships etc. None Significant involvement with any organisation with which the University might do business None Position(s) of authority with any organisation(s) whose policies and decisions might be supposed to impact on the University None Significant Pecuniary Interests None |
The Principal is the Chief Executive of the University with delegated powers to discharge the functions of Court relating to the management of the University and to discipline. Court holds at least five meetings a year and has formally constituted a number of Committees, all of which have clearly defined remits with the majority having a lay core member as Chair. The major Committees are: Audit Committee; Chairman's Committee; Finance, Personnel & General Purposes Committee; and the Remuneration Committee. Court delegates to Senate its functions relating to the overall planning, co-ordination, development and supervision of the academic work of the University. Senate has formally constituted a number of committees, all of which have clearly defined remits.
Full details on the management and finances of the University can be found in the Annual Report and Financial Statement.
