Professor David Baker, Director
David Baker has over 30 years’ experience in higher education, including as Principal and Chief Executive of Plymouth Marjon University, and as Deputy Chair of the UK’s Joint Information Systems Committee (Jisc).
He holds a Chair in Strategic Information Management from Plymouth Marjon University. His degrees include an MLS, a PhD and an MBA. He also holds fellowships from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, the Chartered Management Institute and the Royal Society of Arts.
He has written widely in the field of library and information management with 20 monographs and over 100 articles to his credit. He has spoken at numerous conferences, led workshops and seminars and has undertaken consultancy work in most countries in the European Union, along with work in Ethiopia, Kuwait, Nigeria, South Africa and the Sudan, and has led a number of large technology-based projects in the LIS sector, both in relation to digital and hybrid library development and content creation for teaching and learning. He is Chair of the Board of Governors at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, UK. His other key professional interest and expertise has been in the field of human resources, where he has been active in major national projects.
Associates
Dr. Lucy Ellis
Dr Lucy Ellis is an Associate of David Baker Consulting and Honorary Research Fellow at Exeter University. She is currently working as a consultant with a number of HE and FE institutions to transform their governance, research and scholarly activity. Along with David Baker she is Editor-in-Chief of the Elsevier Major Reference Work Encyclopedia of Libraries, Librarianship and Information Science and Series Editor for two book series dealing with information structures in HE. Her background is as a lecturer, research scientist and project development consultant. Following a PhD in Instrumental Phonetics in 2000 she was a senior lecturer at Plymouth Marjon University. She is a reviewer for Information and Learning Sciences (Emerald), Journal of British Institute of Organ Studies, British Academy grants scheme and the publisher Palgrave.
PA - Laura Wilson
Laura Wilson, BA, PGCE, has a wide range of experience in key administrative roles for Arts Council England, theatres, private companies, a multi-academy trust administration manager, and now as Project Support Officer for David Baker Consulting. Laura has an extensive portfolio of project work, including through DBC, and is a highly adaptable manager capable of undertaking the necessary administrative and organizational duties associated with complex consultancy work.
Allison Allden
Alison Allden, BA, MSc, FBCS, MCILIP, MIFA, brings a wealth of experience and know-how gained from senior roles in higher education. She was CEO of the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 2009-15 and before that was on the executive team at Bristol University, with strategic responsibility for the library, special collections, information systems and infrastructure and all the student facing services.
Alison now has a portfolio career providing consultancy services to the higher education sector, mainly focused on regulatory requirements and information management. She is a non executive director on the governing bodies of a number of different HE providers the sector, and also has experience of undertaking governance reviews and providing training at the governance level. In the 2016 New Year’s Honours List, Alison was awarded an OBE for services to higher education.
Eileen Breen
Eileen Breen is an Associate of David Baker Consulting. Eileen was Library and Information Science journals publisher at Emerald Publishing, until December 2020. Eileen held various roles in the company over more than 30 years. Eileen is now LIS journals publishing manager for Routledge, Taylor & Francis. She is a member of the Research Engagement Committee of the Association for Information Science & Technology, and was a member of the International Advisory Board of the San Jose State University iSchool, Center for Information Research and Innovation. She was active within IFLA for approaching 20 years.
Howard Browes
Howard has over 25 years of teaching and senior leadership experience in further education and 15 years in private business.Howard is a MSc, qualified teacher and a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality.
He has a considerable knowledge and experience in teaching, learning and assessment, student guidance and welfare – including safeguarding, quality assurance, curriculum development and external assessment. He has worked as an Ofsted inspector undertaking inspections of learning and skills, including 14 – 19, adult and apprenticeship provision. Howard has also prepared colleges for internal and external inspections. He has successfully led organisational change in colleges, developing strategies, policies, and procedures alongside training staff through the change process and new ways of working. Howard has project managed national projects in the education and skills sector, notably on technology enhanced leaning.
Dr Ian Chowcat
Ian Chowcat has 30 years experience in the application of digital technology to learning, teaching and research, working with organisations such as the Open University, Ufi/learndirect, the National College for School Leadership, and Jisc. He was Director of the South Yorkshire e-Learning Programme, leading a public/private partnership. As a consultant his projects have included digital inclusion initiatives, developing two University Technical Colleges, researching the creation of a Digital Public Space (in a Jisc/BBC partnership), case studies on digital teaching in the humanities and online learning in HE, and literature surveys of student resource discovery behaviour, among many others. In 2023 he helped prepare Cambridge University Students’ Union’s submission to the TEF. He has a PhD in Philosophy and a Masters degree in e-Learning, both from the University of Sheffield.
Dani Dolan
Dani Dolan LLB brings breadth of experience in advising, drafting, analysing and negotiating, which translates to the higher and further education sector from her professional background as a solicitor (now non practising) specialising in commercial litigation.
Dani has experience in governance in the education sector in various guises and is familiar with acting as critical friend to constructively scrutinise leadership, structure, process and decisions made within educational settings.
Dani’s consultancy work for David Baker Consulting includes research, advice, analysing information to compile reports/documentation for guidance. Dani also works in the Voluntary Sector as a director for two local CICs which focus on culture and heritage.
Rebecca Morrison
Rebecca has over 18 years of leadership, strategic development, and management experience, and over 25 years of working in higher education. She has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in strategic planning, governance, regulations, quality assurance, as well as working with external regulatory bodies, such as DfE, OfS and QAA. She has successfully project managed a number of large projects for HEPs; leading and collaborating with all interested parties, including students, staff, executives, and governors, and external stakeholders.
Rebecca has excellent leadership skills in the development of academic governance structures; development and implementation of policies and procedures; excellent working knowledge of the UK qualifications framework and a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
Rebecca is currently Director for Boston University Study Abroad London Programmes and was previously Associate Vice President for Academic Services and Student Engagement, Registrar at Northeastern, London.
Rebekah Okpoti
Lectures in Musicology at Liverpool Hope University and is an Associate of David Baker Consulting. She is currently researching and coordinating the Blackburn Diocese innovation funded Choir Church Project, along with working on arts and culture book publications with Nova, Cambridge Scholars and Elsevier. Her background is as a Researcher, Organist, Composer and Project developer. Rebekah’s research focuses on Student experience, Organology, Domesticity, Sonic Installation Art, Void, Poise and Composition. She is editor of The Organ Manual Magazine, the UK’s 2nd largest Specialist Organ Magazine.
Steven Quigley
Steven has significant experience at registrar level in leading, creating, developing, and managing teams, staff, systems, processes, and procedures in the delivery of HE administration for the benefit of students in an international context. His expertise is not only in HE, but also the development, implementation, and maintenance of regulation in alignment with legal and regulatory frameworks.
Steven is experienced in the management of change and project working and advises universities and small higher education institutions on matters covering governance and academic governance matters as well as acquiring taught degree awarding powers and university title. He is a QAA expert reviewer.
Steven served on the Board of Trustees for the Council of Validating Universities, is a former Trustee of the Association of University Administrators (AUA) and sat on the UCAS Council. He was a member of British Accreditation Council (BAC) (2014 – 2020), reviewing a range of institutions. He is a non-executive director of the University Campus of Football Ltd and of London Churchill College’s Academic Board.
Lucy Roper
Lucy Roper, a Chartered Fellow of CILIP: The Library and Information Association, is the solo academic librarian at the University of the Built Environment (formerly University College of Estate Management). With over 25 years of experience managing library and information services, most of it as a Solo Librarian at UBE, Lucy authored The Solo Librarian: A Practical Handbook. She has experience in NDAP/TDAP submissions and understands the importance of delivering high-quality, credible, accessible, and relevant library services. In response to advancements in information governance, Lucy has taken on additional responsibilities as Strategic Copyright Lead, ensuring that UBE and its library and information services comply with copyright and data protection legislation.
Specialist fields and areas of expertise – solo librarianship, small and specialist libraries, and copyright.
Kate Stoneman
Kate is an accomplished project manager with over 25 years of experience working in higher and vocational education. Kate has successfully delivered large, strategic and operationally challenging projects for a number of private Higher Education Providers. She has experience with the acquisition of Degree Awarding Powers (DAPs), institutional accreditation frameworks for business, and institutional mergers and acquisitions. Her broad experience in higher education covers quality assurance, strategy development, academic governance, committee administration and risk management.
Kate is analytical, a problem solver and has a keen eye for detail. In addition to her project management skills, Kate also provides proofreading services. Kate has a psychology degree and a postgraduate diploma in Higher Education Management. She currently works for Nelson College London as Academic Project Manager (DAPs).”
Sayeda Zain
Sayeda Zain has worked in higher education for over than 20 years. She was Manager of Education UK for the British Council in Pakistan and is currently Principal of Mont Rose College, London. She has four master’s degrees: PGCert Learning and Teaching; MSc International Management; MSc Strategic Human Resource Management; and an MBA. She has a Level 8 Strategic Direction and Leadership qualification from the Chartered Management Institute and is a Fellow of Advance HE’s Top Management Programme. She is a member of Mont Rose College’s Board of Governors and chairs the Academic/ Quality Assurance Board. She formed the MRC Research Centre and the associated journal published biannually since 2015.
Stephen Akintunde (International Associate)
Stephen Akintunde brings interdisciplinary and international perspectives with over 40 years experience in research, practice and teaching in higher education and implementation of Information and Communications Technology in Nigeria and Africa. He has a BSc in Sociology and Anthropology, Postgraduate Certificate in Information Management, MSc. in Sociology, MA in Information and Library Studies, and PhD in Sociology. A former University Librarian at the University of Jos, and Systems Analyst at Nigeria’s apex Think Tank – National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, he is an Advisory Board Member of African Commons, Coherent Digital.
He is Sectional Editor of Encyclopedia of Libraries, Librarianship and Information Science, and also one of the contributors to International Benchmarking of Library and Information Services. He contributed to the Standards and Guidelines for Academic Libraries in Nigeria.
Juan Machin Mastromatteo (International Associate)
Dr. Juan D. Machin-Mastromatteo is a professor at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua (Mexico) and a Level 2 member of the Mexican National System of Researchers. He holds a PhD in Information and Communication Science, a Master’s in Digital Library Learning, and a Bachelor’s in Librarianship. He specializes in information literacy, action research, bibliometrics, open access, digital libraries, and scientific publishing. He has authored more than 170 scientific publications and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Information Development (IDV, since 2025). He created the audiovisual project Juantífico (2019), co-hosts InfoTecarios podcast (since 2022), and has published the sections Developing Latin America (IDV, 2015–2020) and School of Editors (Revista Estudios de la Información, since 2023).
Dr. Shamin Renwick (International Associate)
Professor of Information Literacy and Management, Shamin Renwick’s academic path bridges two distinct and rarely paired fields: agricultural science and library and information science. Now retired, her career spanned four decades from school libraries in the 1980s to acting campus librarian at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus. She also served as director of library services at St. George’s University in Grenada, 2019–2020.
Prof. Renwick holds a PhD in agricultural extension, an MPhil in agricultural extension and a BSc in agriculture, all from UWI, St. Augustine. She also holds a Master of Library and Information Studies from UWI, Mona.
She has published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters; served as section editor for Elsevier’s Encyclopedia of Libraries, Librarianship and Information Science (2022–2024); and co-edited Caribbean Libraries in the 21st Century (2007) and Liberatory Librarianship (2024). She has presented papers and posters and facilitated workshops at conferences; served as a reviewer of journal articles and book proposals; and is an editor who does developmental and copy editing as well as proofreading.
Prof. Renwick is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP, UK (2007, revalidated in 2024). She is a past president of the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL), 2003–2004 and of the West Indies Group of University Teachers, St. Augustine (WIGUT), 2015–2016 and served on the UK-based International Food Information Service Advisory Board, 2021–2026.
Prof. Renwick was awarded the Library Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) Excellence Award (2024) for contribution to library and information services in Trinidad and Tobago, the ACURILEAN Star for Excellence in Research and Publication (2007), the ACURILEAN Medal for contribution to ACURIL (2005) and was recognised as an Outstanding Graduate of the 1980s from UWI, Mona’s Department of Library and Information Science (2012).