The School of Business and Management Advisory Board offers advice on the development and work of the School, particularly on future strategy and the employability of our students. The board consists of a broad cross-section of members of the international, national and local business community, as well as people with backgrounds in government and the third sector. The board's elected Chair is Peter Fanning.
The functions of the Advisory Board are to advise on:
If you would like to support the board's work by volunteering for activities such as mentoring, guest speaking, panel discussions and more, please fill in our volunteering form.
Kay Ali is Head of Partnership Development at Youth Business International, an NGO that supports young people to start and grow their own businesses around the world. Kay has nearly 15 years’ experience across the charity, social enterprise, NGO and public sector. She is a business development expert with experience of securing international, national and local funding; as well as successfully managing and delivering charity, corporate and community projects. Kay is a board trustee of ROSA, The UK Fund for Women and Girls, and has volunteered at the Eat or Heat Food Bank to raise money and awareness of local food banks. She graduated from Queen Mary University of London with a BA (Hons) in Politics and an MSc in Migration.
Bilal Bin Saqib is a passionate web3 advocate working at the frontline of emerging technology development. He has been featured in Forbes 30 under 30, and awarded with the Points of Light Award by the Prime Minister of the UK. He is the Founder of Tayaba, which became one of the world's first NGOs to have raised funds using NFTs to eradicate water insecurity in Pakistan's rural desert areas. He is currently advising on marketing for blockchain projects and specialising in investor relations, partnership building, outreach, crypto launch and progress. He is featured in the Foreign Minister of Pakistan's Honours List (2021) and is presently on the Prime Minister of Pakistan's National Youth Council (2021-2023).
Peter Fanning is the chair of the Advisory Board. He recently retired after 11 years as Chief Executive of the CIOT (Chartered Institute of Taxation) which he joined in 2008 as its first Chief Executive, following a brief secondment to the Office of the Permanent Secretary to HM Treasury. From 2004, Peter led the transformation of the Office of Government Commerce (an independent office of HM Treasury), as Deputy Chief Executive/Director General and then as Acting Chief Executive/Second Permanent Secretary.
He previously served as the Founding Director of London’s Centre of Procurement Excellence, based in the former Association of London Government. He was also Managing Director of IPF, the commercial arm of CIPFA; and Chief Executive of the 4Ps, established to support local authority procurement through PFI.
Peter spent over twelve years with the NatWest Group, where he was a director in NatWest Capital Markets and a former Head of Product Development in the Commercial Division. Peter has served as trustee and board member of The Coalfields Regeneration Trust, and is a former committee member of Hyde Housing Association.
Sinead Finn worked for Ryanair for 13 years during the company’s most prolific growth years, establishing an outstanding track record for increasing revenue and market-share as Head of Sales and Marketing, and later as Director of Commercial Revenue. She was responsible for the management and development of all ancillary revenue streams during a period of significant growth. She joined Ryanair when the airline was carrying fewer than 3m passengers and left as the airline headed towards 78m passengers. In 2011, Sinead left Ryanair to establish her business affinnity, which assists tech businesses to perform and grow in Europe, by doing business in the aviation and travel sectors.
Leor Franks is Director of Business Development & Marketing at law firm Kingsley Napley and a member of its management board. He is a specialist in the professional services industry with over 20 years marketing, communications and business development experience. He was previously Chief Marketing Officer at legal services firm Augusta, Managing Director of Marketing Communications at FTI Consulting and held Marketing and Business Development Director roles at Deloitte and Ernst & Young (EY). Leor is Chair of industry body Managing Partners’ Forum Marketing and Strategy Committee, and Chair of the Metropolitan Police Safer Neighbourhoods, Canons Ward Panel.
Vanessa Knapp specialises in company law and corporate governance. She is a member of the EU expert group on company law and chairs the Company Law Committee of the Council of the Bars and Law Societies of the European Union. Most of her career was spent at Freshfields Bruckhaus Beringer LLP, where she was a Partner and later a Principal Consultant for 25 years. She is now a visiting professor in the Department of Law at Queen Mary University of London, a Special Advisor to the Corporate Governance Committee of Save the Children Association/Save the Children International, and a trustee of the London Symphony Chorus Endowment Fund. She was awarded an OBE for services to corporate law in 2007.
Ian Parkes is Chief Executive of the East London Business Alliance (ELBA). ELBA is a charity and membership organisation founded in 1989, to connect East London businesses and community partners and tackle issues of social mobility and community wellbeing. Ian is also a Director of London Works, a social business recruitment agency that reinvests its profits into employability initiatives across East London. Ian’s career spans the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, including serving as Chief Executive of AZTEC and Founder of SOA Development. He was involved with Coast to Capital LEP and Greater Brighton City Region’s devolution bid. Ian is strongly committed to helping children and young people meet their full potential, and has served as Chairman of Governors at an inner London primary school, and as Senior Governor at one of London’s largest secondary schools.
Noareen is Head of Middle East Distribution at Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), the UK’s largest asset manager. Noareen joined LGIM in January 2019 from J.P. Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM) where she spent nine years as a member of the Sovereigns Sales Group, working with central banks, sovereign wealth funds, government pension funds and other official institutions focused specifically on the Middle East. Prior to this, she held a number of positions of responsibility at JPMAM in London, after beginning her career there in 2007. Noareen has over 15 years’ experience in the asset management industry working with institutional clients across both public and private markets. Noareen holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management (First Class Honours) from Queen Mary, University of London.
Sandeep Saib is a qualified marketer with over a decade of experience working in various sectors, including legal, education, charity, environmental consultancy and mobile advertising. Sandeep is currently working at CMS as their Senior Business Development Executive.
Following her personal lived experience of Anorexia Nervosa, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and being a suicide survivor, Sandeep has become a proud and life-long devotee to being a mental health advocate, philanthropist and public speaker within the area of mental health.
Sandeep sits on boards and volunteers for various UK and international mental health charities, and continues to undertake many worldwide media opportunities campaigning for better mental health for all. She featured in a documentary: ‘Breaking the Silence - The Angel and the Devil’ depicting her journey with her mental health, which has received worldwide recognition and featured in the IFFSA Toronto South Asian and Canberra Mental Health film festivals.
Payal Vasudeva is a seasoned Talent Practitioner and Management Consultant with experience working in leadership roles for global organisations. Payal is passionate about the future of HR and the changing workforce in the context of digital. She is a strong advocate for inclusion and diversity in organisations, and society at large.
She has served as an East London Business Alliance board trustee, and has been part of the Leadership Advisory Board on Gender for Business In The Community. Payal is also the founder of an education scholarship fund for underprivileged girls in India and is co-founding a not for profit to help youth from disadvantaged backgrounds to build life and leadership skills. She has been recognised externally as a Top 100 Ethnic Minority Leader by Empower and the FT in 2017 & 2018, FT & HERoes Champions of Women in Business 2017 and 2018, a Green Park Top 100 BAME Board Talent Index 2017, and a Top 10 Global Diversity Champion in 2015, 2016 and 2017 by the Global Diversity List. Payal holds an MSc in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management from the London School of Economics, and is a CIPD Fellow.