Professor Niamh Downing joins LSBU Group as Chief Commercial Officer
LSBU Group is delighted to announce Professor Niamh Downing will be their Group Chief Commercial Officer. This role follows a reorganisation of the Group Executive following the departure of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor.
As Group Chief Commercial Officer, Professor Downing will lead portfolio and business development across London South Bank University, South Bank Colleges and South Bank Academies. She will have executive leadership for LSBU Group’s portfolio strategy, development and lifecycle management, including Academic Standards and Regulations, Marketing, Student Recruitment and Communications, Business Engagement, Employer Partnerships and Apprenticeships and Skills Provision.
Professor Downing is an accomplished strategic leader who has held a broad range of senior roles in higher education across business development, curriculum design, student experience and employer engagement. She is currently Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at Bournemouth University. Her previous senior roles have achieved improvements in the NSS and graduate outcomes, new apprenticeships for FTSE 100 companies and transnational education growth. She is well versed in partnership delivery with a proven reputation in collaborating with further education colleges, international providers, employers and business and the local community.
Niamh is a Professor of Environmental and Public Humanities, with UKRI-funded research as Principal and Co-Investigator.
Paul Kett, LSBU Group CEO and Vice-Chancellor, said: “I’m delighted Professor Downing is joining us. Niamh’s academic background, commercial achievements and leadership skills make her an ideal choice to oversee implementation of our Connecting strategy and align provision, student success, employer demand and long-term institutional growth.”
Commenting on her appointment, Professor Niamh Downing, said: “I'm excited to be joining LSBU Group at such a pivotal time. The connections across the University, colleges and academies puts LSBU Group in a unique position to shape education around what London’s employers, learners and communities actually need. I'm looking forward to working with colleagues across the Group to take the strategy forward.’
Niamh will be a member of the LSBU Group Executive and takes up the role later in the academic year.