The three new directors who will lead the Facilities Directorate (FD) towards achieving the aims and ambitions of Our Way Ahead are all now in place, reporting to Ann Allen, Director of Campus innovation & Development.

Over the past few years, senior colleagues have retired or moved into other top-flight positions.

Ann has taken this opportunity to shape the service into a structure where people can more easily collaborate and learn, and will therefore be better placed to serve the needs of staff and students.

Ann Allen, Director of Campus Innovation & Development said: 

“The FD is key to enabling the University Strategy,” she says. “We bring together services that enable students and staff to thrive and succeed.

“We’ve got some hugely important initiatives to lead and deliver over the next few years, including the Net Zero by 2030 strand of the University’s Climate Plan, the ‘Campus Reimagined’ programme and the introduction of our People & Culture programme. These are core to our business plan and to the success of the University.

“I said earlier this year that I wanted to find talented, industry-leading professionals with bags of drive and imagination, and I am absolutely delighted with the appointments we’ve made. “

“This is a time of exciting change in the FD. The business plan gives us all a strategic focus and a clear sense of what success looks like, and that includes ensuring that we offer exceptional user experience and place people at the heart of everything we do.

“I can’t wait to continue this journey with everyone in our services including these exceptional colleagues.”

Gareth Hughes

Gareth Hughes, new Interim Director of Campus Innovation: Infrastructure, Construction & Delivery will be responsible for all campus infrastructure and construction, including the refurbishment and repositioning of a significant portfolio of buildings as part of Campus Reimagined. He will also lead on Net Zero delivery, working closely with Thom Cooper in Sustainability.

With extensive experience as a Director of Estates and Facilities including at Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Gareth has held pivotal roles overseeing capital projects. He was the Estates board representative for the construction and delivery of a £350M critical care hospital and project-managed the implementation of the Well-Being and Future Generation Act (Wales).

Jenny Wilson

The role of Director of Campus Innovation: Masterplanning, Asset Management & Sustainability will be fulfilled by Jenny Wilson.

Jenny was Investment Director for the investment property office at Imperial College London, responsible for the planning, development and asset management of their investment property estate. This comprises residential property, purpose-built student accommodation, and science & innovation assets in West London.  Her projects have included the rewilding of 22 acres of depleted grazing land and leading the masterplan for Imperial’s holdings at a major new development – One Portal Way.

Jenny will oversee and develop the campus masterplan, lead on all aspects of space and asset management, the University farm, and work closely with Thom Cooper on sustainability in relation to the campus and in a city-wide context.

Rob Wadsworth

Rob Wadsworth has been Interim Commercial Director and will continue to lead University-wide campus experience programmes, services and initiatives, working with faculties, Professional Services and Leeds University Union to develop strategies  for the curation of services across the campus that are delivered collaboratively.

He leads the People & Culture strand of the FD’s business plan. The ambition of this work is to develop and embed a culture that is shaped to support the FD in achieving its business plan and which responds to the Employee Engagement Survey for the FD.

With the departure of Ian Robertson on 13 October, Rob also now leads Residential Services, Catering & Hospitality, and Conferences & Events.