ENSA Board of Directors

Dr Jenny Rees - Chair

Jenny has extensive senior level experience in higher education; her last permanent post was as Vice Principal (Academic Quality & Customer Service) at Edinburgh Napier University. Her subsequent career has been as an interim manager and consultant, working with universities and professional bodies in the UK and worldwide. She has served on and chaired a diversity of Boards. Until December 2020 she worked as interim Head of ENSA and, wanting to continue to support ENSA, applied successfully to become Chair of ENSA’s Trustee Board from January 2021. 

Dr Antonio Garcia, FRGS, CGeog - External Lay Director

Antonio is a senior manager in Scottish Government, Chief Digital Office within Social Security Scotland. Holding an MBA, and a professional project management qualification, he has led the delivery of a number of programmes, and projects, in national and international roles, including the UN, international NGOs, the civil service and the military; as well as working at the intersection of international peace, security, and education. He is a part-time tutor at the Open University; visiting lecturer at Durham University; and non-resident research fellow at Stellenbosch University.

Dr Ailsa Crum - External Lay Director

Dr Ailsa Crum is Director of Membership, Quality Enhancement & Standards at QAA. Her career has involved extensive student engagement including partnership working with sparqs. She established a student-led project as part of the national Enhancement Themes and speaks widely on the benefits of students as partners in national and institutional policy and practice.

Ailsa has a range of links inside and outside the UK including: the Academic Quality Agency for New Zealand Universities, the European Quality Audit Network, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and the University of Limerick. Outside work, Ailsa has a research interest in literary memoir and all forms of storytelling.

Erin Slater - External Lay Director

Erin is an RICS chartered project management surveyor and Fellow of APM, with experience working on higher education projects to create fit for purpose student facilities. Her career has also involved working on large healthcare, retail, residential and office projects.

Erin has a wealth of experience in project stakeholder, risk and financial management, along with leadership skills and the ability to think strategically, analysing situations in a logical manner. 

Erin is passionate about the student experience and the mentoring and training of students and graduates through their professional careers.

Isobel Hall - External Lay Director

Isobel has worked in Students' Unions in various roles over the past 5 years including being a twice elected Sabbatical Officer (President of Education and President of the Students' Union, Hull University Students' Union) and a staff member at a postgraduate specific Students' Union (Representation and Democracy Coordinator at York GSA).

Isobel has previously served on the QAA's Student Strategic Advisory Committee for two terms and is also the founder of ‘SUcan!’ - a training and consultancy agency designed to empower those working within Students’ Unions! Isobel also currently is studying for an MBA at the University of Lincoln part-time and runs a side business making handmade items.

Andy Houghton - External Lay Director

Andy founded WholeHearted in 2015 after spending 10 years with a premier business psychology consultancy. WholeHearted’s purpose is to deliver higher levels of business and individual performance by helping clients to create the conditions where they and the people they lead can truly be themselves at work.

Prior to his time in consulting, Andy enjoyed more than 15 years in senior HR and Talent roles with British Gas, Allied Domecq, RBS and, most recently, with Centrica as the HR Director of British Gas.  In these roles, he has been involved in significant organisational and individual transformation and led large scale change management programmes. He has lived in the UK and the USA and worked across Asia, Africa, Latin America and North America.

Andy has a BSc (Hons) degree from the University of Birmingham, an MSC from the University of London and a Certificate in Organisation Design from the University of Southern California. He is a member of Edinburgh Napier University’s Court and lives in Edinburgh with his wife and daughter.

Geou Akshil SK - Full-Time Officer, Director

Geou is one of ENSA's Full-Time Officers for session 2023/24. He is from India and studied Renewable Energy at Edinburgh Napier. He joined the Board in July 2023 and his current role is President for Societies & Community.

Opeyemi Akindehin - Full-Time Officer, Director

Opeyemi is one of ENSA's Full-Time Officers for session 2023/24. She studied a Masters in Environmental Sustainability at Edinburgh Napier. She joined the Board in July 2023 and her current role is Co-President for Education and Employability.

Ryan Cairns - Full-Time Officer, Director

Ryan is one of ENSA's Full-Time Officers for session 2023/24. He is from Edinburgh and studied Sport and Exercise Science at Edinburgh Napier. He joined the Board in July 2023 and his current role is President for Sport and Wellbeing.

Erin Johnston - Student Lay Director

Erin is currently studying a Masters Degree in Human Resources Management. She joined the ENSA Board of Directors as she felt that it would be a great opportunity to give back to the University, while also providing her with the opportunity to develop new skills that would benefit her in future employment.

Evan Eghan - Student Lay Director

Evan is an actor, director, producer and creative consultant with film credits spanning from feature films, short films, TV shows, TV Commercials and Music Videos.

Even is also the founder and executive director of Accra Indie Filmfest (AiF), an annual international short film festival based in Accra that typically focuses on showcasing and promoting independent, non-mainstream and often innovative films created by emerging filmmakers from all around the world. 

Evan is currently studying MSc Marketing with Festival and Event Management at Edinburgh Napier University and also serves as an International Student Ambassador.

He is from Ghana and loves everything packaged in any artistic format. Joining the ENSA board appealled to him as it offered the extensive opportunity to help contribute to students' wholistic experience through diversity and inclusivity.

Aswin Podimon - Student Lay Director

Aswin is an International Student from India. He made the decision to become part of the Board, recognizing it as a unique opportunity right out of high school.

He is currently pursuing a bachelor's in Computer Science and also is a Student Ambassador at the university.