Welcome the new Chair of the Alumni & Development Board

Henley alumni activities are guided and run by a number of volunteers who give up their time and energy to serve the global community.

Since it’s inception 9 years ago, the Alumni & Development Board has been led by Helen Gordon (MBA 1997). Helen’s career took her from nursing through to various senior leadership roles within the NHS, including running hospital trusts, and then leading professional bodies, becoming Chief Executive of the Science Council in 2019. She has recently taken up office as President of the Council; the University of Reading’s governing body.

Helen recently stepped down to focus on her role within the University, and I would like to pay tribute to her leadership and dedication to the whole alumni community. Helen has been a regular presence at our activities for many years, and remains an active and engaged alumna. We all have benefitted greatly from her involvement in alumni activities.

It is our great pleasure to introduce the new Chair of the Alumni & Development Board, Richard Boocock (MBA 1995). Richard comes from the industrial gas industry, and having recently retired from a C-Level role as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, has embarked on a second career as a consultant, mentor and independent board member. A strong believer in the transforming power of fair leadership, Richard brings a wealth of experience to the position and we look forward to benefitting from his direction.

Richard: It is a great honour to be asked to be the Chair of the Alumni & Development Board. For me, engagement with alumni is really a vital part of the lifeblood of any business school, especially in terms of remaining relevant and current. Keeping in contact with alumni as they continue their development and progress their careers is a way of providing feedback to the Business School regarding how well the school is doing, and what are the new issues and challenges that business leaders of today will face, enabling Henley to remain relevant in today’s world.

The Alumni & Development Board plays a key role in forming a linkage between business school and alumni, enabling two-way communication and engagement, as well as supporting the philosophy of lifelong learning. I think one of the things that is most important to me is maintaining a link with alumni that is thriving, one that reflects the demographics of Henley alumni all over the world.

If you have any questions about the governance of our alumni and development activities, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Equally if you would like to find out more about how you can play a role in shaping our activities in the future, please contact the alumni team.