Governance

Governance
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About
Governance
Professor
Bill Flanagan
Chair
Profile
Professor
Bill Flanagan
Chair
Bill Flanagan became the 14th president and vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta in July 2020. Born and raised in Alberta, he has been recognized for his transformative and entrepreneurial leadership. President Flanagan launched the largest and most ambitious program of academic and administrative restructuring ever undertaken by a Canadian university. With a vision for the
University of Alberta for Tomorrow (UAT)
, he set the goal of turning the university’s acute financial pressures into a strategic transformation, repositioning the U of A for long-term success.
With the creation of a new university-wide
operating model
, UAT dramatically enhanced the efficiency of administrative services by establishing shared service centres, introducing new technologies and reducing administrative costs by over $100 million annually. The establishment of
three new colleges
results in a more dynamic, agile and aligned academic structure.
As reflected in the university’s new strategic plan,
Shape 2023-2033
, the University of Alberta is now poised for ambitious enrolment growth and even greater research impact.
Prior to his appointment at the U of A, President Flanagan served as dean of law from 2005 to 2019 at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. Through his transformative vision during his tenure, he led major initiatives elevating the delivery of education in law: the establishment of the faculty’s PhD program; the founding of the Centre for Law in the Contemporary Workplace; a major expansion of the business law program; an online undergraduate Certificate in Law Program; an online Graduate Diploma in Legal Services Management, and a new online Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law.
Professor
Dawn Freshwater
Executive Director
Profile
Professor
Dawn Freshwater
Executive Director
Professor Freshwater took up the role of WUN Executive Director in February 2026.
She has worked in 3 world leading Universities, all of which have been members of WUN. Professor Freshwater served as Chair of the Partnership Board (2020-2022), plus two years as Vice-Chair, and hosted the WUN Annual General Meeting in 2018 during her tenure at the University of Western Australia. She also served as Chair, WUN Global Challenge Steering Group for Public Health and Understanding Cultures between 2014-2017 during her tenure as Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Leeds. She has been an active member of the WUN Partnership Board since 2017, and a member of the Steering Group since 2020. With over 15 years of personal engagement with WUN she has a keen interest in the evolution of the network and its future strategy and focus.
Professor Freshwater is a globally recognized leader in Higher Education. She became the University of Auckland’s first female Vice-Chancellor in March 2020, after serving at the University of Western Australia as Vice-Chancellor and Chair of the Go8 in Australia.  She has been Chair of the Asia Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Steering Committee, and Presidential Champion for the Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL), Deputy Chair of Research Australia, and Chair of Universities New Zealand Research Committee. Dawn has been elected to the Academia Europaea (MAE), is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland (FRCSI) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing (FRCN). She is listed in the top 2% of researchers in Stanford-Elsevier List 2024 in Public Health, Clinical Psychology and Nursing.
Partnership Board
The Partnership Board, comprised of the Presidents, Vice-Chancellors or Rectors of the member universities, is WUN's governing body. The Partnership Board establishes the mission of the network, and sets its strategic direction and priorities. The Board appoints the WUN secretariat and standing committees, and through them mobilizes WUN's programs and initiatives.
Professor Frank Bloomfield
Acting Vice-Chancellor
The University of Auckland
Professor Evelyn Welch
Vice-Chancellor
University of Bristol
Professor Mosa Moshabela
Vice-Chancellor
University of Cape Town
Professor Dennis Lo
Vice-Chancellor and President
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Steering Group
Professor Lisa Roberts
President and Vice Chancellor
University of Exeter
Vice-Chair
Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo
Vice-Chancellor
University of Ghana
Professor Carolyn Evans
Vice-Chancellor and President
Griffith University
Steering Group
Professor Frédéric Herman
Rector
University of Lausanne
Steering Group
Professor Shearer West
Vice-Chancellor and President
University of Leeds
Professor Dr Rianne Letschert
President
Maastricht University
Professor Piyamitr Sritara
President
Mahidol University
Steering Group
Professor Barnabas Nawangwe
Vice-Chancellor
Makerere University
Professor Alessandro Moreira
Rector
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Dr David Garza
President
Tecnológico de Monterrey
Professor Meng-Ru Shen
President
National Cheng Kung University
Professor Francis Petersen
Vice-Chancellor
University of Pretoria
Steering Group
Professor Deborah Terry
President and Vice-Chancellor
University of Queensland
Professor Sarah Mangelsdorf
President
University of Rochester
Professor Dr Martin Paul
Rector
Ruhr University Bochum
Professor Koen Lamberts
Vice-Chancellor
The University of Sheffield
Steering Group
Professor Andrew Parfitt
Vice-Chancellor and President
University of Technology Sydney
Professor Dr Kyosuke Nagata
President
University of Tsukuba
Steering Group
Professor Charlie Jeffery
Vice-Chancellor and President
University of York
Academic Advisory Group
Coordinators Group
Secretariat
Academic Advisory Group
The Academic Advisory Group is responsible for overseeing the academic portfolio of the network and advising the Partnership Board on strategic direction. It is made up senior university officials, usually at the level of Vice-President or Deputy Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for the research or internationalisation priorities of the member universities. It is the task of this group to draw the threads from individual member universities together to nurture a potent research agenda tackling issues of global importance.
Chair:
Professor Mai-Har Sham, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Members
Professor David Bressler, Vice President International & Enterprise, University of Alberta
Professor Frank Bloomfield, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), The University of Auckland
Professor Michele Acuto, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), University of Bristol
Professor Thokozani Majozi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Internationalisation, University of Cape Town
Professor Richard Follett, Vice President (Global Engagement), University of Exeter
Professor Felix Ankomah Asante, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Ghana
Ms Marnie Watson, Vice President (Global), Griffith University
Professor Estelle Doudet, Vice-Rector for Research, University of Lausanne
Professor Nick Plant, Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Research & Innovation, University of Leeds
Professor Dr Gaby Odekerken – Schröder,
Associate Dean for Internationalisation and Impact
, Maastricht University
Professor Nopraenue Sajjarax Dhirathiti, Vice President for Global Partnerships and University Council, Mahidol University
Professor Sarah Ssali, First  Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Makerere University
Professor Aziz Saliba, Dean of International Affairs, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Professor Neil Hernández-Gress, Director of Research, Tecnológico de Monterrey
Professor Shyy-Woei Chang, Executive Vice President, National Cheng Kung University
Professor BT (Sunil) Maharaj, Vice Principal: Research, Innovation and PG Education, University of Pretoria
Professor Sue Harrison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), University of Queensland
TBA, University of Rochester
Professor Dr Günther Meschke, Vice-Rector
for Research and Transfer, Ruhr University Bochum
Professor
Conchúr
Ó Brádaigh
, Vice-President and Head of Engineering, The University of Sheffield
Mr Innes Ireland, Acting Pro Vice Chancellor (Global Partnerships), University of Technology Sydney
Professor
Yasunori Endo, Vice-President and Executive Director for Research, University of Tsukuba
Professor Sarah Thompson,
Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research,
University of York
Coordinators Group
Each WUN member university appoints an administrator to manage the implementation of WUN programs on campus and to serve as the main contact point for network initiatives. This group shares information on collaborative opportunities and develops WUN’s research programs. Your local WUN Coordinator should be your first point of contact for information on WUN. Contact details for your WUN Coordinator can be found below and on the
WUN member pages
Chair:
Ms Danielle Bertrand, The University of Sheffield
Members
Ms Laura Intemann
, University of Alberta
Dr Addison Pan
, The University of Auckland
Ms Jo Brooks
, University of Bristol
Ms Ayanda Mthethwa
, University of Cape Town
Ms Shally Fan
, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Mr Peter Clack
, University of Exeter
Professor David Dodoo-Arhin
, University of Ghana
Ms Isis Kowaliauskas
, Griffith University
Dr Denis Dafflon
, University of Lausanne
Ms Siddeequah Azmi
, University of Leeds
Mr Jan Hupkens
, Maastricht University
Ms Tassanaporn Hongyon
, Mahidol University
Professor John Mango Magero
, Makerere University
Ms Flávia Souza
, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Ms Sofía
Villarreal
, Tecnológico de Monterrey
Ms Ellen Hsueh
, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU)
Ms June-Rose Ngcobo
, University of Pretoria
Ms Lisa Drew
, University of Queensland
Mrs Megan Bennett-Spears
,  University of Rochester
Ms Reena James
, Ruhr University Bochum
Ms Danielle Bertrand,
The University of Sheffield
Ms Ana Ruiz
, University of Technology Sydney
Dr Tohru Yamamori
, University of Tsukuba
Dr Sophie Turbutt
, University of York
Leadership
WUN is led and managed by the Executive Director and Secretariat team, which is responsible for implementing the network’s strategic plan on behalf of the Partnership Board.  Company secretarial and financial management services are provided by specialists from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, which is the registered office of the WUN Company.
Executive Director:
Professor Dawn Freshwater
Secretary-General:
Dr Mike Hasenmueller
Program Manager:
Dr Joy Lin
Administrative and Communications Assistant:
Ms Amirah Muhammad
Company Secretary:
Ms Helena Smith
Chair:
Professor Bill Flanagan, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Alberta
Vice-Chair:
Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor, University of Ghana
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WUN ECR Webinar – Measuring and Evaluating Research Impact
WUN AGM 2026: 20-22 May
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