NOTABLE ALUMNI

Amanda Berry OBE

HND Business with Graphic Design, 1982

Amanda Berry joined the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in October 1998 as Director of Development and Events and became its Chief Executive in December 2000. She is widely acknowledged to have transformed the fortunes of the Academy in 2001 by bringing the date of its annual Film Awards ceremony ahead of the American Academy’s Oscars - a move that boosted BAFTA’s international profile. She was appointed Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Film Industry in 2009. In 2022 Amanda took up the position of CEO of The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Tim Brown CBE, Hon DCL

BA (Hons) Design for Industry, 1985

Tim Brown is Chief Executive of IDEO USA, one of the world’s leading design consultancies. Tim has earned numerous design awards and has exhibited work at the Axis Gallery in Tokyo, the Design Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He also advises senior executives and boards of global Fortune 100 companies and writes for the Harvard Business Review.

Naomi Chapelhow

BA (Hons) Politics, 2014

After leaving Northumbria University, Naomi worked for local MP Nigel Evans as a Parliamentary Researcher eventually being promoted to Senior European Security and Defence Policy Advisor to Prime Ministers, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, and former Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill. Naomi currently heads up a newly formed Engagement Improvement Team within the Home Office. As head of this team she chairs the Engagement Practitioners Network and leads robust and inclusive policy making.

Steve Cram CBE, Hon DCL

BA Sports Studies, 1983

As an athlete, Steve's career was forged alongside Coe and Ovett to form a period of unprecedented success in British athletics and since retiring has become one of the BBC’s most respected Presenters and Commentators. Steve’s many achievements include six Gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and the European and World Championships. Following an incredible season in 1983 Steve was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and in 1986 he was awarded an MBE. At the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, Steve returned from injury to take a Silver medal in the 1500m behind Sebastian Coe. The following year he broke World records in the 1500m, 2000m and Mile, all within 19 days; the latter lasting almost 9 years.

Lady Edwina Grosvenor

BSc (Hons) Criminology & Sociology, 2004

Lady Edwina Grosvenor is a criminologist and prison philanthropist who has dedicated her career to drive systematic change within the justice system. She is the daughter of the late 6th Duke of Westminster and is the sister of Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster.

Edwina is the founder and Chair of One Small Thing, an organisation that aims to redesign the justice system for women and their children. One Small Thing’s commitment to systemic change has inspired the development of Hope Street, a pioneering purpose-built trauma informed residential environment for women and children to have access to a range of specialist support. 

Edwina has been involved with The No Way Trust for over 16 years and is a founding investor and Ambassador of The Clink; a British charity that trains prisoners in the catering industry. In 2022, Edwina became a founding member of Global Philanthropic Advisory Board and was appointed Chair in February 2024. She is also Patron of Paladin, the country’s only national stalking advocacy service

Sir Jony Ive KBE

BA (Hons) Design for Industry, 1989

Sir Jony Ive KBE is a designer. He joined Apple in 1992 as Chief Design Officer, Jony was responsible for all hardware, user interface and packaging design, as well as the major architectural projects Apple Park and Apple retail stores. He led the design team for more than two decades, creating the iMac, PowerBook, MacBook, iBook, iPod, iPhone, iPad, AppleWatch, AirPods and HomePod. Co-founder Steve Jobs referred to Jony as his creative partner. He holds more than 14,000 patents worldwide, uniquely spanning both software and hardware design. Jony currently serves as Chancellor of the Royal College of Art and is frequently voted one of Britain’s most culturally influential figures. In 2019, Jony and long-time friend and collaborator Marc Newson gathered the creative collective LoveFrom, which includes Airbnb, Apple and Ferrari amongst its first collaborators.

Dr Tshering Lama

PhD Philosophy, 2012

Dr. Tshering Lama is the Executive Chairperson and Co-Founder of Idea Studio Nepal. This is a platform to encourage and empower entrepreneurs to solve social and economic issues faced by the country. He is also the Chief Enabler of LeadxNepal, a company which runs leadership journeys in Nepal and also runs related training, workshop, conferences and support. In 2015, Dr Lama was selected by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. He was also awarded with the first ever Lord Glenamara International Scholarship in recognition of his efforts in improving public health and the environment through volunteering initiatives.

Rob Law MBE

BA (Hons) Design for Industry, 2000

Rob Law MBE is the founder and CEO of Trunki the brand behind the much-loved ride-on suitcase for tots. From one of the most famous rejections on BBC Dragons’ Den in 2006, Law has successfully built a team who have pioneered a new retail category of children’s travel products, designing and creating a range of innovative solutions which help families on the go. Since Trunki launched in May 2006, the company has sold over 5 million suitcases in 100+ countries. Rob has just launched his memoire, '65 Roses and a Trunki: Defying the Odds in Life and Business'.

Stephen Miller MBE, Hon DCL

BSc (Hons) Business Information Systems, 2002

Stephen Miller is a world record holder and paralympic athlete, competing primarily in field athletics and the Club Throw. He represented Great Britain for over 15 years having competed in 5 Paralympic Games, 5 World Championships and 4 European Championships and won 26 international medals.

Ben Ridgway

BSc (Hons) Estate Management, 2008

Ben co-founded the Iamproperty group with fellow graduate, Jamie Cooke. He met Jamie at Northumbria University whilst studying for his degree in Estate Management. After working together at a local property business based in Newcastle, the idea of starting a white label outsourced property auction service was conceived in 2009. Ben has overseen Iamproperty's expansion from a primarily auction focused business into other markets such as conveyancing and compliance. His main role is to explore new opportunities and develop the business' digital strategy.

James Rowan

MSc Business Administration (Logistics & Supply Chain Management), 2014

James was appointed CEO at Dyson in 2017, he joined Dyson as Chief Operating Officer and board member in 2012. As COO, Jim managed all aspects of the core RDD and operational functions, ranging from research, supply chain and logistics to planning and manufacturing. In this time, James used his 20 years of experience from managing global operations in Research In Motion (BlackBerry) and Flextronics to lay the foundation for Dyson to future-proof itself. He was appointed CEO of Volvo Cars in March 2022.

Professor Andrea Siodmok, OBE, Hon DCL

BA (Hons) Design for Industry, 1995

Andrea is Dean of School of Design at RMIT University, Australia. She was Chief Impact Officer at the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), Service Director for Adult Social Care Transformation and Chief Designer at Cornwall Council and Deputy Director for Policy Innovation Unit at The Cabinet Office.  A trained industrial designer and formerly Chief Design Officer at the UK Design Council, Andrea is regarded as one of the UK’s foremost design thinkers.

Gordon Sumner (Sting) CBE, Hon DMus

Teaching Studies, 1973

Composer, singer-songwriter, actor, author and activist Sting was born in Newcastle, England before moving to London in 1977 to form The Police with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. The band released five studio albums, earned six GRAMMY Awards and two Brits, and was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. As one of the world’s most distinctive solo artists, Sting has received an additional 11 GRAMMY Awards, two Brits, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, four Oscar nominations, a TONY nomination, Billboard Magazine’s Century Award, and MusiCares 2004 Person of the Year. In 2003, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Cally Taylor

MSc Psychology, 1995

Cally Taylor or C.L. Taylor as she is more widely known is a nine times Sunday Times bestselling author of ten psychological thrillers. Her books have sold over two million copies in the UK alone and have been translated into over 30 languages. She started writing as a hobby, completing her first novel whilst working as a web developer and finishing the first draft in just four months.

Louise Trotter, Hon DCL

BA (Hons) Fashion, 1991

Sunderland-born Louise has held leadership roles at the likes of Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Jigsaw, Calvin Klein and Joseph, and is more recently working as Creative Director at Lacoste.

Professor Christopher Whitty KCB, FMedSci, Hon DSc

LLM Medical Law, 2005

Professor Chris Whitty is Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, the UK government’s Chief Medical Adviser and head of the public health profession. He also Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), with overall responsibility for the department’s research and development, including the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). He represents the UK on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization. Professor Whitty is a practising NHS Consultant Physician at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

Mark Wild

BSc (Hons) Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 1987

Mark has had more than 30 years leading complex and critical infrastructure. A chartered electrical engineer he started his career in the electricity sector, but the majority of his experience has been in transportation. He has had a long career in operating and building major transportation infrastructure. He is the former Managing Director of Westinghouse Signals and was the CEO of Public Transport Victoria. Mark has also been the Managing Director of London Underground and CEO of Crossrail, Europe’s largest infrastructure project. In 2022, Mark was appointed as CEO of SGN

Stewart Wingate

BEng (Hons) Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 1994

Stewart became the Chief Executive Officer at Gatwick Airport in December 2009. He began his career at Black and Decker, where he worked for 15 years as an Electrical Engineer, before transferring to airport management. Before joining Gatwick, he was the CEO of Budapest Airport and the Managing Director of London Stansted Airport.