Professor Sir Steve joined the Board on 1 April 2020 and has Chaired our Health & Safety Committee since July 2020. Relevant skills, experience and contribution A wealth of experience in the Higher Education sector, including as Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Exeter from 2002 to August 2020. President of Universities UK (UUK) (2009–2011), Chair of UCAS (2012– 2019), served on the Boards of UUK and the Russell Group, and was Chair of the UUK International Policy Network (2014–2020). Between 2007 and 2010, led for Higher Education on the Prime Minister’s National Council of Excellence in Education, providing advice to government. Sir Steve was knighted in 2011 for services to Higher Education locally and nationally. His Higher Education sector experience helps the Board navigate a changing Higher Education sector, particularly through the development of strong university partnerships. External appointments • Trustee for Fulbright Programme • UK Government International Education Champion • UK Government Special Representative to Saudi Arabia for Education • Member of the Board of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore Chris became Company Secretary and Group Legal Director in 2013. Relevant skills, experience and contribution Prior to Unite Students, Chris held General Counsel roles at GE, MTV Networks and other multinationals. He was previously an M&A/corporate and commercial lawyer at Clifford Chance and Baker McKenzie. Chris uses his general counsel and corporate/ commercial legal experience to ensure our corporate and risk governance is aligned with our business activity. External appointments • The West of England Friends Housing Society (Board Trustee) PROFESSOR SIR STEVE SMITH NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHRIS SZPOJNAROWICZ COMPANY SECRETARY N A R H Committee key Nomination Committee member Audit & Risk Committee member Remuneration Committee member N A R H Health & Safety Committee member Sustainability Committee member Committee chair S Angela joined the Board in August 2023 and became our Designated Non-Executive Director for Workforce Engagement in January 2025. Relevant skills, experience and contribution Angela works in the commercial television industry and has held senior executive roles at ITV including as Director of Unscripted UK television and is currently Head of Content at Disney+. Angela brings strong insights into the broader business community, government and key stakeholders through previous positions on the Boards of BusinessLDN and ITN. Her experience with younger audiences, particularly relating to wellbeing and safeguarding, she contributes to the Board’s better understanding of the needs, wants and behaviours of our customers. External appointments • The Walt Disney Company (Disney + EMEA), Head of Content ANGELA JAIN NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR N H THE UNITE GROUP PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2025 79