Industrial advisory board
The School of Computing and Communications’ Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) brings together a group of distinguished individuals with a commitment to the vision and goals of the School of Computing and Communications and the wider Open University.
The IAB is advisory to the School of Computing and Communications – spanning the range of School activity including, but not limited to, Curriculum, Research, External Engagement and Knowledge Exchange.
The Board’s mission is to provide support for the School by bringing an industrial and professional perspective to issues and challenges the School faces in the short to medium term.
The Board provides informed advice in support of the key decision makers within the School, and recommends networking opportunities and other involvement with appropriate external groups as opportunities arise.
The Board meets at least three times each year and members are appointed for a three-year term.
Board membership
| Chair: | |
| Gillian Arnold | President, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT |
| External Members: | |
| Mary Asante | CEO and founder of Maysante Consultancy Limited |
| Elizabeth Barr | Cisco Networking Academy UK & Ireland Lead |
| Sarah Burnett | Industry analyst and technology evangelist |
| Joanne Ferguson | Director, Collaboration Systems Business Operations, CME Group. Director, Software Northern Ireland |
| Dominic Hamon | Sr Staff SWE, Google |
| John McNamara | IBM Master Inventor |
| Rien Sach | CEO, Aptem |
| Tirath Virdee | Founder and CTO at Data Alchemy Limited. Co-Founder and CTO at DRE Digital Limited, NED at a number of companies |
| Dor Zakai | Sr. Director, Solutions Engineering (EMEA) Confluent |
| Internal Members: | |
| John Woodthorpe | Head of School, Computing and Communications |
| Advait Deshpande | Academic Lead to the IAB |
| Jill Shaw | Director of Teaching |
| Michael Bowkis | |
| Tamara Lopez | |
Gillian Arnold FBCS | ||
| Gillian is an award winning activist for women in technology, a published author and business leader working with companies to attract and retain more diverse teams in their technology and STEM workforces. With a long career in technology working for IBM, Gillian is currently president of the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. Areas of Expertise: Computing & IT; Ethics, Technology & Society Focus Areas: Enterprise & Knowledge Exchange activities; Equity, Diversity & Inclusion | |
Mary Asante FCIPD, FIoL, APHRi, CISM | ||
 | Mary Asante is the CEO and founder of Maysante Consultancy providing executive coaching, leadership training and development and business consulting services. She has over 20 years of industry experience in advising and coaching businesses on leadership development, people management, strategy needs, Information Security and Cyber Security Governance. Mary is also a director of HR Independents Ltd (HRi), the UK body for Independent HR and People Professionals. Mary is a Board Level Certified Senior Information Security and IT service management professional with extensive experience in providing Data Protection, Information Assurance and Cyber Security solutions for critical business systems. She is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and a member of ISACA. She is also an ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Information Security Management Systems lead auditor. Mary is a Chartered Fellow of CIPD, a Fellow member of The Institute of Leadership and Management, an accredited Platinum member of HRi and a licensed EBW (Emotions and Behaviours at Work) Partner and advanced facilitator. Mary is currently pursuing a Postgraduate Research in Cyber Engineering (PhD) at WMG, University of Warwick. Her research interests include the area of distributed ledger technologies, supply chain security management, industry 4.0, cyber resilience, data trustworthiness and related areas. Areas of Expertise: Cyber Security; Ethics, Technology & Society; Data Science Focus Areas: Enterprise & Knowledge Exchange activities; Equity, Diversity & Inclusion | |
Elizabeth Barr | ||
| Elizabeth leads the Cisco Networking Academy programme in the UK & Ireland. The Cisco Networking Academy is Cisco’s largest and longest running CSR programme, having reached over 20 million learners in 190 countries since programme inception in 1997. In her role, Elizabeth manages an ecosystem of 350+ organisations, including schools, charities, and prisons, to drive high performance standards and grow the programme by exploring untapped market opportunities. Elizabeth is passionate about making the tech industry a more diverse and inclusive space. She is a Board Member for Women of Cisco, where she leads the STEM outreach pillar, and previously sat of on the Board for the Global Women’s Leadership Programme at Bayes Business School. She also regularly volunteers on programmes that inspire students to pursue STEM subjects and careers and is spearheading a number of related initiatives through the Cisco Networking Academy. Elizabeth holds a BA in Modern Languages from Durham University and an MSc in Management from Bayes Business School. Prior to joining Cisco UKI in 2020, she held various Business Development roles in Barcelona, Paris, and Madrid. Areas of Expertise: Computing & IT; Cyber security; Educational Technologies Focus Areas: External Engagement; Equity, Diversity & Inclusion | |
Sarah Burnett BSc MSc FBCS | ||
 | Sarah Burnett FBCS is an internationally recognised industry analyst and author in the field of intelligent automation. Her thought-provoking book “The Autonomous Enterprise – Powered by AI” was published by BCS, the British Chartered Institute for IT, in February 2022 to wide acclaim. Sarah holds a number of roles including Chief Technology Evangelist at KYP.ai, a process intelligence technology company. Prior to that she was executive VP and distinguished analyst at the US-based industry analysis firm, Everest Group. Her previous roles have included software development in financial services, food manufacturing automation, and e-Government programme management. Sarah is a strong advocate for women in technology. She was chair of BCS Women, the women’s group of BCS, and founded and ran AI Accelerator for four years. The AI Accelerator was an internationally recognised programme focused on increasing diversity in the AI industry. Having ranked Sarah as one of the most influential women in the UK technology sector for many years, Computer Weekly added her to its Women in Technology Hall of Fame in 2021. Areas of Expertise: Computing & IT; Artificial Intelligence; Ethics, Technology & Society Focus Areas: Enterprise & Knowledge Exchange Activities; External Engagement | |
Joanne Ferguson B.Eng (Hons) | ||
| Jo is a Director in CME Group, where she runs Business Operations for the Belfast Office. Jo established an award winning Apprenticeship Program and is an active leader and board member in the local University Computing schools. As board co-sponsor for the Skills Working Group in Software Northern Ireland, Jo is passionate about supporting and developing work ready candidates for the software industry, by shaping relevant course content, and promoting career opportunities. Area of expertise: Computing & IT; Software Engineering Focus areas: Curriculum development (including Work-based learning and Employability); Enterprise & Knowledge Exchange activities | |
Dominic Hamon | ||
| Dominic Hamon is a seasoned Senior Staff Software Engineer at Google, where he has contributed for over 15 years. Based in London, he currently leads reporting and analytics for the Play Console, managing a team of 15+ engineers while ensuring rigorous privacy compliance with standards like GDPR and DMA. His extensive career spans infrastructure to user-facing products, with previous leadership roles at Twitter, LucasArts, and Electronic Arts. Beyond his corporate work, Dominic serves as the Board Chair for the Nivenly Foundation, promoting democratically-governed technical organizations. He is also a dedicated open-source maintainer and a patent holder in the field of user navigation and web representation. Dominic’s academic background is remarkably diverse, holding an MSci in Theoretical Physics, and an MA in Philosophy. He is currently further expanding his expertise through an MSc in Machine Learning and Data Science. Area of expertise: Software Engineering; Artificial Intelligence; Ethics, Technology & Society; Data Science Focus areas: Curriculum development (including Work-based learning and Employability); Equity, Diversity & Inclusion | |
John McNamara | ||
| John is an IBM Master Inventor, Honorary Professor, Research Fellow, Impact Fellow and currently leads IBM UK University Programs. John has a diverse background that includes consultancy, performance, service & product delivery, all of which is underpinned by a passion for innovation. John's work constructing a 'Thought Works' in collaboration with universities across the UK, has allowed him to use this experience to address both business and societal challenges utilising cutting edge AI. John has overseen the delivery of many cognitive cloud-based solutions and understands how to combine technologies to quickly provide value and spur innovation. John is an active inventor with an invention portfolio spanning mobile, A.I., messaging, integration and predictive analytics. Area of expertise: Computing & IT; Artificial Intelligence Focus areas: Curriculum development (including Work-based learning and Employability) | |
Rien Sach | ||
| Rien Sach is Chief Executive Officer at Aptem, a leading UK provider of apprenticeship management and employability software. As CEO, he sets the strategic direction of the business, overseeing growth, innovation, and operational performance, and supporting education and training providers in delivering high-quality learning and apprenticeship programmes supported by technology. Rien’s leadership approach is grounded in strategic clarity, product excellence, and a people-first culture. His academic background has shaped a rigorous, analytical approach to leadership, enabling him to align complex technology with the needs of learners, educators, employers, and policymakers. He is a strong advocate for education as a driver of social mobility and long-term economic impact. Prior to joining Aptem, Rien held senior leadership roles in global technology organisations, including WorkForce Software, where he played a key role in delivering scalable workforce management solutions for enterprise customers. Earlier in his career, he built deep expertise in software delivery and product development across a range of high-growth technology businesses. Rien is recognised for combining technical depth with strategic leadership, and for building organisations that place learning, innovation, and outcomes at the centre of their mission. Area of expertise: Software Engineering; Computing & IT; Educational Technologies Focus areas: School Development; Curriculum development (including Work based learning and Employability) | |
Tirath Virdee | ||
| Dr. Tirath Virdee is a physicist and engineer-mathematician specializing in the design of sovereign AI systems for high-consequence domains. As the Co-Founder and CTO of DRE Digital, he leads the development of DDX, a flagship intelligence platform that prioritizes architectural explainability and data sovereignty for sectors where decision-making must be both autonomous and auditable, including defense, national health, and critical infrastructure. His career spans leadership roles at Capita (Director, AI), Siemens (Director, Advanced Technology Group), and the UK Atomic Energy Authority, where he applied elegant, constrained solutions to complex physical and digital systems. Tirath holds a PhD in Engineering Mathematics from the University of Birmingham, where his research focused on stochastic differential equations and Gaussian Process Regression. Current research interests include Constitutional AI, Large Concept Models, and agentic autonomy. He is a permanent member of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on AI and Blockchain and has co-authored "Data Alchemy: The Genesis of Business Intelligence," exploring the intersection of neuroscience, data democratization, and neural networks. Area of expertise: Data Science; Ethics, Technology & Society; Artificial Intelligence; Computing & IT Focus areas: Research activities; Enterprise & Knowledge Exchange activities | |
Dor Zakai | ||
| Dor Zakai is the Senior Director of Solutions Engineering for EMEA at Confluent, where he leads a diverse team of technical professionals driving digital transformation across industries. With over 15 years of experience in technology leadership, Dor has built and scaled high-performing teams at VMware, NGINX, and F5, blending deep technical expertise with a clear sense of mission and execution. Dor’s career has been defined by his drive to create change, transforming how organizations think, build, and operate through the power of data in motion. He’s passionate about developing people and cultures that thrive under challenge, fostering collaboration between technical and business stakeholders, and turning strategy into measurable impact. As part of the Open University Industrial Advisory Board, Dor brings his experience in leadership, innovation, and talent development to help shape the next generation of computing and engineering education. Areas of Expertise: Computing & IT; Cyber Security; Networking & Communications Systems; Cloud, Web & Mobile Technologies Focus Areas: Enterprise & Knowledge Exchange Activities; External Engagement | |
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John Woodthorpe | ||
 | John is a senior lecturer who is Head of the School of Computing and Communications, prior to which he was Director of Teaching. He first worked for the Open University on residential Summer Schools in 1984 before becoming a part-time tutor on a range of Engineering, Technology, Computing and Arts modules. One of those modules regularly attracted 10-15,000 students per year and was the largest wholly-online module in the University. He took on a variety of consultancy roles with the OU's commercial and licensing activities, and supported groups of part-time tutors as the number of online modules and students increased. Most of this was while working as a materials scientist for the R&D centre of a multinational automotive and aerospace component manufacture. In 2004 he took up a full-time lectureship with the OU, working on the production and presentation of a range of new modules. From 2014 to 2019 he provided the link between the School's student support team and its curriculum, while the University made two major reorganisations of its student support activities. In that role, he increased the integration between the curriculum and student support areas, and improved that even further as Director of Teaching. He is no longer a part-time tutor for the OU, and so has a bit more time to spend with his ever-expanding collection of Raspberry Pi projects and grandchildren, and in listening to music, and playing bass guitar. | |
Advait Deshpande | ||
(Profile image not available) | Advait Deshpande is a lecturer in the School of Computing & Communications. Before joining the OU, Advait worked in policy research and advisory services, and ICT consulting. | |
Jill Shaw | ||
 | Jill Shaw is Director of Teaching in the School of Computing and Communications where she is currently Qualification Director for the OU’s new Artificial Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence degree. As an Associate Lecturer since 2002, rugby coach for teenage girls, and a member of BeatNDrum samba band where she plays trombone, Jill engages in numerous extra-curricular activities. | |
Michael Bowkis | ||
 | Michael is an experienced self-motivated senior business leader and consultant with significant and wide-ranging successes across industry, commerce, academia and H.M. Government. He has over 30 years’ experience delivering complex business strategies, developing and leading large cross-functional teams, and ultimately delivering substantial projects across diverse business areas. He has held high-level responsibilities as a strategy consultant to Microsoft in the USA and Europe for a $400+ million global business unit. Previously Michael was a senior Vice President for an international consulting organisation and was seconded as a CIO for two organisations where he was responsible for strategic and operational portfolios. He is recognised across industry and within government departments as having an enviable and substantial track-record within physical security and business leadership. He was invited as a member of the UK Government committee examining the future of the UK’s digital based economy. Michael is a confident, articulate communicator and influencer of high integrity able to motivate others and build trust exemplified by work with international ‘blue-chip’ companies, governments, and regulatory bodies. Latterly, Michael has constructed and delivered world-leading physical security solutions that have transformed the security landscape for international major events including the Olympic Games (London 2012), Commonwealth Games (2014), the aviation sector, military & government contracts and the largest global security technology companies. Michael is a Chartered Scientist, a Fellow of the BCS (The Chartered Institute for Information Technology), and a member of the Institute of Science and Technology. He is Staff Tutor within the School of Computing and Communications and the External and Public Engagement lead. | |
Tamara Lopez | ||
 | Tamara Lopez is a lecturer in the School of Computing & Communications. Her research investigates software engineering as a form of world-making, in which developers, like all people, create significant spaces with one another through shared activities, ideas, language and materials. Her research is applied to develop teaching materials for OU modules (currently: TM112, in development: TM113, TM253; prior: TM359), and she has produced a downloadable toolkit for exploring security culture in the workplace that has been been used in companies, universities and summer schools. Further information can be found at https://profiles.open.ac.uk/tamara-lopez. | |
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