Trustee Board
Guiding your union
Our Trustee Board monitors, guide and ultimately takes responsibility for the way that the students' union operates. Our trustees are made up of the full-time members of our elected Officer Team, appointed current students (or 'student trustees') and appointed external trustees who bring a wealth and breadth of experience.
Together, they help form the strategic direction of De Montfort Students' Union (DSU), ensuring we meet the needs of all of our members at De Montfort University (DMU).
Geoff Kershaw
SME and Large Corporates Professional
Chair of the Board
With over 25 years of experience working in SME’s and large corporates, Geoff brings a wealth of commercial, change management and leadership experience to the board. He has worked in the UK and internationally for Walgreen Boots Alliance (formerly The Boots Company), as part of the strategy development team at Barclays Bank and latterly as Managing Director or Thorntons Retail, part of the Ferrero UK Group.
Currently Geoff runs his own business as an SME mentor and consultant, he is co-founder of a Dubai based Retail and Wholesale business and a Non-Executive Director of The Retail Summer School Ltd.
Phil Gilks
Higher Education Professional
Phil has developed a career within the sector that spans both universities and students’ unions. Currently the Chief Executive of City University of London Students’ Union and the co-chair of the City, University of London Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team. Phil started his journey in students’ unions as a student staff member before being elected President of Brighton Students’ Union. He has since worked for the University of Chichester Students’ Union and both the students’ Union and University at Queen Mary University of London.
Phil has joined DSU as an External Trustee to give something back to the sector and help DSU in the next steps along its journey. Phil is particularly interested in supporting DSU to develop and implement its new strategy, ensuring future success.
Rita Bullivant
Director of IT & Change
Rita was born and grew up in Leicester, her educational life and a substantial part of her early career was also based in Leicester.
Currently she is (in a professional capacity) – Director IT & Change for the Melton Building Society and has spent her career working in a variety of industries and volunteer roles at strategic levels including CPRE Leicestershire and the City of Leicester Museums Trust and was a magistrate for over 20 years.
At home she is married with 2 daughters, a dog, cat and plenty of fish.
Beverley Shears
Beverley Shears was appointed as an independent governor in August 2020. She Chairs the People and Culture Committee and is a member of the Remuneration Committee.
Beverley’s career has seen her carrying out a number of leadership and HR-related roles, including Head of Customer Experience for the Olympic Delivery Authority, Director of Offender Management East Midlands at the National Offender Management Service, Group HR Director for the Ministry of Justice and Department of Constitutional Affairs, and Deputy Managing Director and HR Director for Stagecoach South West Trains Ltd. More recently, Beverley has founded her own change consultancy, Blue Amaranth Consultancy Ltd, which provides advice on coaching, service transformation, organisational development, and people engagement strategies.
Beverley has non-executive experience on the board of the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, the British Transport Police Authority, and the Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust.
Destiny Mazaiwana
BA(Hons) Interior Design
Destiny has previously served as an Academic Executive Officer at De Montfort Students’ Union, an experience that has significantly contributed to her personal and professional growth.
Now, as a Student Trustee, she is eager to give back to the community by ensuring that DSU remains a supportive, innovative, and inclusive environment for all students. Destiny is particularly interested in contributing to discussions around DSU’s financial health, student services, and strategic objectives to ensure that every decision made is in the best interest of DMU students.
Lemuella Masango
Architecture BA
Lemuella is a BA Architecture student with a heart for community and serving people. Grounded in her core values of loyalty, honesty, and communication, she’s passionate about representing the diverse voices that make up DSU.
With over five years of experience in youth leadership, she brings a strong sense of purpose, and direction to her role as a trustee. Lemuella is driven to help shape a innovative Students’ Union that goes beyond the traditional. One that is a place of belonging, counsel, and empowerment for all students.
Pravjoth Gill
MA Human Resources Management
Pravjoth is a MA Human Resources Management student who has previously served as Student Trustee and Vice President Equity and Inclusion at Birmingham City Student’s Union for 4 years, working to support students from liberation groups to represent student’s voices.
She has decided to be a Student Trustee at DSU is because she wants to use her trustee experiences to create impact on the direction of DSU, and representing student matters to make the Union as innovation and inclusive as possible!