Geoff Kershaw

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

Phil has built a career across both universities and students’ unions. Currently Chief Executive of City, University of London Students’ Union and Co-Chair of the University’s Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team, he began as a student staff member before being elected President of Brighton Students’ Union. He has since held roles at the University of Chichester Students’ Union and at 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

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

Appointed as an independent governor in August 2020. Beverley Chairs the People and Culture Committee and is a member of the Remuneration Committee.

Beverley has held senior leadership and HR roles across the public and private sectors, including the Olympic Delivery Authority, Ministry of Justice, and Stagecoach South West Trains. She now leads Blue Amaranth Consultancy Ltd and brings additional non-executive board experience from the NHS, British Transport Police Authority, and Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust.

Suzan

My name is Suzan, and I’m a Business Management student with a strong interest in leadership, governance, and student representation. Through balancing academic studies with part-time work, I have developed resilience, adaptability, empathy, and a strong sense of responsibility. Passionate about ensuring that students' voices are heard.

I applied for the Student Trustee role to contribute to strategic decision-making and help create a positive and inclusive student experience. I am committed to supporting the Students' Union's goals while bringing a thoughtful and student-focused perspective to the board.

Muhammad Razza

Muhammad Razza is a student at De Montfort University with a growing track record in student leadership, representation, and volunteering. As Student Council Chairman and Course Representative, he has gained experience in chairing discussions, supporting student voice, and approaching issues with fairness, responsibility, and accountability.

He is motivated by roles that require sound judgement, integrity, and a strong sense of stewardship. Muhammad is particularly keen to contribute in environments where oversight, representation, and strategic thinking are important, and where decisions must be made in the best interests of students and the wider organisation. He presents himself as dependable, thoughtful, and committed to making a meaningful contribution.

Precious Ikechukwu

Precious has experience spanning higher education, financial services and public-sector finance, with expertise in student engagement, governance, stakeholder management and project delivery. She previously worked with United Bank for Africa and the Corporate Affairs Commission before progressing into Higher Education.

Currently, Precious serves as Student Voice Leader - Academic Experience at De Montfort Students’ Union and Deputy Chair of its Trustee Board. She works with students, academic colleagues and senior University leaders to ensure student insight informs institutional decision-making. Her work includes the Student Feedback Loop, Improving Academic Support and Learning Without Barriers, as well as contributing to University boards and committees on academic quality, policy and the student experience.

Precious recently completed an MSc in Project Management at De Montfort University, strengthening her expertise in stakeholder engagement, risk and issue management, strategic planning and change delivery. Her professional interests centre on widening participation, student success, retention, belonging and institutional development within Higher Education. She is particularly interested in identifying emerging risks, reducing barriers to participation and using evidence to drive inclusive, measurable and sustainable improvement.

Aftab Sayed

Aftab is currently serving as the Student Voice Leader for Communities for the 2026/27 academic year at De Montfort Students’ Union. He is a third-year student studying BA (Hons) Advertising and Marketing Communications at De Montfort University. Alongside his studies, Aftab has held several leadership and volunteering roles across the university, including Chair of DMU Cricket Club and Captain of the Men’s 1st Team.

Aftab has represented DMU in Varsity competitions against the University of Leicester and has been actively involved in student sport as an Activator for cricket, badminton and volleyball. He has also been recognised through awards for his volunteering and contribution to DMU Sport.

This year, Aftab will focus on encouraging societies and sports clubs to give back through fundraising and community-impact activities, creating a more structured and inclusive pathway into sport, particularly for international and new students, and strengthening community engagement to support positive mental health and wellbeing. He also wants to ensure that students from all backgrounds feel represented, heard and able to find a community at DMU.

Badhri Sai Purnima Raj Durgapu

Badhri (he/him) is an MSc Computing graduate from De Montfort University, currently serving as Student Voice Leader for Employability at De Montfort Students’ Union. Badhri's work focuses on helping students build confidence, develop career-ready skills and access meaningful employment, placement and work experience opportunities.

Over the past year, Badhri worked closely with the Careers Team to deliver a series of employability workshops covering job searching, skills development, applications, interview preparation and UK career readiness. Badhri also worked to improve awareness of placements and career support through student engagement and targeted communications.

This year, Badhri is building on that work by focusing on placement and work experience awareness, delivering further employability workshops, and creating more opportunities for students to connect with alumni and develop professional networks.

Badhri is passionate about ensuring that employability support reflects student needs and helps students feel better prepared and more confident about their future careers.

Aamira Waghmar

Aamira is currently serving as the Student Voice Leader for International Experience at De Montfort Students’ Union. Originally from Daman, India, Aamira became a Student Voice Leader because she believed in the power of student voices to create a more inclusive and supportive university experience, especially for those who have travelled far from home.

Having experienced the challenges of adapting to a new culture and education system, Aamira is passionate about making sure no international student feels isolated or unheard. This year, Aamira wants to focus on clearer communication around fees and visas, building an International Student Representatives Network, and supporting more cultural and religious events across campus.

For Aamira, this role is about more than representation, it’s about taking action and creating a community where every international student feels heard, connected, supported and truly feels that DMU is their home away from home.

Dilpreet Kaur

Dilpreet Kaur is a Student Voice Leader for Inclusion and Wellbeing and a Student Governor at De Montfort University. Having completed two years of undergraduate study in BSc (Hons) Cyber Security, she is currently on a second gap year while continuing to contribute to the university community through student representation and governance.

Originally from Punjab, India, Dilpreet is passionate about creating an inclusive and supportive university experience. She believes that meaningful change begins with listening to students and turning their experiences into action.

Through her work in student voice, Dilpreet is focusing on issues including cost of living and student dignity, student safety, inclusion and representation and creating spaces where underrepresented students can share their experiences. She is particularly passionate about mental health and wellbeing and believes that taking small, purposeful steps can create lasting change.

Alongside her work in student leadership and governance, Dilpreet remains passionate about cybersecurity and the importance of creating safer spaces in an increasingly digital world.