Alexandra Hughes

Governor / Chair of the Board of Governors

Professor Alexandra Hughes has had an extensive career in higher education, having held senior management roles at the Universities of Kent and Birmingham. Her most recent HE role was Deputy Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement and Employability at the University of Westminster, from which she retired in 2024.

Alex is deeply committed to inclusion and access to education, especially for learners from non-traditional and disadvantaged backgrounds. This commitment was Alex’s primary motivation for becoming a governor at WAES.

The skills Alex brings to the role of governor reflect her substantial experience of strategic leadership. They include deep familiarity with higher education, global engagement and the employability agenda, as well as matters of equality, diversity and inclusion. She is currently involved in projects led by Westminster City Council that draw on these skills.

Between 2016 and 2021, Alex was a member of, and eventually Vice President of, the executive committee of the SGroup Universities in Europe network. Her post-retirement activities continue to sustain her engagement with European and international project work and the social mission of universities.

Alex’s interests include photography, travel and reading.