Pro-Chancellors

University Pro-Chancellor since 2015

Jaki has been one of the UK's leading female soul vocalists for over 30 years. Born in Birmingham, she joined UB40 as a backing vocalist. In 1983, she signed with EMI as a solo artist, releasing her first single, What's the Name of Your Game, in 1984. 

To date, Jaki has scored six UK top 10/20 singles and two top 5 singles in the US dance charts, including the Number 1 hit, Ain't Nobody. She achieved a Guinness World Record as the first Black British female solo artist to have six consecutive top 10/20 hits.

In 2009, Jaki's Gershwin and Soul concert with the BBC Big Band for Radio 2 received widespread acclaim. She has released numerous albums worldwide; in 2014, she released her highly anticipated studio album, For Sentimental Reasons.

Jaki was awarded an honorary degree for the University in 2013 for her services to music and the creative industries. She was inaugurated as a pro-chancellor in September 2015. 

University Pro-Chancellor since 2015

Anthony is Chief Executive Officer of the Regional West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust and East England Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

He started his ambulance service career in Essex in 1987 and qualified as an ambulance paramedic in 1990. He took up his current role in 2006.

In 2011, Anthony was decorated with the Order of St John. He was elected Chair of the Association of Air Ambulances and is lead for the National Ambulance Resilience Board. In January 2014, Anthony was announced as a recipient of the Queen's Ambulance Service Medal (QAM) within Her Majesty's New Year's Honours List.

On behalf of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, Anthony holds the National Portfolio for Emergency Planning, Response and Resilience. He is also the lead for Ambulance Service Olympic Planning and a Regional and National Cadre Gold Commander.

Anthony was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University in 2012. He was inaugurated as a pro-chancellor in September 2015.

University Pro-Chancellor since September 2014

Michael is the Chief Executive of ABRSM, the UK's largest music education body. Until 2014 he was the Chief Executive of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Prior to this, he was the Director of Culture at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport from 2008 until 2011. 

From 2001 to 2008, Michael held the post of the Chief Executive of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, and led the consortium of major arts organisations, which made a significant contribution to the City's successful year as European Capital of Culture and its legacy.

In 2006, he was seconded part-time from his post at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic to act as Associate Cultural Director of the Liverpool Culture Company, and assist with the planning of the cultural programme for 2008.

In the 1990s, Michael served as Chief Executive of the West Midlands Arts Board and subsequently, of the Heart of England Tourist Board, and led the chief officer groups of the regional agencies in both sectors in their negotiations with national government and agencies. He previously held a number of senior management, policy and research roles in arts funding and development, higher education and the European Parliament.

Michael has previously held a variety of voluntary posts in the arts and education, including Chairman of the Belgrade Theatre (Coventry) Trust, Vice Chairman of the Sheffield Crucible Theatre Trust, and Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts.

In November 2011, Michael received an honorary Doctorate of the University from Sheffield Hallam University for his contribution to the arts, culture and public service.

Michael was previously the Chair of the University's Board of Governors from 2009 until November 2014. He was appointed as a Pro-Chancellor in 2014. 

University Pro-Chancellor since September 2014

Stewart trained as an Accountant with the Birmingham firm of Farmiloe & Co.  In 1976 he moved into industry on completion of his final exams as Group Accountant. Stewart was appointed to the main Board of Hadley Industries Holding Ltd in 1978 taking responsibility for the commercial and financial development of the Group.  He completed the buy-out of the business from the Hadley family in April 2006 and is now the Group Chairman and Managing Director.  Hadley have grown from £1 million annual turnover in the mid 1970s to over £100 million annual turnover in 2012.  Growth has been primarily by product development, not acquisition and Hadley now have manufacturing plants in the Middle East, Far East and Europe and licensees throughout the world.

Stewart was awarded the C.B.E. in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June 2008 for services to industry in the West Midlands. He was appointed as Business in the Community's Regional Ambassador for the West Midlands by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, 2007. He was appointed High Sheriff of the West Midlands in 2012 and Deputy Lieutenant, West Midlands 2013. He is a Patron of The Prince's Trust.

Stewart was formerly a Governor of the University of Wolverhampton. He was inaugurated as a Pro-Chancellor in September 2014 for a term of office until 3rd July 2019. 

Jacqueline Anne Oatley MBE is a British sports presenter, hosting mostly football for ITV Sport and BBC Sport.

She is best known for being the first female commentator on BBC One's Match of the Day, which she went on to present in March 2015. She is an FA qualified football coach, a director of Women in Football and a married mother of two young children. She is also the UK's first female darts presenter, covering Professional Darts Corporation tournaments on ITV4 and the first female presenter of the BBC's flagship sports news radio show, Sports week, on BBC 5 Live. In August 2015, Oatley was named eighth most influential woman in sport by The Independent newspaper.

As well as Match of the Day, she has also fronted Final Score for the BBC and The Football League Show, completing the set of five broadcast roles on the show, and World Football Focus.

She is football and darts anchor for ITV Sport, hosting their live international events. She was a presenter of ITV's 2015 Africa Cup of Nations coverage and in 2014 anchored their FA Cup highlights programmes.

Oatley fronts the BBC's live women's football coverage; she has anchored the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, the 2013 UEFA Women's Championship and the BBC Women's Football Show. She is a studio guest pundit on TV2 in Norway.

Oatley was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting and diversity in sport. The award was recognition of her work behind the scenes championing the role of women working in football as well as women's football.

Her depth of knowledge, sense of fun and relaxed style has consistently placed her at the vanguard f sports broadcasting since becoming the first female commentator on British network radio in 2005.

Jacqui is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, ESPN and IMG (the Premier League’s worldwide television channel), specialising in football. She also reports or commentates on live football matches on a weekly basis for the BBC – alternating between Radio 5 Live and BBC1’s Final Score.

Ever at the cutting edge of sports broadcasting, Jacqui commentated for BBC 5 Live on several matches at the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa, in doing so completing a ‘full set’ of commentary medals, alongside television stints at Euro 2008, the Beijing Olympics and the London Olympics.

She regularly presents sports news on the BBC News Channel, BBC World and has recently fronted live England women’s football matches on BBC2. She is ESPN’s host of their FA Women’s Super League (FAWSL) Show and a guest pundit on the English Premier League for TV2 in Norway.

A keen sportswoman herself, it took a serious knee injury in 2000 to see Jacqui make the switch from a career in intellectual property rights management to sports broadcasting; culminating in the securing of a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism, to add to her BA Hons degree in German.

Aside from covering sports as varied as tennis, rugby league and MotoGP, she has also reported from the World Snooker Championship, the Open Golf Championship and Royal Ascot – not to mention a stint as the voice of TV classic, It’s A Knockout for BBC’s Sport Relief.

Oatley was born in Wolverhampton and brought up in Codsall South Staffs. She is a fan of Wolverhampton Wanderers. She attended the all-girls junior school, St Dominic's in Brewood, Staffordshire. Oatley passed her A-Levels at Wolverhampton Grammar School, and studied at University of Leeds, graduating with a degree in German in 1996. Oatley spent a year travelling the world, and then moved to London to work in intellectual property as a Sales and Marketing Manager, then Key Account Manager. While playing amateur football for Chiswick Ladies Football Club, Oatley sustained a dislocated knee cap and ruptured ligaments, which resulted in a reconstruction operation and ten months recovering on crutches. With further operations to follow, she was told she would no longer be able to play sport. That news prompted her decision to change career and train to become a journalist, with the aim of working in sport - particularly her beloved football.

She is a strong supporter of Wolverhampton and the Black Country, recently anchoring the Wolverhampton City Council regeneration video for MIPM.

Jacqui was awarded an Honorary Degree from the University in 2016 and has undertaken activities to support the University as an Honorary.

Sandra graduated from the University with her LLB in 1994. She is currently the joint managing director for UK and Europe of the international law firm DLA Piper, specialising in employment law. She offers strategic and commercial advice on business reorganisations, executive disputes, and employee relations, particularly relating to complex disciplinary and grievance matters. She has built up a reputation acting on high-level discrimination, and equality and diversity matters, and she is able to support clients on their complete employment law requirements.

She is passionate about social mobility and as such is Co-Chair of the Government's Social Mobility Commission. Its aims are to:

• promote social mobility in England
• provide, on request, advice to a Minister of the Crown about how to improve social mobility in England
• set out our views, in an annual report, on the progress made towards improving social mobility in the United Kingdom, which is then laid before Parliament.

Sandra is a distinguished alum, whose aims and values align very well to our values and aspirations as a University, to provide opportunity for all, encouraging social mobility and enabling all students to have the help and support their need to complete their studies with us and excel into the word of work.