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Here is Karen’s story:

“My dad was an academic, at what are now the University of Hertfordshire, and Kingston University, so I was introduced to that world at a very young age. He was a brilliant mathematician and physicist. Having been tragically orphaned at the age of nine, he was apprenticed to the RAF aged 17 and worked on Spitfires and Lancaster bombers during the Second World War. He then lectured in aeronautical engineering, even though he never had a chance to go to university himself, and was both a real advocate for women's education and a huge influence on me. 

“As a teenager I had to have two major orthopaedic operations. Each time, I had to miss whole terms of school, couldn’t leave the house, and spend months learning to walk again. It was a tough time although it gave me a very determined attitude in life!

“I studied Anthropology at UCL, because I was, and remain, fascinated by seeking to understand why people do the things they do. Sadly, my graduation ceremony at the Albert Hall was cancelled - along with all the tube trains - due to a general strike, and was never rearranged! So it’s fantastic when I attend BNU’s graduation ceremonies and get to enjoy the celebrations vicariously.

“My graduation coincided with a recession which put paid to my plans to apply for policy roles in the civil service which had imposed a recruitment freeze. I’d always been interested in the environment, having joined the Friends of the Earth charity aged 14, and successfully applied to train as an Environmental Health Officer in the London Borough of Haringey, a very pressured area.

“The next six years were a real education about the circumstances in which some people were forced to live and I worked closely with landlords to improve housing standards. The importance of helping people who, for whatever reason, are unable to help themselves in life has stayed with me ever since, and still drives me now.

“My next move was to a Watford and my first management role, at a time when real concerns were being raised about the environment and sustainability. I had a truly inspirational boss who recognised my potential and told me to go and find out what local authorities could do to make an impact. I set up and ran the first Environment Unit in the country und created a network to share best practice around emerging work in energy conservation, recycling, pollution control and environmental auditing.

“It stood me in good stead and 4 years later I moved to my first director role when I was 35, moving from managing five, to 75 people, overnight. I was at least 20 years younger than anyone else on the management team, the only woman, and then I had a baby. During that time, I studied for a DMS in my own time. At times, it was quite a difficult situation but a very useful experience in standing up for myself as a woman in an extremely male dominated world. It helped me move on to lead a larger directorate of 200 staff, 5 years later, in Wokingham, when it first became a unitary authority. I spent five years leading a high profile department in charge of many areas including planning, engineering, building control, highways and transportation.

“I'm a great believer in hard work, but also in opportunities. When they come along, we can either wring our hands and say, ‘it all feels a bit too difficult’ or we can think ‘this looks really exciting, I’ll give it a go!’ When a chief executive role in Surrey came up, I decided to go for it.

“Both my children were under the age of five at the time and in the interview I was asked, in a rather embarrassed way, by a man on the panel if “I had my ‘domestic responsibilities’ ‘sorted out’. I confirmed they were and felt compelled to ask if all other candidates (who were all men) had been asked this question! I still got the job and spent five exciting years in the role before I was approached by head-hunters about the chief executive role at Wycombe District Council.

“My husband Peter and I had by chance moved to High Wycombe about 7 years previously, so not only was it a much larger role, responsible for many more staff and services to the public, with much larger budgets, I could make a real difference to my local area, and it was 5 minutes from home. I thought I’d spend a few years in that role but enjoyed the job so much I stayed for 14 years.

“Wycombe District Council covered the southern area of Bucks, including High Wycombe, Princes Risborough, Marlow and Hambleden. It’s an area of wealth with pockets of real deprivation and my role involved managing both urban and rural issues. Throughout my career in local government, I’ve been motivated by helping people to live the best lives they can and being ambitious for the people that my organisation served.

“I worked with a great team to create an innovative regeneration project that created a real legacy, improving facilities for local people and generating income to keep Council tax down which we achieved for seven consecutive years. In part, the £0.5bn regeneration project involved selling land for student accommodation to Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, which went on to become BNU, and marked the start of my association with the University and working alongside 4 of its Vice-Chancellors. We were delighted to approve planning for the University’s Gateway building and, to this day, its blue cladding attracts attention as an iconic building when people enter the town.” 

“My role covered a vast range of functions, from responding to an international terrorist incident in the town and working with government to develop Prevent, to acting as Returning Officer for 25 elections, to developing improved housebuilding numbers and the economy. It was a very challenging, but incredibly rewarding role.

“When all the councils in Bucks were abolished to create a unitary authority, I decided to retire from local government.  BNU’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Braisby asked if I would become a member of the University Council and I was delighted to join in 2020.

At the start of covid, I began volunteering, and retrained, as a Leadership and Executive Coach, working with senior leaders who were leading on the response to the pandemic in their areas. I now run my own coaching practice working with chief executives in all sectors and I work as a Technical Assessor with a number of recruiters of CEOs, across the UK and overseas. Assisting my clients to find ways through their issues is very rewarding and I feel truly invested in their success.

“I’m also a trustee with Citizens Advice Bureau because it’s important to me that I play my part in helping people who are in often in dire circumstances. And I’ve been proud to work with other great organisations including Community Impact Bucks and Heart of Bucks. Continuing to have a purpose matters to me, that’s what life is all about as far as I'm concerned. 

“I was appointed as Deputy Chair of the University Council in 2024 and, as with our chair, Maggie Galliers CBE, I have the dual perspective of having worked on the other side of the fence as a CEO and understand the pressures faced by executive teams. 

“As a Council, every member’s contribution is welcomed and respected and, although we may not always agree, we find constructive ways to get things done and support the University while also being its critical friend.

“I've always found it important to work in an organisation where I feel in tune with its values. And if I take something on, I want to do it well. That means doing my absolute best for BNU because it’s a very special place in which dedicated people provide a high-quality vocational education. 

“I love being part of the University and seeing the power of higher education in changing people's lives, and opening their eyes to different opportunities in the world.  I was one of the first in my family to go to university and it’s a privilege to see others succeeding on their own journeys.

“As chair of the Student Experience Committee from its inception, I really enjoyed working together with BNU colleagues and the Students’ Union’s elected officers to ensure BNU is a great place for our learners to realise their full potential. That’s what we’re all here for and I’m very proud to be part of BNU and its future.

“When I was young, I wanted to be an actress, but my parents advised me to get an education first. Although I performed at the Edinburgh Fringe during my student days, I had less time for my hobby over the years, but have recently started acting again and taken up singing which I never thought I could do! I think we all need to stay curious and keep learning new things.

“My Dad was right all those years ago because I’ve had a long and successful career helping to make a difference. Now I just need to get back to the Edinburgh Fringe!”