HE Governance Career Journey: Katherine Wass
Name: Katherine Wass
Job title: Governance and Projects Officer
Institution: University of Bradford
What does your current role and remit encompass?
I’m part of a small Governance team and manage a portfolio of Committees across both academic and non-academic governance. Currently these include Senate, Audit Committee, Honorary Awards Committee, University Ethics Committee, and the University Assembly. I undertake the end-to-end support on these, working with the Chairs and key stakeholders to deal with any queries. When needed I provide assistance to the other Committees the team supports. I also get to work with colleagues in faculties helping them to improve governance support in their areas and developing their understanding of how the work they do has a wider impact. One of the things I enjoy most is that I get to work with people across the University as part of a supported team-based approach.
There is no such thing as best practice. There is just good practice waiting to be improved upon.
What does a typical day look like for you in your role?
I’m not sure there is any such thing as a typical day, that is part of the reason I enjoy the work we do. But today has included drafting ad checking committee papers so that circulation can be done for one of the committees in my portfolio, working with a new colleague to follow up actions from a meeting that happened last week, following up on queries that have arisen following a call for reports, and drafting an agenda for an upcoming meeting.
What is your previous work history?
I started out selling car and home insurance and had a brief stint working in the manufacturing sector. But most of my work history comes from 15 years working for a white label mortgage administration company, mostly in customer service relates roles starting in insurance and progressing via the Contact Centre to Training and Organisational Development. Across this time I was involved in a range of short term projects that provided me with the opportunity to learn new skills and perspectives. I dealt with customer complaints and issues, and developed volunteer-based community engagement for our offices across the UK. When not doing that, I provided support for colleagues undertaking sponsored professional and academic qualifications and delivered training for line managers. I have always enjoyed variety and learning new things, so this really ticked a lot of boxes for me. On leaving I decided I wanted a change of direction and ended up in a temporary admin role at the University of Bradford, this led me to an opportunity to become PA to the Dean of the Faculty of Health Studies which was a really active and varied role that I held for just over 5 years before making the move to governance.
What led you to a role in HE governance?
For me this was a happy accident. I was working as a PA to the Dean in one of our faculties and someone pointed the role out to me suggesting I should apply. I decided I had nothing to lose by trying, and the rest is history.
What sources / training / qualifications have most helped you in your HE governance role to date?
A lot of my learning comes from webinars, networks or forums and reading articles and newsletters, people sharing experiences so the people I work with have been completely priceless in terms of my development. In 2023 I attended the AHUA Governance Programme which was really interesting, and I hope to continue to apply some of the learning from this over the coming years. I am one of the founders of the Association of Higher Education Professionals (AHEP) Governance Special Interest Group which aims to help share good practice and create sense of community for AHEP members who have an interest in governance.
Which person has been particularly helpful / inspirational in your career to date and what did they do or say that was so helpful?
So hard to pick just one person, since joining the sector there have been a few but I would have to say the person who prodded me to apply for this job and ended up as a colleague for five years (and has now moved to a role in the NHS) has to be high up the list. She would hate me to name her so I will save her blushes for now. It’s not always one thing someone does that is helpful, sometimes it is just about being a trusted colleague and I have been very fortunate to have that in spades during my time at the University.
What role do you hope to move onto next and how will you go about preparing for it?
I have always found career planning a real challenge and have no specific role in mind at the moment. I do have a particular interest in Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) and continuous improvement, so I may look to specialise more and see what opportunities develop. In the meantime, I am changing my committee portfolio which will expose me to different aspects of the University and increase my profile. I will also be working on projects that will deliver improvements in our governance here in Bradford.
What is the best piece of advice you have received about HE governance?
I’m not sure this is specific to governance but perhaps the thing that sticks in my mind most is “there is no such thing as best practice. There is just good practice waiting to be improved upon”.
December 2023