The Students' Union is a registered charity representing the interests of over 38,000 students of UWE Bristol and running a variety of services and commercial outlets. The Board of Trustees acts on behalf of The Students’ Union with the ultimate responsibility for the strategic direction, financial well-being and reputation management of the organisation.
The Board of Trustees contains five elected President Trustees and two recruited Student Trustees, whose role is to ensure that all decisions are made with the best interests of students at heart and that The Students' Union at UWE is serving its members to the best of its ability.
The Board also has up to four external independent trustees, these are voluntary positions filled by people who have knowledge and experience in one or some of the following areas: finance, human resources, strategic development, fundraising & campaigning, business management and not for profit organisations.
Pronouns: They/Them
Type of Trustee: Elected Officer - SU President
Took office: July 2026
Due to leave: June 2027
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Pronouns: She/Her
Type of Trustee: Elected Officer - Vice-President Education
Type of Trustee: Elected Officer - Vice-President Community and Welfare
Type of Trustee: Elected Officer - Vice-President Sports and Health
Took office: July 2025
Pronouns: He/Him
Type of Trustee: Elected Officer - Vice-President Societies and Communication
Type of Trustee: Student
Took office: October 2024
Due to leave: October 2026
We will be seeking to appoint a student trustee who identifies as female in late summer/early autumn 2026
When we recruit for Student Trustees, this is advertised on The Students' Union at UWE Jobshop
Type of Trustee: External
Took office: June 2025
Due to leave: July 2029
Will is a communications, PR and marketing professional, with nearly 30 years of experience across four UK universities. He is currently the Director of External Relations at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, where he's responsible for marketing, the recruitment of both UK and international students, widening participation, press and public relations, staff and student communications, and development and alumni relations. Previously, he's worked with Bristol, Bath and Wolverhampton universities, as well as Avon & Somerset Police, and Bristol City Council.
Will's connections to Students' Unions stretch right back to when he was a student at Kingston. In his second year he volunteered to write band reviews for the Sabbatical Officer team, and before he knew it, was successfully elected as Editor of the Students' Union magazine! He spent a year and a half in this role, which gave him a taste for all things communications. After university he started his career as a journalist before moving into PR and marketing.
Will lives in Bristol and has always taken a keen interest in UWE and its successes, becoming a regular visitor over the years for various meetings and events. In his trustee role, Will has the opportunity to share his knowledge and experience to help the Students' Union provide the best possible support and service for its members. He's excited about taking on the role of an external independent trustee and looks forward to working with the elected officers and staff to actively contribute to ensuring that The Students' Union has a clear strategic direction that meets the needs of its members, and is focused on achieving these goals. With hard work, Will hopes to establish strong working relationships with a wide range of individuals and stakeholders to provide direction and support to colleagues and where necessary to seek and challenge information to reach decisions.
Took Office: June 2018
Due to leave: June 2030
Les has been a Trustee of The Students’ Union at UWE for over 8 years. He is the Chair of the CEO Management Committee and a member of the Finance and General Purposes Committee. Les used to work at UWE in Commercial Services and brings over 15 years experience working in Business Development, Operations, Public/Private Partnerships and Marcomms in the third sector across the Bristol and Bath region. He is a passionate supporter of UWE and a champion of the Students Union movement and organisation.
He currently works for Brewin Dolphin Investment Trust Managers, working nationally and based in Bath and London providing Investment and Financial Services to Charities and Third Sector organisations.
Les lives in the centre of Bath with his family and enjoys running, Bath Rugby and Glastonbury when he is not working! He also organises an annual Boules competition that involves over 200 teams and that has raised over £700,000 for Bath and regionally based charities.
Took Office: June 2025
Due to leave: June 2029
Ashish Sawhney, who more often goes by Ash, was born in India and spent the first half of his life there before moving to the UK to pursue higher education. Since then, he has built a life here, and currently leads Global Professional Services and Support for SAAS at Zebra Technologies. The role is much like running a business within a business, giving him broad exposure to what it takes to operate and grow an organisation. In addition to his professional work, Ash is also a trustee for a local charity called Can’t Sit Still.
Ash's core values: responsibility, authenticity, compassion, and integrity, are central to how he lives and works. Ash is married, based in Bristol, and a proud parent to a young daughter. In his spare time, he loves to travel and enjoys immersing himself in different cultures around the world.
Type of Trustee: External (person who identifies as female)
Took office:
Due to leave:
Tim is the CEO of The Students’ Union at UWE and the Secretary to the Board of Trustees. He joined the SU in 2015 and oversaw the restructure, rebrand and building move for the organisation into the current U block building on Frenchay campus.
Joining the Students’ Union sector in 2000 Tim has worked previous at senior management level at Loughborough Students’ Union and was a Trustee for the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).
Tim enjoys sport and has previously been an hockey international both as a player and as an umpire, most notably umpiring at the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malasysia, the European Cup Indoor and Outdoor in Vienna and London.