Professor Sharon Huttly

Sharon has over 40 years' experience working in Higher Education, 20 of which were as a member of the senior executive team at universities in London, Lancaster and Nottingham. Her leadership roles were initially focused on education and then expanded to include Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, through to her last – and broadest – role where she was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Nottingham Trent University until September 2024.

With a background in statistics and epidemiology, Sharon's analytical skills enable her to interpret different types of data and to use data wisely to inform action and to drive performance. Her academic research was principally concerned with child health and nutrition and she has worked extensively in South America, West Africa and Asia. In later roles she enjoyed the opportunity to connect more directly with local and regional agendas and found it rewarding to foster activities which benefit both students’ education and communities of different types.

Sharon is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, was a member of the national Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) panel (2017-2023) and has served on various national working groups and committees. She became a governor at Furness College in 2025 – following a merger in 2026, she is now a governor at the Blackpool & Fylde College Group. She also undertakes some HE consultancy work and is a local councillor in her home town of Carnforth.