Our regional and special interest groups focus on the strategic and operational management of different campus and commercial services and are an excellent source of support, information, best practice and professional development.
Find out more and register for the next group meeting in our events calendar - these groups are open to all members.
Chair: Ian Spencer, Director of Residential Services, LSE.
Chair: Sarah Pay, Deputy Director of Operations, University of St Andrews.
Sarah has over 28 years of experience in the Higher Education sector, all at the University of St Andrews. Sarah began her career as a Trainee Manager after earning a degree in Hotel and Catering Management, progressing through various roles including Residential Services Manager of the university’s largest residence. She then served as Operations Manager for over 12 years, overseeing the management of 4,500 bedspaces, before being promoted to Deputy Director in 2024.
In her current role, Sarah leads the Residential and Catering Operations and Student Accommodation Service, also working closely with the Commercial team to deliver a successful summer programme and support events and catering throughout the year. With over 4500 beds and just over 10000 students there is a unique blend of entrant and returning undergraduate students as well as postgraduate taught and research students and a significant international cohort.
Previously, Sarah served as the ASRA Scottish Regional Representative for three years, stepping down in April following promotion to Deputy Director. During her tenure, Sarah was actively involved in the PBSA Review and several Scottish Government consultations, including the recent Housing Act proposals covering rent controls, notice periods, and a potential Student Accommodation Code for Scotland.
As Chair of the Scotland Regional Group, Sarah brings established relationships with key government stakeholders and a strong understanding of the policy landscape.
Chair: Danny Capewell, Accommodation Office Manager, The University of Sheffield.
Daniel is the Accommodation Office Manager at the University of Sheffield, responsible for the letting and administration of around 6,000 beds across the University’s accommodation portfolio. He also leads Smart Move Sheffield, a partnership service that supports students, landlords, and agents through property registration, accreditation, and best practice in the private rented sector.
With nearly two decades of experience across Higher Education, third sector, and private accommodation providers, Daniel has managed, mobilised, and advised on a diverse range of properties - from single studio conversions to 500+ bed PBSA developments.
A strong advocate for quality, inclusivity, and student experience, Daniel provides sector insight on allocation models, non-standard lettings, and specialist accommodation offers such as Quieter Living and LGBT+ accommodation. He plays an active role in several citywide partnerships, represents the University on regional housing and strategy groups, and serves as an Independent Code Verifier for Unipol Student Homes.
Passionate about professional development, Daniel is currently completing a Senior Leadership Apprenticeship, exploring culture, strategy, and innovation in Higher Education accommodation.
Chair: Laura Maclean, Head of Accommodation and Customer Services, Commercial Services, University of Kent
As Head of Accommodation, Sport and Wellbeing, Laura Maclean provides strategic leadership across student accommodation and sport services at the University of Kent’s Canterbury and Medway campuses. Laura drives initiatives that enhance the student experience while ensuring financial sustainability and operational excellence.
A passionate advocate for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, Laura champions inclusive practices in every aspect of service delivery—from creating welcoming and engaging residential environments to ensuring sport and wellbeing programmes are accessible to all. Her leadership focuses on balancing business objectives with student-centred values, ensuring that accommodation and sport services contribute positively to recruitment, retention, and wellbeing.
Co-Chair: Nicole Black, UCD Commercial Director
Nicole Black is currently serving as UCD's Commercial Director and CEO of UCD Global Ltd., bringing extensive experience in strategic planning, revenue growth, and senior stakeholder engagement. Previously the Executive Director of UCD Foundation and Director of Alumni, Nicole has spent over ten years at UCD, where she has developed a deep understanding of university institutions and a proven track record of driving business growth, launching innovative programs, and leading large teams to success. As a trained executive coach, Nicole also understands the importance of mentoring high-performing teams.
Nicole firmly believes in the vital role that universities play in shaping the future by fostering innovation, knowledge, and community, and the crucial importance campus services have in enhancing the overall university experience. From student accommodation to catering, conferencing, sports, and commercial activities, these services are integral to the success and well-being of the university community. As the new Chair of CUBO Ireland, Nicole looks forward to working with CUBO members to share best practices, engage in professional development, and drive positive change within Irish universities.
Co-Chair: Julie Tonge, Operations Manager UCD
Julie Tonge is currently an Operations Manager for UCD Estate Services with responsibility for overseeing the student engagement portfolio including the Student Residences and campus events. Julie is a higher education manager and student support specialist with over 16 years of experience in leading transformative student engagement and support initiatives. Her career is marked by a series of strategic roles at UCD, where she has excelled in building and managing high-performing teams dedicated to enhancing the student experience. Julie has made significant contributions at a national level through her involvement in key professional groups and boards and has played a pivotal role in shaping national policies and strategies. She is keen to learn from colleagues within the CUBO network and to share her insights.
Chair: Deirdre McIntyre, Director of Student Life, Bangor University.
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Andrew Howarth, Director of Residential Services, University of London
Chair: Michelle Christian BEM, Director Student Operations, University of Edinburgh
Michelle Christian has spent over 25 years in student housing, starting as a Vacation Assistant to progressing into leadership roles – including her current position as Director of Student Operations at The University of Edinburgh.
Working in a number of roles throughout her career has given Michelle a deep understanding of what truly makes a difference in student accommodation.
Michelle oversees one of the UK’s largest student housing portfolios, leading Residence Life, two campus nurseries and key areas such as portfolio development, soft FM, and safety management. An expert in Scottish housing regulation, legislation and standards, Michelle has played a key role in influencing housing reform and assessing the national impact of major sector-wide issues.
Beyond strategy, Michelle thrives on collaboration and problem-solving, bringing people together to drive meaningful change. She combines strong financial expertise with a proven ability to build networks, influence key decisions and foster partnerships at both an institutional and regional level.
At the core of it all, Michelle believes student housing is more than just a place to live—it plays a crucial role in shaping student experience, wellbeing and success.
Chair: Lesley McIvor, Contracts & Projects Manager, Solent University.
Lesley started her career in student accommodation at her alma mater, Southampton Solent University, where she has gained experience in service delivery and student engagement before moving on to working in estates and facilities and developing an interest in outsourced service models, especially catering.
In 2025 Lesley celebrated 20 years at Solent University, made even more special by her team winning the Excellence in Customer Service Award at the Solent Star Awards. Outside of work Lesley loves to spend time with family, go to concerts and travel, gaining fresh perspectives and immersing in new cultures.
Since 2022, Lesley has Chaired the CUBO Contract Catering Group special interest group, which focuses on outsourced catering services. In today’s higher education landscape, institutions are under pressure to deliver high-quality, cost-effective services while meeting evolving student expectations. Outsourced catering providers are key partners in that mission, and the group explores how to optimise these relationships, innovate delivery models, and respond to sector-wide challenges.
Chair: Helen Earwaker, Sales and Marketing Manager, Royal Holloway University of London.
Helen has 24 years’ experience in event management, sales, and marketing and has been at Royal Holloway for eleven years. Previously a New Business Sales Executive at the university, Helen now heads up a team of sales executives who arrange commercial events of all types, with specialisms in filming, language schools and residential conferences. Helen has longstanding relationships with clients from the academic, association, and corporate sectors, as well as with film producers and location managers. Helen is responsible for leading the team in working proactively to maximise commercial income for the university whilst meeting their client’s complex requirements.
Chair: Sarah Djuric, Residence Life Manager, University of Leeds
As an experienced professional in student affairs, Sarah currently serves as the Residence Life Manager at the University of Leeds, and acts as the Residence Life and Student Experience group chair with CUBO. She holds a Master's of Education with a specialisation in Student Affairs (2022), with the majority of her research focused on the impact of Residence Life Programmes, and Alcohol Harm Reduction. She has experience working for Residence Life Teams in Canada and the UK.
Her passion lies in fostering supportive and engaging residential communities for students. Beyond her professional roles, she enjoys outdoor activities such as camping, canoeing, and hiking. Since moving to Leeds, Sarah has embraced new experiences, including playing women's rugby and exploring the scenic landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales and the Peak District.
Sarah is committed to enhancing student experiences and well-being within university accommodations.
Chair: Helen Rutherford, Head of Campus Facilities Management, Staffordshire University.
Helen currently works as Head of Campus Facilities Management at Staffordshire University, and has responsibility for a wide range of staff and student facing services, including sustainability, waste, water, cleaning provision, porting, travel, transport and post services. She also leads the Estates and Commercial Services aspects of their onsite Graduation Awards seasons. As a member of IEMA, Helen is working towards chartership in the near future and broadening her facilities management knowledge.
She graduated from Newcastle University in 2008 with BSc Hons. in Environmental Biology and gained her MSc in Environmental Sustainability and Green Technologies from Keele University in 2013.
Helen has worked in a number of government bodies and HE institutions in environmental and sustainability roles and has first-hand experience of the changes in the sector in relation to our environment and our impact on both the local environment, but how this also impacts global aspects.
Helen is also Sustainability Lead for the CUBO executive committee, and as part of her role she hopes to provide a supportive community, harnessing the great work which is being done across the sector in relation to sustainability, capturing best practice and also create a sustainability strategy which is future focused, student focused and based on behaviour change and demonstrable improvements for the business and the local environment.
“We all know that change is needed to reduce our impact on the environment, but it needs to be easier to do the right thing, than continue to do what we’re doing!”
Chair: Sarah West, Head of Marketing, Communications & Experience, UCL.
Sarah is currently the Head of Marketing, Communications & Experience at UCL, a position she has held since 2021. She leads the strategic direction for student experience, marketing, and communications for the Campus Experience and Infrastructure team, which is within UCL’s Estates department. Sarah originally joined UCL in 2019, bringing with her a strong foundation in education marketing.
Her career began in Further Education at North Kent College (NKC), where she developed a passion for audience engagement. After earning the CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing, she transitioned into Higher Education, where she has since led a variety of impactful projects across student accommodation and the wider campus- each designed to enhance engagement and build brand loyalty.
Sarah is a strong advocate for embedding student, staff, and visitor experience into the heart of every initiative. Her collaborative approach has supported teams across Commercial, Accommodation, Capital Projects, Operations, and Data & Engagement, helping them deliver effective, audience-focused communications and solve complex challenges.
As Chair of the Marketing & Communications Group, Sarah is committed to fostering a culture of shared learning and best practice across institutions. She works closely with colleagues to raise the standard of communications, responding to the growing demand for more meaningful engagement and improved experiences from stakeholders.
Chair: Phil Steele, Director of Sport & Commercial Services, University of East Anglia.
As Director of the Sport and Commercial Services Division for UEA, Phil has responsibility for the delivery of services and business outputs in the areas of sport & physical activity, accommodation (both student residences and an independent hotel service), catering, retail, and nursery services. Most recently he is leading a project to cultivate the use of academic assets and programmes that can have a commercial impact across campus.
The purpose of his role is to ensure that UEA has a diverse range of commercial services that will make the campus an attractive place to live, work and study, as well as offering excellent experiences for the local community in our role as an anchor institution in Norwich.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Commercial leadership and management of resources
- Delivering services that support the experience and enhance future employability for our students
- Leadership of people and human resource management
- Contributing to the leadership of the University as a whole
- Leadership on specific themes and projects
Prior to joining the UEA Phil’s experience came from the commercial leisure market where he held several national and regional roles supporting business development and operational management for large-scale leisure operators.
Chair: David Berry, Head of Residences Royal Holloway University of London.
David Berry is a seasoned HE facilities management professional with over three decades of experience in the industry. Currently serving as the Head of Residences at Royal Holloway, University of London, David is responsible for the strategic and operational management of student accommodation services. His role involves leading a dedicated team to ensure the delivery of high-quality services that support the university strategy and to facilitate the students' ability to succeed academically and socially.
Prior to his current role, David was the Regional Director for the South East at UPP Residential Services Ltd, where he managed partnerships with multiple universities delivering the operation facilities management services.
David's career also includes work at the University of Southampton, SOAS, UCL and King’s College London predominantly in the management of student accommodation but also spanning postal services, security, and nursery services to deliver exceptional customer service and achieve financial targets.
As Chair of the Soft Facilities Management Group, David brings a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record of leadership and innovation.
