Lopa Patel MBE has been appointed a Council Member of The Open University (OU) which is the largest university in the UK by student population. It has a global reach through its network of alumni in over 157 countries, international partnerships and research. Council Members are responsible for overseeing the OU’s activities, determining its future direction and fostering an environment in which the University’s mission is achieved and the potential of all learners is maximised. The four new external OU Council Members Professor Paul Gray; Ceri Doyle, Lopa Patel and Tevin Tobun will serve for a period of four years.
Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the Council, Malcolm Sweeting, played a key role in the recruitment and said: “I am delighted to welcome our new Council members, who will bring a diversity of skills, talent and perspectives to the governance of The Open University. They join at a time where the world and society face significant challenges: but also at a time of exciting opportunities for the OU as it continues to deliver on its mission.”
On appointment, Lopa said “The OU’s mission of being ‘open to people, places, methods, and ideas’ particularly resonates with me as it’s at the heart of every successful institution. Now more than ever, the opportunities offered by the OU will make a real difference to people’s lives and I hope that I can provide the active support, guidance and challenge needed as a Council Member.
I am impressed with what the OU has achieved in its 50 year history; from the early days of broadcasting late night educational tv programmes on BBC2 to the multi-layered, interactive platforms of today, the Open University (OU) has become the largest university in the UK by student population with 168,000 students currently undertaking study and it has a significant global reach through a network of alumni in over 157 countries, international partnerships and research. I am awed by the fact the OU has around 27,000 disabled students; 1400 learners in prisons; 1800 apprenticeships as well as learners of all ages, races and gender, who have made the decision to study to change their lives.
To quote B B King ‘The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you’ and I hope that I can empower others to take up this exciting adventure.”
About the Open University
The Open University was established by Royal Charter on 23 April 1969 and celebrated its 50th birthday in 2019. It is the leading university for flexible, innovative teaching and world-leading research in the United Kingdom and in 157 countries worldwide. Uniquely placed to understand the needs of part-time students, combining their learning while earning, its innovative, award-winning distance teaching credentials have seen over 2 million students receive an education, otherwise denied to them at campus-based universities.
The University’s governing body is the Council. It is particularly concerned with the University’s overall strategy, finances, property and staff, and is supported by a number of subcommittees. The Council has the ultimate authority within the OU, but it has to respect the views of the Senate in academic matters.
The aim of governance at the University is to:
- ensure that there is a fit between the University’s vision and mission and its performance;
- ensure that the mission is translated into strategy, policies and plans that direct resources in an effective and accountable way; and
- monitor the performance of the University against those planned strategies and operational targets.
The underpinning principles of good governance are openness, inclusivity, integrity and accountability.
For further information visit http://www.open.ac.uk/
About Mrs Lopa Patel MBE DUniv
Lopa Patel MBE DUniv is a digital entrepreneur with experience of creating start-ups and transforming businesses through technology. The founder of two ventures in online media and a data-driven marketing consultancy, she is also the Chair of Diversity UK, an equality and inclusion charity; a Trustee of The Science Museum Group and a Non-Executive Director of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).
She has previously been a Trustee of education charity Raha International; a member of the DCMS BBC Charter Review Advisory Board; Deputy Chair of volunteering initiative, Sewa Day; a Board Member of social enterprise venture TSBC (The Small Business Consultancy); a Board Member of Tamasha Theatre Company and a Non-Executive Director of Becta (British Education Communications and Technology Agency), a Non-Departmental Public Body in the UK.
With a lifelong love of science and technology, she is an evangelist for STEM, innovation and bridging the skills gap in business. She has been recognised with accolades including an MBE for services to the creative industries; the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion and an Honorary Doctorate by The Open University, in recognition of her efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in science and technology.