Executive Management Group

David joined BIMM in 2015 originally as Chief Finance Officer, before taking on the role of Chief Operating Officer. In 2023 David was promoted to CEO & Vice-Chancellor.

David has a degree in Business Administration from Cardiff University, is a qualified Chartered Accountant and spent 6 years with KPMG working with a variety of multinational and smaller private equity backed businesses.

In industry, David has worked with a number of regulated private equity-backed businesses in both Education and Pharmaceuticals.

Prof. Louise Jackson joined BIMM University in 2021 as Academic Director and Provost with over 15 years experience of learning and teaching in the higher education sector. She is responsible for the university’s academic regulation, quality assurance, learning and teaching enhancement, digital learning, and further education governance.

As a specialist in inclusive educational practice in the arts in higher education, she is a recognised and respected arts educator, researcher, and leader. Louise was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2013, the highest award for teaching in higher education in the UK. She has led on numerous projects to increase visibility and representation of underrepresented groups in the arts in higher education.

Fiona joined BIMM in April 2023 as our Interim Chief Financial Officer.

Fiona brings with her a wealth of experience in financial and management accounts and has held senior finance positions for over 20 years. Fiona has worked in various commerce and industry sectors including insurance, banking and logistics.

With 25 years of commercial and strategic experience across media and education, Mark’s professional expertise is broad and varied.

After a successful career as one of the Financial Times’ commercial directors, Mark has worked in the field of education for over 12 years. Before joining BIMM University, Mark served as the Managing Director for University Partnerships at Study Group and also ran Pearson South Africa’s higher education business, which included the running of their higher education institution. As Chief Executive Officer, he oversaw an institution with 12 campuses, over 9000 students and more than 1000 staff.

Mark has a Master’s degree from the Royal Holloway University London and holds a Doctorate from the University of Liverpool in International Higher Education.

David has spent 25 years championing the work of artists in the music industry.

Having graduated from Goldsmiths College, he started his career at the Ministry of Sound and went on to travel the world as a DJ and work as a label manager for independent producers.

He then joined EMI and went on to senior executive positions across creative, marketing and commercial functions, rising to Vice President of Global Campaigns.

After ten years, David moved to Universal Music, where he became Managing Director of the catalogue division, responsible for A&R, commerce and deal-making.

David has worked with an array of legendary artists and brings with him a deep understanding of what it takes to make it in the modern music business.

David is also well known for his non-executive work supporting the use of music in the treatment of dementia and as a supporter of a number of educational trusts that promote learning in the community.

Dara joined BIMM in 2009 and played a major role in establishing BIMM Institute Dublin and our relationship with Technological University Dublin. She has excellent music industry contacts and a wide network, particularly in Ireland.

Before joining BIMM, Dara spent eight years in the fashion industry before moving into entertainment, events and music from 2003, when she established a record label with a distribution deal through Universal Music Ireland. During this time, Dara also produced two Irish theatre shows which toured in Europe and acted as manager for pop and classical artists.

Tony brings with him a wealth of experience, having most recently served as the Managing Director at TRG Arts, providing consultancy services to leading performing arts venues and producers across the UK and Europe. His extensive background started when studying Music at City University, London, and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, before beginning his career at the BBC where he produced some of the network’s most prestigious program strands, including the Proms, Live 8, and Cardiff Singer of the World.

Tony then spent nearly a decade with the Royal Opera House as Head of Broadcast & Distribution and Business Development Lead. During his tenure, he played a crucial role in growing the worldwide ROH Live Cinema Season, Opus Arte label, and World Ballet Day, working with some of the world’s most celebrated singers, dancers, creatives, and theatres.

Beyond his professional achievements, Tony is dedicated to giving back to the community. He currently serves as the Chair of the UK charity Music for All, where he helps disadvantaged individuals gain access to music-making opportunities. Additionally, he volunteers on the Advisory Board for Serious Events and serves as a Trustee for Hay Festival Global.

David joined BIMM in 2012 as Group Marketing Director, responsible for international development, marketing, branding and PR, and then he became our Employability & Product Development Director.

He is a strategy, marketing & business improvement specialist with over 20 years’ senior experience with organisations in Business Services, IT and Education in Europe, Asia and North America. He is a Net Promoter System (NPS) practitioner and has a degree in Social Policy from the University of Wales and an MBA.

Tom has over ten years of experience in youth and education marketing. As Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer, he is focused on how BIMM University engages with its customers at every point of their decision-making journey – from marketing to admissions to enrolment and everywhere in between. He first joined BIMM in 2016 as Head of Marketing before being promoted.

Prior to joining BIMM, Tom held senior digital marketing positions at Study Group International and TUI Travel. He also has a Communication Design degree from the University of Brighton.

Dawn joined BIMM in 2022 and is responsible for developing and delivering the HR strategy for the university. Dawn has worked in the People arena for over 20 years, the last 6 of which have been with private equity-backed organisations.

Dawn is experienced in recruitment, designing and delivering Learning and Development (L&D) strategies, designing and delivering reward and recognition programmes as well as business partnering.

As well as being our Director of Recruitment & Admissions, Julia is also a passionate and dedicated musician with extensive experience in the industry. She first joined BIMM as our Head of Admissions in 2006, and then went on to become College Principal of BIMM Institute London in 2014.

Julia has worked across a variety of music industry roles and has been a professional bassist for the last 23 years. She’s worked at record labels (including Island Records, Universal and Warner Music Group), in live bookings, radio presenting, tour management, media production (BBC) and has also set up her own indie record label, Prescriptions. Julia is also a graduate of the University of Sussex having studied psychology and holding a degree in media practice and theory.

Emma is passionate about social, product and organisational innovation. She has more than 10 years of experience leading strategy and product development projects for world-leading universities and early-stage start-ups, specialising in online and professional education.

Before joining BIMM University, Emma worked at King’s College London where she launched an executive education school for policymakers and was the Programme and Partnerships Director for King’s Business School’s B2B clients. Having started her career at a social mobility charity, she is committed to widening access to higher education and professional employment. Emma has a degree in social sciences (Economics & Management, Education and History) from Durham University.