Purpose
The Delivery Board is advisory to the Chief Operating Officer. The board’s primary responsibilities are to monitor the progress and performance of the University’s project investment portfolio, including project delivery and benefits realisation.
Key Responsibilities
The Board supports the Chief Operating Officer to:
- Monitor portfolio delivery within agreed tolerances, escalating to Planning Board by exception
- Advise Planning Board on the impact of approving or stopping initiatives, ensuring recommendations enable limited resources to be managed effectively and efficiently
- Monitor benefits delivery and report institutional benefits realisation to Planning Board
- Review and portfolio-level risks, issues and dependencies
- Oversee project management standards and compliance, and provides assurance on this to the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee
- Recommend portfolio performance metrics to Planning Board that align with organisational KPIs
- Assess how change initiatives affect overall organisational performance
- Promote alignment in performance and portfolio reporting to support effective decision-making
- Consider how the conduct of its business could affect compliance with the University’s free-speech duties
Risk
The Board oversees risk by :
- Maintaining a thematic risk register and ensuring that key risks specific to the Board’s remit are identified and assessed
- Allocating appropriate ownership for managing each risk down to an acceptable level
- Regularly monitoring and reviewing the implementation and effectiveness of mitigation actions and controls
- If appropriate, escalating significant or emerging risks in a timely manner for consideration at an institutional level by UEB
Reporting Relationships
Delivery Board reports to UEB as follows:
- Quarterly reports are circulated to UEB for noting or discussion as required
- Minutes are made available to UEB
- Recommendations on projects and investments are made in writing to Planning Board as and when required
Delivery Board receives reports from Planning Board as follows:
- The chair of Delivery Board or delegated person will report to Delivery Board on matters arising at Planning Board as and when required
- Investment decisions made by Planning Board are communicated to Delivery Board in a timely manner
Delivery Board reports on Project Assurance as follows:
- Institutional project assurance update to UEB and the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee twice yearly
- Major project updates to Finance Committee periodically as required
- Capital project assurance matters to Infrastructure Working Group as required
Delivery Board receives reports from:
- Strategic Change Project Portfolio - quarterly
- Digital Project Portfolio - quarterly
- Campus Infrastructure Project Portfolio - quarterly
- Sustainability and Climate Action Steering Group - quarterly
- Space Management Group – quarterly
- Transport Working Group - quarterly
- Project and Programme Boards – by exception
Procedural Rules
Meeting frequency
The Board meets monthly, or as determined by the cycle of business. The focus of the meeting will rotate through the three major portfolios so that each is covered quarterly: Campus Infrastructure, Digital and Strategic Change projects.
Quorum
The quorum for meetings shall be one third of the membership
Decision Process
Primary: in-meeting by general agreement
Secondary: email outside meetings; requires 75% of membership to agree
Tertiary: by Chair’s action, to be reported to next meeting.
Any decisions taken outside a meeting will be reported to the next meeting. The Secretary shall be responsible for ensuring that decisions made are reported to the next meeting and for retaining an appropriate record.
Membership
Ex-Officio Members
- Kirsty Shaw, Chief Operating Officer (Chair)
- Ian Blenkharn,University Secretary and Registrar (Deputy Chair)
- Cassie Wilson, Representative of the Pro-Vice-Chancellors
- Steve Brammer, Representative of the Deans
- Martin Williams, Director of Finance
- Richard Brooks, Director of HR
- Gavin Edwards, Chief Digital Officer
- Kirsty Grainger, Director of Research and Impact Services
- Dev Biddlecombe, Director of Campus Infrastructure
- Richard Jackson, Director of Sustainability and Space Management
- Jane Loveys, Director of Campus Services
- Sharon Street, Director of Planning, Performance & Strategic Change
- Laura Clapp, Deputy Director of Planning, Performance & Strategic Change
- Lynn Li, Representative from Internal Communications
In Attendance
- Michelle Hale, Governance Partner (interim)
Ex Officio members are strongly encouraged to nominate a suitable alternate to represent them in the event of absence.
Other members may be co-opted or invited to attend for specific meetings at the discretion of the Board.
Meeting dates and paper deadlines
A full schedule of meeting dates for all committees can be accessed here
The following timescales normally apply:
- Paper submission deadline: Two weeks before the scheduled meeting date
- Circulation of agenda and papers: One week before the scheduled meeting date
Items for future meetings should be discussed with the Governance Partner as early as possible.
Version Information
These Terms of Reference are reviewed by the Board annually or more frequently as needed.
- Owner: Delivery Board
- Approver: University Executive Board
- Date of last approval : 3rd November 2026