Professor John Latham CBE
Biography
John Latham is:
- Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Coventry University Group
- a Non-Executive Director for the NHS England Workforce Training and Education Committee
- an Independent Panel Member on the Advisory Assessment Panel for the Recruitment of members to NHS bodies
- a Director of the University Alliance mission group of universities
- a Member for the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) for the Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care System
Previously he worked for a number of private sector organisations including JHP Group, Jaguar Cars and BT. In 2015, he was awarded an Honorary Lifetime Fellowship of the British Computer Society for his services to the IT industry. He remains active in the IT space, currently as:
- an adviser to TechnologyOne, an Australian based software provider
- Chair of the Universities UK/JISC Software Negotiations and Strategy Group
John has held high-profile roles at regional, national and European levels promoting innovation, technology and economic development.
Additionally, John has held several ministerial appointments in the UK and overseas. He is currently:
- a Non-Executive Director for Qualification Wales
- an Advisory Panel Member to the Minister of Home Affairs of Singapore on the advisory board of the Home Team Academy
Previously he was a:
- member of the UK’s National Growth Board, which was responsible for the oversight of the UK’s European Structural Funds Programme
- Non-Executive Director of Health Education England (HEE), where he chaired the Audit and Risk Committee and following the transition of HEE to NHS England
- Non-Executive Director (then Council member) of Innovate UK where he also Chaired the Audit committee
- long-term adviser to the European Commission
John is an Extraordinary Professor in enterprise and entrepreneurship at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, where he additionally received an honorary doctorate for his services to UK higher education. In 2019, he was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours with a CBE for his services to higher education. In 2024, he received an honorary doctorate from the British University in Egypt for his services to international higher education.
Non-executive board member, Chair of Audit and Risk Assurance Committee
The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade’s (BIST) non-executives are senior figures from outside the department who bring a diverse mix of expertise and skills from across the public and private sector.
They all:
- give guidance and advice to BIST’s leaders and ministers
- support and challenge management on the department’s strategic direction
- provide support in monitoring and reviewing progress
Previous roles in government
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Non-executive board member, Chair of Audit and Risk Assurance Committee