William H.

Founding an Accredited University

Manchester, England, United Kingdom

About

Our team has experience building, scaling and exiting companies, including transactions with FTSE 100 buyers and transaction values extending into the nine figures. Together, we bring more than 30 years’ senior UK higher education experience across organisations including QAA, UCAS, the Department for Education and KPMG. This is supported by practical international experience in university development and student recruitment across Europe, the US, Africa and South East Asia. We are now applying that experience to establishing a new university in the UK.

Experience

  • Co-Founder at The School of Innovation
    Mar 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 4 mos

    The School of Innovation team, comprising former directors from Minerva University, the London Interdisciplinary School, and Tomorrow University, has collectively founded four universities worldwide. The School of Innovation is set to become the world's first university dedicated to advancing innovation as a discipline. Founded in Manchester, UK, it will also be the first new independent university in the North of England since 1964. Students will learn from today’s pioneers, including Martin Eberhard (co-founder of Tesla), Marc Randolph (co-founder of Netflix), and Eric Ries (author of The Lean Startup). The School offers a skills-focused Master’s programme in Innovation, complemented by a comprehensive curriculum in personal and professional life skills, all delivered through evidence-based teaching methods.

  • The School of Medicine - Visiting Lecturer at Edge Hill University
    Apr 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 3 mos

    I teach my course “Medicine Beyond Boundaries: Leveraging Unique Life Experiences to Achieve Excellence.” Designed for medical students from disadvantaged backgrounds, this course highlights how their unique life experiences are not obstacles but assets in their journey to excellence in medicine. Drawing from my own experience in medicine, I provide guidance and support to help students embrace this mindset while optimising their learning and performance strategies.

  • Strategic Advisor at Student Minds
    Jun 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 1 mo

    Student Minds is the UK's student mental health charity with a clear vision: no student should be held back by their mental health. I joined Student Minds as a Strategic Advisor following the charity's acquisition of It Gets Brighter, where I served as a Trustee and led the acquisition process. This transition has empowered me to intensify my efforts in promoting mental health awareness and support for students. My primary focus is on advancing the Mental Health Charter, an initiative launched by Student Minds in 2019, which secured £400,000 in funding from the Office for Students (OfS) in 2024.

  • Managing Director at Charity Nest
    May 2019 - Apr 2023 · 4 yrs

  • Marketing Innovation Consultant at Self-employed
    Oct 2017 - Feb 2021 · 3 yrs 5 mos

    Highlights Include: