What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I’m the new Pro Vice Chancellor for Education and Student Experience and I’ve been here 12 days!

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

Based on 12 days of work here, I’m not sure there is one…..

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

Ask me again in 3 years! There’s lots to do and exciting times are ahead in an HE environment which places a number of challenges at our door. What’s been great in these early days of my time here is getting to see and understand the phenomenal strengths and fantastic practice. This provides an amazing bedrock for future innovation. It’s going to be fun…

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

On day 12 of my time here, there’s undoubtedly more to come…. My proudest moment to date was visiting the open day with my family and them seeing the passion and knowledge of colleagues, students on display in an amazing setting, and then it sinking in that I’m part of this and I have something of value to give to our university. Very humbling.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I am an outdoors enthusiast – happiest when I’m under canvas, or in our campervan (affectionately called Ruby). I love trail running, walking, surfing, paddleboarding or anything that puts me on a board, or up a hill/ mountain. Ruby is a 1971 VW baywindow. I’m restoring her and so I also spend a fair bit of time swearing/ celebrating the wins. Its a long term project and a lot of fun….

What is your favourite quote?

I have a couple – its impossible to choose! ‘Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover’ Mark Twain. ‘Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.’ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, Chapter 1. ‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.’ Ferris Beuller

If you would like to feature in ‘5 Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Lilia Boukikova at L.Boukikova@lboro.ac.uk