Our team

Professor Colin Riordan CBE is the ACU's Secretary General and Chief Executive. He studied German at the University of Manchester, gaining his PhD from there in 1986. He was Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer in German at Swansea University from 1986 to 1998, when he moved to Newcastle University to become Professor of German. He became Head of the School of Modern Languages at Newcastle in 2001. After three years in that role, he was appointed as Faculty Dean of Postgraduate Studies, and a year later, in 2005, as Pro Vice-Chancellor and Provost of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. In October 2007 he became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Essex, before moving to Cardiff University in 2012, where he served as President and Vice Chancellor until August 2023.

Professor Riordan has undertaken numerous Board roles including on Universities UK, UCAS (twice), Advance HE, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (until May 2023), as Chair of UUKi, Chair of Universities Wales and as Chair of The Conversation. From 2021 to 2023 he was Chair of the IDP Connect Strategic Advisory Board. On 1 September 2023 he became Interim Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Caroline Harrison is Chief Finance Officer at the ACU. Before joining the ACU, Caroline worked as Director of Finance and Planning at Richmond, The American International University in London where her remit included facilities and estates, as well as finance. Prior to that, Caroline worked at Middlesex University, holding a number of senior positions before being appointed Director of Finance. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (ACMA).

Khairul Bashar is Director of Finance at the ACU. Khairul is responsible for financial planning, reporting and statutory accounts, ensuring the ACU complies with best practice in audit and risk and continues to meet our financial obligations. Khairul and his team also ensure our financial and audit integrity, helping the ACU make the right decisions today and for the future. Before joining the ACU, Khairul worked at the Education Development Trust, helping them improve their financial processes. Prior to that, he worked at the Lawn Tennis Association, where he gained experience managing all financial functions. 

Beth is Director of External Affairs, providing leadership to a multifunctional team responsible for ACU’s membership, events, communications, public affairs, policy and research. Beth leads the ACU’s advocacy efforts to secure recognition and support for higher education with governments, funders, and stakeholders across the Commonwealth, and is responsible for the ACU’s diverse global network of more than 400 member universities in over 40 countries. Before joining the ACU, Beth worked at University Alliance where she was Head of Communications and Public Affairs. Other higher education sector roles have included leading campaigns at Universities UK, policy and public affairs at Universities Wales, and an elected role at the European Students’ Union, where she led advocacy within the United Nations and UNESCO. Beth studied at Cardiff University, before being elected first as Deputy and then President of the National Union of Students (NUS) in Wales. She also holds a Masters in Education Policy and International Development from the University of Bristol. She is a lay trustee member of Cardiff University Council. 

Benjamin Fabunmi is Director of People and Culture at the ACU. He is responsible for delivering the people strategy including embedding structural and cultural changes, ways of working and the implementation of the equity, diversity and inclusion strategy with the aim of creating a high-performing and inclusive culture. Benjamin leads the strategic planning, execution, and reporting for the multiple functions within the People and Culture Directorate, including People, Office and Facilities, IT Systems and Compliance. He is a key advisor for organisation-wide changes and leads and embeds a culture of safeguarding. Benjamin has extensive experience in HR across the not-for-profit, public, and education sectors, where he has set up HR functions from inception. He is an experienced and qualified coach, mentor, and trainer. Benjamin is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Miranda Thomas is Director of Programmes and Business Development, responsible for the development and delivery of the ACU’s scholarship and capacity-strengthening programmes. These include Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships, Ocean Country Partnership Programme Scholarships and Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships as well as a portfolio of purpose-built initiatives which strengthen ACU member universities' capacity for education, research, and innovation. Before joining the ACU, Miranda led the External Affairs team at Universities UK International. Other higher education sector roles have included leading the Business Education and Skills Practice at PR consultancy Communications Management, and teams at Cass Business School (now Bayes Business School), City University of London, and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She started out in consumer PR, promoting everything from Girlguiding UK and the Economist to Clarins and Captain Birds Eye. Miranda studied Drama at the University of Exeter.