Karen Stephenson

University Secretary

Karen Stephenson joined Birmingham City University in June 2016, as University Secretary and Clerk to the Board of Governors.

Karen is responsible for all matters of governance, legal, and statutory compliance and is the institutional lead for overseeing compliance with the Prevent Duty. In addition, she is a Director of a number of subsidiary companies.  Her portfolio includes BCU Corporate Governance; Legal Services; DPA/FOI; UKVI Compliance; Research Compliance; Health and Safety; Business Continuity and Insurance.

Karen is a qualified solicitor with particular expertise in higher education corporate governance and all issues that arise out of the institutional relationship with students. Before joining the University, Karen spent seven years as an external legal adviser in private practice advising over 35 Higher Education Institutions on issues involving corporate governance, strategic management (including faculty, department, and course restructuring) and Board matters. She also advised on all aspects of the student/University relationship and management of complex student litigation.

Before that, she spent 15 years at London South Bank University; nine years as the University Secretary and Principal Solicitor, and the previous six years as Course Leader and an Academic Lecturer in Law.

Karen studied Law at Staffordshire University and completed her MA in Environmental Law at De Montfort University, Leicester. Karen also has a PGCert in Charity Management from London South Bank University and is a CEDR Accredited Mediator.

She has written and published extensively on matters relating to Higher Education Management and student governance and is currently the AHUA Blog Champion for legal issues. Karen is a member of the Law Society and the AHUA (the Association of Heads of University Administration).