Speaker Biographies and Presentation outlines
M25 Consortium Annual Conference 2025: Shaping the Future
Keynote Biographies
Donna Lanclos
Donna Lanclos was born in the desert. She thought very carefully about the names she wanted to give her children and they in turn have very carefully thought about the names they want now that they have a choice in the matter. This is something she should have anticipated, as her parents still call her “Michelle.” Donna has very little patience for bullsh*t, despite her American heritage. She is an anthropologist in all things. Her love for shoes and cocktails has thus far not managed to get in the way of her work on leadership, academia, and digital and physical places and practices. She has lived on the prairies of North Dakota, the coast of California, and in the North Carolina foothills, as well as in the UK and Ireland. She is generally still happy to be here, wherever that is. You can find her on Bluesky and on Mastodon and also email her if you have specific things you want to talk about: donna.lanclos@gmail.com.
Lawrie Phipps
Lawrie Phipps was born in a place that was red by night and black by day: a childhood amongst relics and the slag, waste and debris of an industrial wasteland, much of which has now been “saved” in a West-Midlands “Living Museum”. A veteran who has crossed both polar circles, he did an Environmental Science degree late in life, but instead of saving the planet accidentally became an Academic Developer. He spends some of his free time traveling at no more than four miles per hour on the canals he once played around (and sometimes in) when he was a child. He has worked across technology, education, research and leadership for over 30 years. Both an enthusiast and a sceptic he likes to play with ideas across technology and how it impacts on practice. He cannot not notice birds. His favourite phrase is “Sláinte Mhaith”. He is harsh but fair. You can find him on Bluesky.
Speaker Biographies
Banji Adewumi MBE
AM Presentation One
Oyebanji Adewumi, known as Banji, is the Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Greenwich. She joined Greenwich after spending approximately three years at the University of Manchester where she led the development and implementation of the University’s three-year EDI strategy.
Prior to joining Higher Education, Banji worked in the NHS where her last position there was as Associate Director for Inclusion at Barts Health NHS Trust, a group of hospitals situated in east London.
With over 20 years’ experience of working in the public sector, she has successfully led projects aimed at embedding inclusive practice, as part of wider culture change programmes. She was recognised in the Queens New Year Honours List in 2022 for services to the NHS and diversity.
Banji describes herself as a visionary and self-motivated Inclusion practitioner.
Helen Rimmer
PM Parallel Session One
Helen Rimmer is a kindness and wellbeing coach and consultant, certified burnout coach, and founder of The Kind Brave Leader. With over 20 years of leadership experience in library and higher education, Helen has dedicated her career to transforming workplaces into spaces where kindness and wellbeing are the norm.
She holds certifications in strengths-based coaching, systemic team coaching, and a Postgraduate Certificate in the Psychology of Kindness and Wellbeing at Work. Helen combines these skills to empower professionals at every stage of their careers, helping them cultivate resilience, confidence, and thriving workplace cultures.
As the author of The Kind Librarian, Helen provides practical tools, coaching, and community support to library and information professionals striving to create kinder, safer, and more resilient workplaces. Her work includes the development of frameworks such as the KIND Framework (Know Your Intentions, Invite Dialogue, Navigate with Empathy, Drive Positive Action), designed to foster environments where people feel seen, valued, and supported.
Helen’s work is rooted in the belief that kindness is not simply being ‘nice’ but a powerful force for creating psychologically safe and empowering environments where both staff and users can thrive.
Find out more at: www.thekindbraveleader.co.uk
Jon Ray
AM Presentation Two
Jon Ray is the Environmental Sustainability Lead for Gardens, Libraries, and Museums (GLAM) at the University of Oxford. He has extensive experience in leading sustainability initiatives, with a recent focus on carbon reduction strategies, climate risk and adaptation, staff engagement and biodiversity net gain. Currently, Jon leads efforts to achieve carbon net zero and biodiversity net gain goals for the University’s gardens, libraries, and museums. Previously, as the Director of Environmental Sustainability at Wiley, Jon worked on the company’s Carbon Net Zero strategy, sustainable supply chain plans, and initiatives to engage staff in climate awareness.
Tim Wales
PM Parallel Session Two
Tim Wales is University Librarian at Cranfield University, United Kingdom. He has previously led libraries at Brunel University London, Rothamsted Research, the University of West London and London Business School. He completed his MSc in Information Science at City St George’s, University of London.
Tim has written on many professional topics since 2000, including information literacy, library strategy, business librarianship and library technologies and edited his first book Business School Libraries in the 21st Century in 2014. His most recent work is a chapter for Regina & Neil Everitt’s publication Privileged Spaces: Academic Libraries in University Estates Strategy which will inform his parallel session with Regina at this conference. He is a chartered member of CILIP, a fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and an editorial board member of the New Review of Academic Librarianship.
Presentation outlines
Will be added here soon