Speaker, Facilitator & Contributors Biographies

At M25 Consortium’s Annual Conference 2026 – Sunshine through the rain: celebrating our successes

Keynote Biography
Martin Reid, Director of Library Services, House of Commons Library

Martin has been Director of Library Services in the House of Commons Library since 2019, leading a team of 50+ librarians and information professionals providing information resources and services to support both MPs and their staff and the Library’s highly valued research service.

He was previously Deputy Director and Head of Academic Services at the London School of Economics Library from 2012-2019, and before that was Law Librarian and Academic Support Manager for Arts, Humanities and Social & Historical Sciences at University College London from 1995. He studied History at Oxford University and has a MA in Library & Information Studies from Loughborough.

He is currently Secretary of IFLAPARL, the Library and Research Services for Parliaments section of IFLA, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

Speaker, Chair, Facilitator and Contributor Biographies

David Archer
Conference Chair

David Archer is Director of Library, Archive & Open Research Services at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and has worked in academic libraries for almost 30 years. Under David’s leadership LSHTM were winners of the THE Outstanding Library Team Award in 2023. Prior to his current role he was Head of the Library & Archives Service, and previously worked in a number of senior roles encompassing reader services and collections. David is co-chair of SCONUL’s Small or Specialist Institutions Forum, and Chair of the M25 Consortium of Academic Libraries.

Catherine Batson
Lightning Talk

Catherine Batson is Associate Director (Student Experience) in the Library at the University of Surrey. She has over 20 years’ experience at Surrey, working across multiple library teams. Catherine currently leads the development of services that enhance the student and researcher experience, with a focus on inclusion, engagement and innovation.

She has extensive experience in academic libraries, leading strategic projects to improve access to resources, create inclusive learning environments, and strengthen student engagement. Her work spans service design, space development, and the integration of digital tools to support learning, teaching and research.

Aanchal Bhatt
AM Presentation

Aanchal has worked at University College London (UCL) for seven years, initially as Learning and Development Manager for UCL Library Services and, more recently, for UCL LCCOS (Libraries, Culture, Collections and Open Science). In this role, she leads the design, sourcing, and delivery of learning and continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for LCCOS staff, ensuring provision is relevant, inclusive, and aligned with organisational priorities. She also organises and facilitates a wide range of CPD events that support both individual growth and collective capability building.

Aanchal currently serves as Chair of the LCCOS Staff Conference Organising Committee, where she oversees the planning and delivery of an annual conference that brings together up to 400 colleagues for a dynamic programme of professional development, knowledge sharing, and networking. In addition, she is an active member of the LCCOS Staff Training and Development Oversight Group, contributing to strategic decision-making around staff development initiatives.

She is deeply passionate about enabling the growth and development of others. Her career has consistently centred on this focus, spanning roles across higher and further education, local government initiatives, and the hospitality sector, where she has supported diverse audiences to learn, develop, and thrive.

Joanne Cawkwell
Lightning Talk

Joanne Cawkwell is a Library Assistant with Library & Learning Services at Kingston University, where she has supported staff and students for the past decade. She previously held roles at Brunel University, the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames’ public library service, and The British Museum.

With a strong interest in the arts, Joanne completed an MA in Arts Policy & Management at Birkbeck, University of London, in 2022. She lives in Epsom with her partner and enjoys crochet, visiting exhibitions, reading and podcasts.

Kate Cheney
AM Presentation

I have worked at UCL for 26 years, initially as a medical librarian and more recently as senior manager for the eleven libraries specialising in a particular field of study or practice, as well as our newest library site at UCL’s campus on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. I also chair the LCCOS Staff Training and Development Oversight Group which agrees the strategic direction for bespoke learning opportunities in the department, in the context of UCL’s institution-wide provision and the wider sector.

Camilla Churchill
Lightning Talks Facilitator

With over 16 years of experience in managing services and teams within the GLAM sector, Camilla Churchill brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and creativity to her role. Her background in Fine Art further enriches her professional journey, allowing her to navigate a variety of settings with ease.

Camilla is a member of the M25 steering committee and serves as an archive accreditation peer reviewer. Her involvement with the International Council of Museums highlights her commitment to the field, where she leverages her leadership and project management skills.

Camilla has been managing the BMA library and archive services since 2022. Under her leadership, member usage has significantly increased following a prolonged closure due to covid. She has successfully transitioned the service to an e-only strategy and established a professional archive that adheres to industry-recognised standards. Her skills in strategy and policy development and implementation have been instrumental in these achievements.

James Cook

James Cook has worked at Senate House Library (formerly the University of London Library) since 1993, starting in what was then the Circulation Department before moving into space and collections management in 2000.

Since then he has led the team that manages the Library’s print collections of c.45km of stock and open and closed access library space in both Senate House and the Library’s offsite store.

Dr Andy Cope
Closing Speaker

Andy is a keynote speaker, best-selling author and ‘recovering academic’. A regular on radio and TV, he specialises in positive psychology and the science of human flourishing. The reward for grinding out his PhD is that Andy gets to call himself a Dr of Happiness.  

Andy’s mission is to change the narrative and re-focus psychology away from what’s wrong with people to what’s right. His messages act as a gentle nudge towards people taking charge of their own mental health.  Find out more here

Paul Johnson
Lightning Talks Facilitator

Paul Johnson is Director of Library and Learning Services at the University of Surrey in the UK, where he leads Library Services, incorporating Archives & Special Collections and Learning Development. Before taking up this role, he was Associate Director (Collections, Planning and Research) at the University of Reading, where he led on a £44 million-pound refurbishment of the university library and developed support for Open Research within the library.

Paul is currently a member of the M25 Consortium Steering Group, and a member of the LIBER Open Access working group.

Jessie McLean
Sustainability Group Update

Jessie McLean works in Open Research and Publishing at Buckinghamshire New University, where she is building open research and publishing services and supporting the development of open research culture. She is Co‑Chair of the M25 Consortium Sustainability Group and contributes to the development of the group’s Sustainability Toolkit. Drawing on an environmental background, Jessie has a specialist interest in embedding sustainability within librarianship and supporting resilient, future‑focused library practice.

Carly Ramirez-Herelle
Innovation Fund Update, Library Excellence Framework Resource

Carly Ramirez‑Herelle is the Head of Library and Academy Services at the University of Bedfordshire, a role she has held for almost five years. She has worked at the University for over 13 years in a variety of library roles, beginning as an Out of Hours Senior Information Assistant and later progressing to Learning Development, where she supported students with academic writing and study skills.

Carly previously served as Vice Chair of the Race Equality Network and continues to actively support network activity. She was a member of the Self‑Assessment Team that contributed to the University achieving the Bronze Race Equality Charter Award.

She has a strong professional interest in access, opportunity, and community engagement, and is passionate about innovation within her role. Carly enjoys working collaboratively with students to understand what they want and need from their library services.

She has co‑authored published articles on a major library development project and the Library Excellence Framework.

Jem Shackleford
Lunchtime mindfulness session

Jem is a mindfulness teacher, supervisor and teacher trainer. While living in Taiwan (2001-4) he became interested in meditation and began to explore more fully the benefits of mindfulness meditation for people who suffer from recurrent depression (himself included). Today, his practice is based in the secular tradition, with a particular interest in moving mindfulness ‘off the cushion’ and making a positive impact on society. 

He trained at Bangor University studying for an MSc in Mindfulness-based Interventions – completing in 2018. He has worked with the University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry, supporting the teachers and helping schools embed mindfulness and meet the various challenges they faced for large research study. At present he works for the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation teaching mindfulness courses online, for the Mindfulness Network and Mindfulness in Schools project training teachers to deliver mindfulness.

Jem also moderates the assessment of trainee mindfulness teachers for the NHS and is also a trustee of the British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA).