Leeds Beckett Students' Union is here
to make students' lives better!

Here at Leeds Beckett Students' Union (LBSU), that's exactly our mission - to improve the student experience for everyone studying at Leeds Beckett University. We're a non-profit organisation that's led by and for students. We provide a space for students to come together, support each other and fight for change!

Every year the student body elects leaders to represent the student voice not only within LBSU, but also in leadership spaces at the University, in Leeds and beyond. These leaders, made up of full-time and part-time Student Officers, form the Student Executive Committee. Together our Student Executive Committee, Senior Management Team and Board of Trustees lead the organisation and guide our strategic direction. A big team of staff and students are working behind the scenes to deliver our missions and make sure we're giving you the best support we can!

At Leeds Beckett Students' Union, our values are to be fun, welcoming, brave, sustainable, inclusive, and dynamic. We strive every day to embody these values!



How we work! decorative icon

Community organising is at the heart of what we do at LBSU. Each year our students vote for what campaigns they'd like us to focus on at our Student Assembly, and our leaders, staff and volunteers work together to deliver impactful campaigns to elevate your voice, bring the issues you voted for into the spotlight and make real change at Leeds Beckett. There's a whole team behind the scenes dedicated to supporting you and to delivering our goals! We work collaboratively to ensure that the student voice is heard at Beckett and beyond!  If you're interested in getting involved with the Students' Union or with some of our campaigns, you can find out more here. 

What we believe in! decorative icon

Community organising is our central theory of change.We believe that you have the power to shape the world and your community around you. Through community organising we want to equip you with the skills to come together to hold those in power to account and to drive meaningful change whether that’s on campus, across Leeds or beyond. By working together, we’ll empower our students to build positive relationships and to use their collective voice to fight for their community.


We follow the 5 steps to social change:

  • Organise: Build a team by bringing together diverse people from different backgrounds and organisations.

  • Listen: Unite people around the issues that matter by listening to each other and our communities to find out what is putting pressure on students.

  • Plan: Identify solutions and decide which actions to take to tackle the root cause of the problems facing our students on campus and across Leeds.

  • Act: Take action to hold those responsible to account.

  • Negotiate: Work with decision makers and partners, like Leeds City Council and Leeds Beckett University, to identify solutions together and make sure change is effective and sustainable.

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    By bringing our students together, we can create lasting change on campus and beyond that will positively impact our members. To find out more about the force behind community organising, head over to the Citizens UK’s webpage here. We’ve teamed up with them to help train student leaders and members of staff to empower our community to take back power and make meaningful change.

Meet our Leadership Team!decorative icon
 

Our Officer Team 26 - 27

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Grace Muzite
Undergraduate Officer
 

Grace is Leeds Beckett Students' Union's Undergraduate Officer for 2026 - 27.

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Mifrah Mujeeb Khan Deshmukh
Postgraduate Officer
 

Mifrah is Leeds Beckett Students' Union's Postgraduate Officer for 2026 - 27.

Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees

Stephen Dowson Chair of the Board & Lay Trustee
 

Stephen, also known as Dows, has worked in the charitable sector and Students' Unions for over 15 years, and for the last five years, he has been working in both the private and third sector helping to train and develop hundred's of people in skills around leadership, facilitation, public speaking and campaigning with his business Stand & Be Counted.

Racheal Johnson Lay Trustee
 

 

Louise Lapish Lay Trustee
 

Louise Lapish is a highly experienced Leadership and Management Trainer and Career Coach working across a broad range of sectors and clients globally. She creates inclusive programmes that enable people to perform at their best and feel empowered. She has also been a Trustee and Chair of the trustee sin the charity sector for many years and is excited to be joining LBSU at such an important time.

Paul Riley Lay Trustee
 

Paul Riley has over 30 years of experience in financial services and has served as Director of Treasury at Leeds Building Society since 2000. He holds a BA Hons in Industrial Economics from Coventry University (1992), AMCT, and DRP qualifications. Paul has been a trustee of the Leeds Building Society Staff Pension Scheme since 2008, chairing it since 2018, and joined the LBSU Board as a co-opted Trustee in October 2023. A Leeds native, he is also a season ticket holder at Leeds United.

Milli Yoki Co-opted Trustee
 

 

Kathryn MyhillUniversity Representative
 

 

Alex O'Brien
Committee Member
 

 

Grace Muzite
Undergraduate Officer
 

 

Mifrah Mujeeb Khan Deshmukh
Postgraduate Officer
 

 

Orighomisan Jekhine
Student Trustee
 

 

Faran Zulfiqar
Student Trustee & Student Community Organiser
 

 

Manan JainStudent Trustee & Student Community Organiser
 

Hi! I’m Manan Jain, a second-year Business and Management student from India at Leeds Beckett. I’m currently a Course Rep, Community Leader for the Business Strategy, Operations & Enterprise Students' Community, and a Student Community Organiser. I’ve worked in both the hospitality and retail sectors, and I enjoy singing, learning new skills, and connecting with others.

Senior Management Team

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Jacqui Short
Director of Resources & Operations
 

Jacqui Short is the Director of Resources & Operations at Leeds Beckett Students’ Union. She leads on key areas like Finance, HR, Governance and Digital, making sure everything behind the scenes runs smoothly so students and staff can thrive. Jacqui has a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Leeds and has spent much of her career in the education and non-profit sectors, where she’s developed a strong passion for supporting people and creating inclusive, empowering environments. Having lived in Leeds as a student, she’s proud to be part of a community that champions student voice and innovation. Outside of work, Jacqui loves being outdoors, skiing whenever she gets the chance, and spending time with her dog.

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Joanne Azam Director of Business Development and Communications
 

I am the Director of Business Development and Communications, and I am also the Deputy Chief Executive and I have worked for Leeds Beckett Students’ Union for 17 years and part of my role as Director of Business Development and Communications is Managing the Head of Venues, Head of Business Development and Head of Marketing and Communications. Within my directorate, I oversee all income generation, our food and drinks offer, our gigs, our merchandise as well as all our marketing and comms. I am also a member of the Senior Management Team and I deputise for the CEO when he is on leave.  I was a student at Leeds Beckett in 1997-2000 so it is lovely to now be working here and trying to make students lives better!

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Neil Mackenzie Chief Executive
 

Neil is the Chief Exec of the SU, he leads the staff team and works with the elected officers and the Board of Trustees to set the SU strategy, manage our finances, and lead the SU staff team. Neil joined LBSU in 2022 and has previously worked in Students’ Unions across the region, starting his career as an elected officer at Leeds University Union. He has a BA (hons) in Politics & Parliamentary Studies and an MA in Activism & Social Change, both from the University of Leeds. He is committed to improving the lives of students and building social capital within and beyond our University. Outside of work you can find him running the streets, footpaths and canals of Wakefield and Leeds, and following Sunderland AFC.

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John Goodwin Director of Organising & Influencing, Interim CEO
 

John has over 20 years’ experience in Students’ Union leadership, having been Students’ Union President at Huddersfield University, where he graduated, and has been at Leeds Beckett as a Senior Manager and Director for the last 11 years. Outside work, John has also been involved in local politics and has volunteered as a Trustee at Bradford College Students’ Union. As a result of the community organising work that John has led on introducing to the Students’ Union, he is also on the Leadership Team for the West Yorkshire Chapter of Citizens UK.

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