Professor Barry Winn

Vice-Chancellor and President of Taylor's University

I have had the pleasure of working with Davide at two universities and have watched him develop as a leader in his profession over the subsequent years. He is a talented, well-educated and bilingual individual with a strong social conscience who brings quality, commitment and good humour to his work.

My first interaction with Dav was during his period as an International Officer at the University of Hull as I had responsibility for student recruitment. I travelled to Pakistan with him and received excellent support. He had a high level of performance and recruited significant numbers of students from Pakistan and India to the University. He was able to arrange meetings with government ministers, senior staff in ministries and business leaders. He arranged for me to give a key note address to a conference of Vice Chancellors in Islamabad on change management in higher education which helped raise the profile of the University of Hull in the region.

An opportunity in the Development and Alumni team opened up and I encouraged him to consider a change in career direction. He brought a fresh approach to the role and was able to build relationships with a range of important stake holders. He was prominent in the development of the Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE) and worked with Yorkshire Forward to attract £3.2 million. We held events at 10 Downing Street hosted by Cherie Blair (Booth), the House of Lords and had two visits by Archbishop Desmond Tutu (including a public lecture in Hull City Hal). Archbishop Tutu agreed to be the patron of WISE and supported our efforts to develop the Institute.

We were partners in the Clipper around the world race and hosted an event in Singapore funded by Yorkshire Forward that drew on our international alumni base. We also hosted a dinner for high profile alumni leading to a donation of £4 million for the purchase of a cyber-knife used in new cancer treatments. This interaction with the Clipper race would link to a later role at CatZero to support young people who were not in work, education or training in Hull.

Davide was also able to build relationships with individuals and secured an initial gift of £50K to name a lecture theatre followed by a £2 million donation from the Allam family to support medical research. This led to further support from the Allams for the medical school in excess of £7 million with a royal opening by HM the Queen. He identified an opportunity, developed the relationship, forged trust and delivered outcomes which were mutually beneficial to all parties. I was proud to be associated with his efforts.

He coordinated business dinners at Hull with senior members of the business community where we would have a high profile after dinner speaker to stimulate debate. This was a key factor in relationship building with the business community and led to gifts such as £2 million from Jack Brignall (Wykeland Group) for biomedical research laboratories. He was also instrumental in broadening the alumni base through the annual appeal which provided a longer-term approach to relationship building.

I worked with Davide again from approximately 2012 to 2015 at the University of Bradford where I was Deputy Vice Chancellor. He was able to make an immediate impact and refocused the Crocus Cancer Appeal to align with Yorkshire Cancer Research and raised £1m in one year. The appeal was high profile and very successful. He also secured £250K of scholarships from Sir Anwar Pervez to support international students. Again, he launched

an annual appeal to build long-term relationships with alumni. The annual appeals were successful as students volunteered to act as ambassadors. On the Crocus Cancer Appeal the students' union were mobilized to fund raise at a range of events including at check-outs in Morrisons. As a Bradford based company Morrisons were delighted to become a major supporter of the appeal.

Dav works well with staff and external stakeholders. He is highly regarded and trusted by externals as he conducts himself professionally and has a relaxed manner. His colleagues value his support and guidance and senior staff know he will fulfil his duties ethically. He has an innovative approach and is open to new ways of dealing with situations.

Davide has extensive experience across a number of sectors and has worked for the public good with charities and the arts. He is a dedicated and committed individual who works to high standards and is always willing to go the extra mile on projects. His external interactions have been successful as he takes a thoughtful and well-planned approach to engaging with partners and other stake holders. I wish him well in his new venture.