Board of Directors
The Board of Directors provides leadership, strategic direction and scrutiny to enable the School to achieve its purpose of creating and supporting extraordinary graduates,
practitioners and work across fashion, design and arts. Its remit is set out within the Company Articles of Association and the Board’s Statement of Primary Responsibilities.
The Board of Directors is responsible for the overall management of the Company and consists of a combination of Executive and Independent, Non-Executive Directors.
All appointments to the Board of Directors and sub-committees is made through the Nominations Committee as required by the CUC Higher Education Code of
Governance.
Stefania Valenti
Managing Director Istituto Marangoni
A modern language graduate specialising in marketing and business communication with a Master’s from Sorbonne University, Stefania
Valenti has held top positions in major fashion brands throughout her career.
She was President of Marketing, Digital & Special Events and board member at Elite Model Management before making the leap to Group
CEO and taking the company global. She moved her career forward by stepping into the roles of Executive Vice President at La Perla,
General Manager at Msgm and CEO & General Manager at Les Hommes Group.
She joined Galileo Group when she was appointed Managing Director of Istituto Marangoni in November 2019.
Salvatore Sivari
Group Head of Finance
Salvatore Sivari graduated with a Master’s Degree in Economics and Management from Seconda Università di Napoli in 2007. He has
extensive prior experience in a variety of roles within the Financial, and Management and Control departments, in a variety of industries,
including retail, real estate, environment and education.
In June 2019, Salvatore was appointed as Group Head of Finance at Istituto Marangoni Group. In addition, he sits on the Boards of the
Istituto Marangoni Schools in Mumbai and Dubai, in addition to being a member of the Board of Directors of the Istituto Marangoni
London School.
Salvatore oversees the Finance, and Management and Control departments at Istituto Marangoni Headquarters and functionally coordinates
the finance departments within the IM Schools. He assists the organization with routine financial activities as well as the assessment of
potential new business ventures.
Valerie Berdah-Levy
School Director
Valerie is the School Director at Istituto Marangoni London. She first joined Istituto Marangoni in May 2013 having a long established
career in fashion education, including as Pedagogical Director and Head of ESMOD International Group. Prior to her current role as
School Director, Valerie was School Director of Istituto Marangoni Paris.
Valerie has a Master’s Degree in Business Law from Paris Dauphine University.
Adi Maoz-Cohen
Director of Education
Adi Maoz-Cohen, serving as the Director of Education at Istituto Marangoni London and previously at Istituto Marangoni Paris, brings various expertise to the field of higher education. With a focus on fostering academic excellence and strategic development, Adi has played a pivotal role in shaping educational programmes that meet the highest standards of quality and relevance.
Adi has led the development and validation of diverse degrees, certificate, and custom-designed programmes tailored to meet the needs of a wide range of student populations. Additionally, she has been instrumental in the recruitment, training, and professional development of faculty and staff, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
In addition to her contributions to higher education, Adi brings a wealth of industry experience as a Fashion Designer and consultant, collaborating with fashion brands and studios on various creative projects and design initiatives. This blend of academic and industry expertise enriches the educational experience for students, providing them with valuable insights and perspectives from the field.
Adi holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, a PG in Fashion Design Womenswear from Istituto Marangoni Paris and a BFA Cum laude in Fashion & Jewellery from Bezalel Academy of Art & Design.
Professor Mark Hunt
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Board of Directors
Mark is an Independent Higher Education Consultant working with a range of Higher Education providers across the UK and abroad, advising on educational policy,
management, governance, leadership and quality assurance systems. He has been in the past the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University for the Creative Arts, a post
he held for 15 years (until 2015).
Mark has pursued a career in education management and has held leadership and management positions in Higher Education for over 36 years [Including at UCA –
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Rector and Deputy Chief Executive, The Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College – Deputy Director, London Guildhall
University – Head of the Sir John Cass Faculty of Art & Design and Course Leader roles at Sunderland University and Rotherham College of Arts & Technology.
As well as being a Non-Executive Director of Istituto Marangoni, School of Fashion London, Mark is also a Non-Executive Director and Chair of BIMM University
Board Ltd, a Non-Executive Director of the London School of Design & Marketing [Chair of the Board of Directors], Non-Executive Director of Sotheby’s Institute of
Art [Chair of the Board of Governors] and Non-Executive Director of Laine Theatre Arts [Chair of the Board of Governors]. Mark was the inaugural Chair of the
Strood Academy based in Medway until 2018. He is also currently a member of the Trust for the Anglo Portuguese Free School based in London.
Mark has substantial experience as an academic developer in Art and Design, an experienced Quality Assurance Agency Auditor/Reviewer for England and Scotland,
including Collaborative Overseas Audit and Degree Awarding Powers. He is an experienced external examiner at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, within
the UK and overseas. Mark is also a non-local auditor appointed by the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Council [QAC] on behalf of the Hong Kong University Grants
Committee.
In 2002 he was awarded the title of Professor of Crafts Education and elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In 2015 the University for the Creative Arts
conferred the title of ‘Professor Emeritus’ in recognition of his distinguished contribution to the University.
Marta Rose Phillips OBE CA
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Finance and Resources Committee
Marta Phillips is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. She has over 40 years of finance experience and significant experience of the public
sector, having been a civil servant since1993, and a senior civil servant from 2000 until 2013. Her last appointment was as the Chief Executive of the Pensions
Advisory Service (2010 - 2013) having previously held the positions of Director of Compliance, and Director of Compliance and Resources at the National Lottery
Commission from 1999 to 2010. Prior to this she was Head of Finance, European Social Fund at the Department for Education and Skills from 1993 to 1999. Over
recent years Marta Phillips has developed a portfolio career and brings non-executive board experience to a number of organisations, including the Nursing and
Midwifery Council, the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster, the London Fire Brigade and MOPAC / Metropolitan Police Service. More recently
she chairs the London Fire Brigade’s Audit Committee and that of the Non-Ministerial Department for the State of Jersey. She is also a Council Member for the
University of Newcastle upon Tyne and a Court Member of Heriot Watt University and has a number of other commitments in the higher education sector.
Marta read BA (Hons) Economics and Accounting and MSc Computing Science at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. She was awarded an OBE in the 2006
New Year’s Honours List.
Dr Mark Eastwood
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee
Dr Mark Eastwood is an accomplished and results-driven Director of Internal Audit, specialising in creating new and improved
Internal Audit functions and teams through strong strategic and leadership skills. Mark has a prominent career marked with
consistent record of top work performance and achievements. He has proven his ability to quickly comprehend and communicate
complex situations and structures while promoting effective governance and positive change that improved productivity and
efficiency. Mark can steer and empower cross-functional teams to attain goals and shared visions. Mark has a Doctorate in Business
Administration (DBA) from Provident University.
Mark has extensive Board level governance experience and is a Non-Executive Director and Governor at the College of West
Anglia, based in Kings Lynn, where he sits on the Audit and Risk Committee. He is a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the
Audit and Risk Committee at Istituto Marangoni, a fashion university in London. He was a Non-Executive Director and Audit
Committee member for the University for the Creative Arts. Mark has been a Governor for Harrow College and Herts Regional
College and chairing the Audit Committee for both Colleges.