Tees Business Tees Business Issue 15 | Page 19

Serving the Teesside Business Community | 19 No Ordinary Jane Meet the university leader who’s fighting for women while battling cancer Professor Jane Turner enjoys one of the region’s most spectacular panoramic views from her town centre office atop Teesside University’s futuristic gold building, The Curve. E XC L U S I V E WORD S : A DA M STE E L PICTUR E S : C HR I S B OOT H W ith the Transporter Bridge and Cleveland Hills looming gloriously large on opposite sides of the horizon, Professor Jane Turner must surely enjoy one of the region’s most spectacular panoramic views from her town centre office atop Teesside University’s futuristic gold building, The Curve. It’s an appropriate vantage point for someone who has always aimed high and dreamed big – and Professor Turner is determined not to let cancer get in the way of her latest lofty goals. Teesside University’s gender champion and pro vice-chancellor for enterprise and business engagement is just over a year on from being awarded an OBE for excellence in her field. It's also now 12 months since she received the devastating news she had an advanced form of ovarian cancer. Despite ongoing treatment, Professor Turner is striving to raise the profile of women and celebrate the great things they are achieving in the Tees Valley’s burgeoning business climate – while trying to assemble role models and provide inspiration for the region’s younger women when it comes to the world of work. It’s a battle she wholeheartedly aims >>