Stuart was born in South Africa and she attended a dance school there.
[2] She was appointed to be Vice Chancellor at the University of Lincoln[3] in 2009 following on from David Chiddick.
Her research interests are life histories, social mobility, students and community development.
The company assists in choosing the head of the university's Engineering department.
Stuart is aware this is unusual, but she remembers South Africa where large companies were a more positive influence than the government.