Who leads our universities? Inside the recruitment of vice-chancellors

GatenbySanderson and Think Tank HEPI have collaborated on a new insight report, Who leads our universities? Inside the recruitment of vice-chancellors. GatenbySanderson’s Partner, Tessa Harrison and HEPI’s Josh Freeman, examine the career backgrounds of 153 university vice-chancellors.

Based on a new dataset of vice-chancellors from across the UK’s universities, a snapshot from February 2025, we explore tenure, previous roles and institutions, trends in gender balance and performance in university league tables, as well as setting out recommendations for recruiting vice-chancellors.

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Who leads our universities? Rethinking vice-chancellor recruitment

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