Alan Langlands appointed Vice-Chancellor at University of Leeds

25 March 2013

Sir Alan Langlands has been appointed to the post of Vice-Chancellor at the University of Leeds with effect from 1 October 2013 (note 1).

Alan will leave HEFCE on 30 September 2013, a few months before the end of his fixed-term contract. The HEFCE Chair, Tim Melville-Ross, and the Council will take immediate steps to appoint a successor and will ensure that interim arrangements are in place from 1 October 2013, if required.

Tim Melville-Ross said:

'Sir Alan has made an exceptional leadership contribution to HEFCE at a time of rapid change, ensuring that the Government's policy and funding reforms for higher education have been implemented effectively and in a way that protects the interests of students, the autonomy of universities, and the wider public interest. He will be greatly missed.'

Sir Alan said:

'I feel very privileged to be the next Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds, but I will miss HEFCE. I have the greatest respect for the staff at HEFCE – their commitment to excellence in higher education, research and knowledge exchange is essential to the future development of the sector and they have given me and the HEFCE Board unfailing support in recent years.

‘Over the next six months I will be working as normal in Bristol and London and intend to play to the final whistle, ensuring an effective handover to my successor. I have particularly enjoyed working with David Willetts and Tim Melville-Ross, and have greatly appreciated their support and wise counsel.'