Saxton Bampfylde Recruits Vice Chancellor and President for Loughborough University
May 17, 2021 – U.K.-based executive recruiter Saxton Bampfylde recently assisted in the placement of Nick Jennings as the new vice chancellor and president of Loughborough University. Professor Jennings, who will be Loughborough’s ninth vice-chancellor, will take up the post in the autumn. He succeeds Robert Allison, who served nine years in the role. “We are thrilled professor Jennings will be joining us; his personal research success, impressive leadership experience, his understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the sector and his love of sport will ensure Loughborough continues to move forward,” said Christine Hodgson, chair of Loughborough University council and senior pro-chancellor.
Professor Jennings is currently vice-provost for research and enterprise and professor of artificial intelligence at Imperial College London. Previously he was the U.K.’s first Regius Professor of Computer Science (a post bestowed by the monarch to recognize exceptionally high-quality research) at the University of Southampton.
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A Renowned Researcher
Professor Jennings was the U.K. government’s first chief scientific advisor for national security and was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the Queen’s New Year honors list in 2016 for his services to computer science and national security science. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2005.
An internationally renowned researcher, professor Jennings’ research focuses on developing AI systems for largescale, open and dynamic environments. He has received numerous awards for his research, including the BCS Lovelace Medal in 2020, the ACM Autonomous Agents Research Award in 2003 and the Computer and Thought Award in 1999 for contributions to multi-agent systems.
“Loughborough is a distinctive and world-class university,” said professor Jennings. “It offers excellent courses and an outstanding student experience. It clearly has a positive organizational culture, engaged students and proud staff. The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park campus offers many exciting opportunities to do new things and to do things differently to the rest of the sector.”
“I am keen to build on Loughborough’s research base and raise the visibility of our important work,” he said. “I also commit to champion and collaboratively advance the University’s crucial equality, diversity and inclusion priorities.”
Ensuring the Move Forward
Christine Hodgson, chair of Loughborough University council and senior pro-chancellor, said the university administration is thrilled by the addition of professor Jennings. “His personal research success, impressive leadership experience, his understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the sector, and his love of sport will ensure Loughborough continues to move forward,” she said. “He clearly has an excitement and passion for what Loughborough does, and what he can offer us as he takes on this hugely important role. I look forward to working with him when he takes up his role.”
Loughborough University was founded in 1909 as one of the U.K.’s foremost technical institutes focused on meeting society’s needs. Its campus in Leicestershire – one of the largest in the U.K. – provides a supportive and enriching environment with first-rate facilities for both staff and students. Loughborough University London, the postgraduate campus on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the former site of the 2012 London Olympics, offers education, research and enterprise opportunities. Loughborough students receive a diverse and multicultural teaching experience, with 16 percent of the university’s core employee numbers represented by international members of staff, covering over 75 nationalities. Students also benefit from greater access to teaching staff, with one member of academic staff for every 13.4 students.
Saxton Bampfylde is an employee owned business, founded in 1986 and is now one of the world’s leading independent executive search firms and leadership consultancies. With offices in London and Edinburgh, the firm bring a partnership approach to its work and has a strong belief in open and transparent communication. Saxton Bampfylde’s clients include FTSE 100 companies and blue-chip multinationals, across government and academia, through to foundation trust hospitals, arts institutions and not-for-profit organizations. The firm is a founding member of Panorama, a global community of over 400 leadership experts working together to promote a diverse perspective of leadership.
Stephen Bampfylde is co-founder and chairman of Saxton Bampfylde. He began his career working for IBM and Whitehall, where he spent nearly 10 years before moving into top-level executive search. For 27 years he has been involved in the recruitment of executives to senior positions across all sectors. He helped establish the worldwide professional association AESC in Europe and was its international director for a number of years. Outside executive search, he has been involved with the advisory boards of the business schools at Cambridge and City universities, is a trustee of the Yvonne Arnaud theater and is former chairman of the Guildford Cathedral Council.
Related: Why Universities Have Stepped Up Efforts to Involve Search Firms
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
