Cardiff University Vice Chancellor Professor Colin Riordan is leaving after 10 years. Professor Wendy Larner, currently Provost of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, has been appointed to replace him, becoming the university’s first female Vice Chancellor in its 140-year history.
Professor Wendy Larner will take up the role at Cardiff University in September. Before moving to Wellington, she was Dean of social sciences and law and professor of human geography for 10 years at the University of Bristol. She has also held academic positions at the University of Waikato and University of Auckland, and was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The head of Cardiff University is one of the most highly-paid public sector workers in Wales with an annual salary of £289,275 a year, according to the university's latest financial details.
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Responding to her appointment, Professor Larner said: “I’m delighted to be appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of Cardiff University. It’s an excellent university, full of promise and ambition, and I look forward to working with staff, students and external partners to further unlock its potential. We have the opportunity to be a great global-civic university, actively shaping a better future for Wales and the world.”
Pat Younge, Chair of Cardiff University Council, said: “Our global search for a new Vice-Chancellor has taken many months. We invited all staff and students to tell us what they wanted from our ideal leader, and they were actively involved in the recruitment process. In Professor Larner we have found an esteemed academic and a talented leader, and I look forward to welcoming her to Cardiff in September.”
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Professor Colin Riordan, the University’s current Vice-Chancellor, said it had been a privilege to lead Cardiff University: “I was very pleased to hear of Wendy's appointment and have every confidence that she will build on Cardiff's firm foundations. As I have learned over the past decade, Cardiff's strength lies in the diversity of backgrounds, experiences and ideas of its community. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to lead this vibrant University and I wish Wendy every success in continuing to shape its future.”
Professor Riordan took up the post of President and Vice Chancellor in September 2012. Previously he was Vice Chancellor of the University of Essex, having been appointed in October 2007. He moved to Essex from Newcastle University, where he had been Pro Vice-Chancellor and Provost of the faculty of humanities and social sciences since August 2005.
Professor Riordan taught English as a foreign language at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg in Germany (1982-84) and was Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer in German at Swansea University (1986-1998). He became Professor of German at Newcastle University in 1998, where he remained until his move to Essex in 2007. He has published widely on post-war German literature and culture.
The news follows the announcement last week that Professor Cara Aithison is stepping down as Vice Chancellor of Cardiff Metropolitan University. Professor Aithison will retire as President and Vice Chancellor of Cardiff Met in January 2024.
She was appointed in 2016 to lead a major transformation of the university andjoined having been Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of Plymouth Marjon University.
Professor Aitchison, who has a background in geography and wider social science, will not be leaving academia altogether and will continue research, including a Professorial role at Cardiff Met, together with non-executive roles.
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