21 July 2025
Originally featured in Higher Education Digest.
Not so long ago, the Vice-Chancellor was a familiar figure: a seasoned academic who had climbed the professorial ranks, carved out a strong research identity, and led a department or faculty. Leadership was deeply rooted in scholarship.
But that model is changing.
Nearly half of the UK’s current Vice-Chancellors have been appointed since 2022. The volume of vacancies is rising, and the complexity of the brief is escalating. Universities are no longer simply academic institutions, they’re multi-million-pound organisations juggling growth, governance, and reputation on a public stage.
The evolving brief: CEO in all but name
Today’s Vice-Chancellor must be far more than a respected academic. The role demands a blend of financial acumen, commercial thinking, digital literacy, strategic communication, and political nous. It’s about managing risk, generating income, navigating regulatory headwinds, and making hard decisions under scrutiny.
Universities are, in effect, hiring chief executives.
This shift isn’t just anecdotal, it’s systemic. Job descriptions are changing. Where once sector experience was non-negotiable, many briefs now actively welcome candidates from other industries. Increasingly, boards are less interested in where candidates have come from and more focused on what they bring.
This trend is already well established at professional services level. Directors of Estates, Finance, and HR are being recruited from the NHS, local government, infrastructure, and even retail, often with great success. The heavily regulated nature of these environments, coupled with experience in customer-focused delivery, translates more naturally into higher education than many assume.
What was once considered a leap across sectors now feels like a logical next step.
The same is beginning to apply at executive level. Those who’ve led transformation in public services, commercial growth in regulated sectors, or strategic renewal in complex organisations are increasingly viewed as viable contenders, even for the top job.
Rethinking the route to the top
Recent analysis from HEPI suggests that candidates from outside academia can bring a fresh perspective and, in some cases, drive stronger performance than those promoted through traditional pathways. Their experience balancing stakeholder interests, leading through crisis, and operating within strict governance frameworks is proving invaluable.
They understand how to lead change, not just propose it. They know how to stretch resources, safeguard institutional reputation, and respond decisively when scrutiny intensifies. These are precisely the challenges that today’s university leaders face.
But still, some hesitate
It’s true: for many, a non-academic Vice-Chancellor still feels like a step too far. There remains a deeply held belief that credibility with staff and students comes from having “been there” in academic life. And that’s not wrong, but it’s not the whole story.
Credibility can be earned through values, not just through CVs. If we want Vice-Chancellors to guide institutions through uncertainty, then we need to be open to leaders with different toolkits, leaders who may not look or sound like their predecessors, but who are deeply aligned with the mission.
This isn’t a call to move away from academic leadership. It’s a call to evolve our definition of it.
We need to stop thinking in binaries: academic or business-minded, sector or external, research-driven or commercially astute. The most successful Vice-Chancellors of 2030 will be able to bridge these worlds, not choose between them.
They may come from academic roots, but they’ll also have boardroom credibility. Or they may bring external leadership experience and earn their influence through clarity, empathy, and action. Either way, they will need to lead change, build trust, and maintain focus in turbulent times. Credibility need not come from a single kind of career. As the responsibilities of the role expand, so too should our expectations of what successful candidates might look like.
A recent Times Higher Education analysis of HEPI data reports that only 5% of UK university VCs in February 2025 were from outside the academic sector, but those leaders “appear to have the greatest impact on performance”. Moreover, HEPI author Josh Freeman notes: “Safety first isn’t always the best strategy”.
What will success look like?
Higher education is at a critical inflection point. Financial constraints, reputational pressures, digital disruption, and shifting student expectations are creating a perfect storm. Leadership must evolve in response. Academic grounding remains important, but rankings and financial health are even more so. Universities now need leaders who can manage change, build resilience, and guide strategic renewal.
The next generation of Vice-Chancellors will be defined not by where they come from, but by how effectively they can lead universities into the future.
It’s time to stop trying to replicate the past. The Vice-Chancellor of 2030 won’t be another safe pair of hands. The sector needs bold, values-led, commercially minded, system-savvy leaders who can keep higher education not just afloat, but thriving.
That’s not a loss of tradition. It’s progress.
Learn more on the changing landscape of executive recruitment in higher education.
Claire has supported the public sector for over 20 years, providing interim and consultancy solutions to universities, housing associations, local authorities and the NHS. Her speciality is connecting her clients with flexible talent that can help deliver sustainable change, shaping organisations for the future and improving financial and operational outcomes. Claire has built an impressive track record with public sector leaders and helped many organisations identify the right solution in time-critical situations.
Claire also has a passion for providing careers advice and guidance to individuals, especially to those who have not previously considered an interim career before, but whom have unique insights and skills to offer the interim market. Claire joined Anderson Quigley in December 2021 to focus on supporting higher education, healthcare and social housing with senior interim managers and consultancy solutions.
You can email her at claire.lauder@andersonquigley.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.
