James Purnell to step down as UAL v-c to take up consultancy role

James Purnell is to step down as vice-chancellor of the University of the Arts London to take over as chief executive of a consultancy firm.

Mr Purnell, a former Labour MP who served as work and pensions secretary and culture secretary in Gordon Brown’s government between 2007 and 2009, later spent seven years at the BBC, most recently as director of radio and education.

He has led UAL since 2021 but will leave this September to become chief executive of Flint Global, which offers policy and regulatory advice.

During his time as vice-chancellor Mr Purnell has pushed to significantly increase enrolment across UAL’s six colleges via an embrace of online learning.

His imminent departure means he is likely to have limited overlap with an expected Labour government, following the UK general election on 4 July – which might save Mr Purnell from being on the other side of the fence to former colleagues as the funding crisis in the country’s higher education sector deepens.

One of Mr Purnell’s most significant sector-level interventions during his time at UAL was the commissioning of research by London Economics which outlined how the English student finance system could be made more progressive at zero cost to taxpayers, while also allowing for the reintroduction of maintenance grants. This research is thought to have been influential on Labour shadow ministers as they consider how to reform higher education funding.

Meanwhile Mr Purnell’s Labour ties may prove valuable to Flint, which was founded by Sir Simon Fraser, a former head of the UK Foreign Office and Diplomatic Service, and Ed Richards, a former chief executive of Ofcom.

“I couldn’t be more delighted to be joining Flint. Since the start of the company, I've admired the work it does and the calibre of the team. I look forward to meeting Flint’s clients and staff, and leading Flint in its next stage, working with Simon and Ed as founding partners, and with the whole team,” Mr Purnell said.

UAL said that it had appointed Karen Stanton as interim vice-chancellor. The former vice-chancellor of York St John and Solent universities will step down from her current position as interim vice-chancellor of Bishop Grossteste University to take up the role.

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com