News Archive

Paul Inman appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International)

Paul Inman has been appointed as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) for the University of Reading. His appointment follows a competitive process overseen by the Appointments and Governance Committee on behalf of the University Council.

As Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), Paul will lead our global engagement, international profile and reputation. In this critical role, he will be responsible for developing and implementing a strategic approach to the successful recruitment of international students and expansion of our global connections, both of which will be vital to the University’s future.

He joins us on 1 August 2020 from Oxford Brookes University, where he is currently Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International Recruitment) and Dean of the Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment. He leads the University’s international student recruitment portfolio and is responsible for a faculty with approximately 4000 students, more than 400 staff and is home to several internationally recognised research centres.

Announcing Paul’s appointment, Vice-Chancellor Robert Van de Noort said: “I am delighted that Paul Inman is joining us. He brings strong senior leadership experience of international student recruitment and leading academic units that are very successful in securing research grants and are recognised for the quality of their teaching.

“This will be crucial to us as we look to recover from the uncertainty created by COVID-19 and continue to build a more globally engaged and recognised University of Reading. This role also reflects feedback from colleagues in the strategy consultation that they wish to see us retain our strong commitment to global connectedness.”

Paul said, “I am very excited about joining the University of Reading at this moment in time. It is an institution with a proud history, and I look forward to contributing to its future development.

“These are challenging times for the higher education sector, but I have always relished a challenge. I strongly believe that universities need to enter the Post COVID-19 era from a position of strength – especially as we seek to communicate our core values, build new communities of learning and seek out international partners to work alongside.”

Paul has been leading Oxford Brookes’ international student recruitment since 2016. He was the leading architect of Oxford Brookes Global, the delivery vehicle which introduced the University to a more defined focus on student recruitment, global partnerships and transnational education. These efforts led to a 30% increase in new international enrolments in 2019/20 and a 100% increase in international postgraduate student applications for 2020/21.

Oxford Brookes Global now has offices in China, India, Malaysia, Nigeria and Hong Kong, and increased partnership articulation in five targeted regions around the world. Several high-profile global research partnerships and alumni chapters worldwide complement this work.

University Executive Board

Paul Inman will join the University Executive Board (UEB) whose other members are:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·        <!--[endif]-->Vice-Chancellor Robert Van de Noort

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·        <!--[endif]-->Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) Parveen Yaqoob

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·        <!--[endif]-->Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) Dominik Zaum

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·        <!--[endif]-->Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education & Student Experience) Elizabeth McCrum and Julian Park

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·        <!--[endif]-->Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Planning & Resource) Mark Fellowes

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·        <!--[endif]-->Chief Financial Officer Samantha Foley

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·        <!--[endif]-->University Secretary and Chief Strategy Officer Richard Messer

The roles of Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education & Student Experience) are both in job-share arrangements, allowing us to benefit from diverse experiences and embedding the University’s commitment to flexible working practices.

As a member of the UEB, Paul will be involved in major decisions for the University. He will also provide line management support to the relevant Heads of Function and chair committees and working groups relevant to his role as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International).

Varied experience

Paul Inman joined Oxford Brookes’ senior management team in 2011 and leads a faculty which is home to sector-leading teaching, research and knowledge exchange in Fine Art, Film and Digital Media, Music, Publishing, Computing, Mechanical Engineering, Architecture and the Built Environment.

Under his leadership, the Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment delivers over half of the University’s research grant capture, and each of its Schools contains world-leading teaching (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2018).

He led the initiative to establish a Confucius Institute in Oxford in 2016; was a founding director and chair of the board of governors of University Technical College Swindon; serves as a member of Council at Ruskin College, Oxford; is a trustee of Photography Oxford (the biannual photography festival); and served previously as a board member of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Paul has had a parallel career as a filmmaker and television producer. Alongside his broadcast work, he has produced cinema commercials, films and educational videos for leading mental health charities, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the Youth Justice Board. He managed Storylines, a filmmaking project in West Africa and England for the British Council and was Associate Producer on The Mental Health Testimony Project – a filmed oral history of long-term psychiatric patients for the British Library.