Professor Robin Sibson appointed as new Chief Executive of HESA

Professor Robin Sibson - currently Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kent at Canterbury - will become the new Chief Executive of the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) after its first Chief Executive, Brian Ramsden, retires.

Said Brian Ramsden, "I am delighted that Robin Sibson has been appointed. I think he has exactly the right mix of academic and leadership skills for the job. He has a national and international reputation, and as a Director of HESA for the last 3 years knows the Agency well. I am sure that, under his direction, the Agency will further enhance its reputation."

Robin Sibson has been the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kent at Canterbury since 1994. He was previously Professor of Statistics at the University of Bath. A former Fellow of King’s College and Lecturer in Mathematical Statistics at Cambridge, he is a Chartered Statistician, and has MA and PhD degrees from Cambridge. He is currently a non-executive Director of HESA, as a representative of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals (CVCP).

Robin Sibson commented: "I am delighted to have been invited to serve as the next Chief Executive of HESA. In particular I look forward to working closely with the staff of HESA who have put in place a new and robust mechanism for the collection and dissemination of statistics about higher education in the UK. The recent introduction of a new framework for National Statistics, of which HESA is a part, provides an extra impetus for the Agency and its further development."

Professor Michael Sterling, Chairman of the HESA board said "Robin Sibson will bring to HESA a unique blend of management and academic skills. He is ideally qualified to take up the reins from Brian Ramsden and to lead the Agency over the coming years of the new decade. I warmly welcome his appointment."

Professor Sibson will take up the position by Summer 2001.

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