I am delighted that we have been able to appoint internally for this role from an extremely competitive field. I have no doubt that Leigh’s extensive experience from within the University and elsewhere will be pivotal for helping us to drive forward on our ambitions for Strategy 2030. Her appointment, along with recent changes in our senior leadership team, places us in an extremely strong position to build on our success as one of the world’s top 20 universities.
A graduate of the University, Ms Chalmers has been the Director of Legal Services at the University since 2014, more recently taking on the role of Deputy Secretary, Governance and Legal.
She has a background in the legal sector and was a partner in a law firm before joining the University. She has extensive experience of providing legal advice to the higher education sector in Scotland.
Ms Chalmers succeeds Ms Sarah Smith, who is moving to a new part-time Vice-Principal role focused on leadership development at the University. Both will take up their new roles on 1 September 2022.
I am thrilled to be taking on this role and delighted to have the opportunity to help shape the future of the University. I’m particularly looking forward to building on the important work that has been done already to make the University an even better place to study and work, as we press forward on our ambitions for Strategy 2030.