University of Northampton appoints new vice chancellor as current CEO steps down after 12 years

The University of Northampton has appointed a new vice chancellor who will take over the position in August this year.

Professor Anne-Marie Kilday will succeed current vice chancellor and CEO Professor Nick Petford, who after 12 years at the helm, will step down this summer.

As vice chancellor, Professor Kilday will lead the development and implementation of a new strategy for the University of Northampton, spearheading initiatives that hope to transform lives and inspire positive change through learning and research.

Professor Kilday said: “I am hugely honoured and incredibly happy to be joining the team at the University of Northampton in the role of vice chancellor.

“I will very much miss the students and all of my colleagues at Oxford Brookes, but I am looking forward to meeting everyone at Northampton and am ready to take on the challenges and seize the opportunities that will come our way."

Professor Kilday started her academic career in Scotland working at the University of Strathclyde and then the University of Glasgow.

She joined Oxford Brookes University in 2000 as a lecturer in early modern history and progressed her career at the university securing various promotions to dean, before becoming pro vice chancellor for student experience and university community.

Mark Mulcahey, chair of the university’s board of governors in Northampton, said: “We are delighted that Professor Anne-Marie Kilday will join us this summer.

“Through a rigorous and inclusive process, we have chosen a new vice chancellor that embodies our vision and sense of purpose.

“In addition to being a highly accomplished educator and researcher, Professor Kilday has improved the university experience for staff and students in her current post and driven initiatives around equality, diversity and inclusion.

“Her dedication to the ideals of using higher education as a catalyst for positive social impact mirrors our own changemaker ethos.

“She is an aspirational leader with a proven record, and we look forward to working with her in this next phase of the university’s development.”

Mark also thanked the outgoing vice chancellor and said he was a “pleasure” to work alongside.

Professor Petford wished Anne-Marie, his colleagues and all our students “every success for the future”.