Gavin Brooks

Background

About Gavin Brooks

Professor Gavin Brooks has over 40 years of experience in the higher education (HE) and health sectors, including almost 20 years of senior executive level leadership within different HE institutions. He has considerable experience of leading and delivering transformational change programmes, ranging from: strategy development; establishing and restructuring academic and professional support service departments; digital technology programmes; and governance reviews. Until April 2022, Professor Gavin Brooks was Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) where he had overall responsibility for the day-to-day operation of all academic aspects of the University across all of its campuses and had direct line management responsibility for 11 senior leaders in different areas of the University. He had many achievements and successes in his time at BNU that include: leading the initial University’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic; managing the University’s exit from a very difficult academic partnership arrangement that then secured the University‘s footprint at the prestigious Pinewood Studios; contributing to a significant growth in student numbers for the Institution; introducing significant improvements to the academic promotion process; introducing an improved business planning process; and championing growth of allied health at the University. Prior to joining BNU, Gavin was at the University of Reading for 21 years where he held a number of key strategic and leadership positions including as: Head of two academic Schools; Dean of Faculty; Pro-Vice Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) and Deputy Vice Chancellor. He also has held a number of external appointments, including as Chair of the Buckinghamshire Skills Advisory Panel (2020-22) and Chair of the Study Higher Uni Connect Board (2016-22). He is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He now is an independent consultant and specialist in higher education and skills advising a number of higher education and charitable organisations about areas of growth, development and change.