University announces Larner as its new leader
CARDIFF University has announced the successor to vice-chancellor Professor Colin Riordan, who is leaving after 10 years.
Professor Wendy Larner, currently Provost of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, has been appointed to replace him, becoming the university’s first female vicechancellor in its 140-year history.
Prof Larner will take up her new role in September.
Before moving to Wellington, she was Dean of social sciences and law and professor of human geography for 10 years at the University of Bristol. She has also held academic positions at the University of Waikato and University of Auckland, and was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The head of Cardiff University is one of the most highly paid publicsector workers in Wales with an annual salary of £289,275 a year, according to the university’s latest financial details.
Responding to her appointment, Professor Larner said: “I’m delighted to be appointed as the new vicechancellor of Cardiff University. It’s an excellent university, full of promise and ambition, and I look forward to working with staff, students and external partners to further unlock its potential. We have the opportunity to be a great global-civic university, actively shaping a better future for Wales and the world.”
Pat Younge, chairman of Cardiff University Council, said: “Our global search for a new vice-chancellor has taken many months. We invited all staff and students to tell us what they wanted from our ideal leader, and they were actively involved in the recruitment process. In Professor Larner we have found an esteemed academic and a talented leader, and I look forward to welcoming her to Cardiff in September.”
Prof Riordan said: “I was very pleased to hear of Wendy’s appointment and have every confidence that she will build on Cardiff’s firm foundations. As I have learned over the past decade, Cardiff’s strength lies in the diversity of backgrounds, experiences and ideas of its community. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to lead this vibrant university and I wish Wendy every success in continuing to shape its future.”
Prof Riordan took up the post of president and vice-chancellor in September 2012.
Previously he was VC of the University of Essex, having been appointed in October 2007. He moved to Essex from Newcastle University.
Prof Riordan taught English as a foreign language at Julius-Maximilians Universitat Wurzburg in Germany (1982-84) and was lecturer, then senior lecturer in German at Swansea University (1986-1998). He became Professor of German at Newcastle University in 1998, where he remained until his move to Essex in 2007. He has published widely on post-war German literature and culture.
The news follows the announcement last week that Professor Cara Aithison is stepping down as vicechancellor of Cardiff Metropolitan University. Prof Aithison will retire as president and VC of Cardiff Met in January 2024.
She was appointed in 2016 to lead a major transformation of the university and joined having been vicechancellor and chief executive of Plymouth Marjon University.
Prof Aitchison, who has a background in geography and wider social science, will not be leaving academia altogether and will continue research.