Tim Wilson

Sir Robert James Timothy Wilson (Tim Wilson)

Early Life

Born and raised in urban Leeds, Tim Wilson attended Temple Moor School. He was sponsored by Yorkshire Imperial Metals Ltd to study Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Reading and Operational Research at Masters level at the University of Lancaster.

Early Career

After working in industry for several years he took an academic position with Leeds Polytechnic (now Leeds Metropolitan University) and was an early pioneer in the field of computer aided learning.

During this period, he also held visiting academic positions at FHW Pforzheim (now Pforzheim University) and ESCAE Dijon (now the Burgundy School of Business) and became a strong advocate of collaboration between employers and higher education.

In the mid-80s, he moved to the Royal Military College of Science (RMCS), a faculty of Cranfield Institute of Science and Technology (now Cranfield University) as Director of Studies in the School of Defence Management. He pioneered the first industry-specific MBA programme in the UK (the Masters of Defence Administration) and led research teams in the fields of weapon design and logistics support, for both Ministry and industrial sponsors.

He moved to Leicester Polytechnic (now de Montfort University) as Assistant Director (Operations) in the late 1980s and subsequently became Deputy Director of Hatfield Polytechnic in 1991; a year before it became the University of Hertfordshire. He obtained a PhD from Walden University, USA, and was made a Professor of Higher Education Management in 2001.

Academic Career

He was appointed Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Hertfordshire in 2003 . Shortly afterwards, the University adopted its business-facing mission and brand, differentiating itself in the UK higher education sector and reflecting its history and its culture. During his tenure, Hertfordshire progressively integrated its business-facing mission with its academic achievements , including the creation of a portfolio of profit-making businesses that subsidised the academic activities of the University. He retired from the position of Vice-Chancellor in December 2010 , becoming an Emeritus Professor of the University shortly thereafter.

Public Positions

On retirement, he joined the Board of The Unite Group plc , and also established other business interests in the UK and overseas. In the Government White Paper “Putting Students at the Heart of Higher Education” June 2011 , he was invited to lead a national review of university/business collaboration and to recommend ways that the UK could become a world leader in this field. The report was published in February 2012.

In the 2010 New Year’s Honours List, he was conferred with a Knighthood for Services to Business and Higher Education and became a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Hertfordshire in January 2011.

References

1 http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2003/sep/23/administration.highereducation
2 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmberr/746/746we44.htm
3 http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/education/university_of_hertfordshire_vice_chancellor_to_retire_1_35457
4 http://www.unite-group.co.uk/about-us/board-members
5 http://bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2011/Jun/he-white-paper-students-at-the-heart-of-the-system
6 http://www.wilsonreview.co.uk/wilson-review/wilson-review.pdf
7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_New_Year_Honours#Knights_Bachelor
8 http://www.lord-lieutenant-herts.org.uk/deputylist.html