Tim Wilson

Sir Robert James Timothy Wilson (Tim Wilson)

Early Life

Born and raised in urban Leeds, Tim Wilson attended Temple Moor High School. He studied mathematics and computer science at the University of Reading and went on to study a Masters in Operational Research at the University of Lancaster.

Early Career

He 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 took up the post of Director of Studies in the School of Defence Management at the Royal Military College of Science (RMCS), which was a faculty of Cranfield Institute of Technology (now Cranfield University). In the late 1980s, he took up the position of Assistant Director (Operations) at Leicester Polytechnic (now de Montfort University) 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 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, the University of 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. Her Majesty The Queen conferred a Knighthood on Sir Tim in the New Year’s Honours list 2011 for Services to Higher Education and to Business.

Public Positions

On retirement, he joined the board of the Unite Group,[1] 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 in which the UK could become a world leader in this field. The report was published in February 2012.[2]

References

1. ^ UNITE Group: http://www.unite-group.co.uk/pcm1344862194351/Our-Board 2. ^ Putting students at the heart of higher education: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/putting-students-at-the-heart-of-higher-education