Liverpool Hope University is delighted to announce that Professor Claire Ozanne will be its new Vice-Chancellor, following the retirement of Professor Gerald Pillay at the end of December.
Making the announcement, Chair of the University Council Rev Peter Winn said: “We are delighted to welcome Professor Claire Ozanne as our Vice-Chancellor.
“Professor Ozanne will join us in March 2023 bringing significant senior leadership experience in Higher Education and a proven track record of guiding and strengthening institutions through times of change.
“She shares the ethos and values of Liverpool Hope and her approach to leadership is flexible and collegiate.
“We believe that Professor Ozanne is the right person to lead us in the next stage of our mission to provide an excellent, full and rounded education for all our students in the context of a supportive and creative community”.
Professor Claire Ozanne is a Professor of Ecology, gaining her DPhil from Oxford University. Claire work focuses on habitats influenced by human activities and she has led multidisciplinary projects in the UK, Australia, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Guyana.
Professor Ozanne currently serves as the Deputy Director and Provost at SOAS University of London where she provides strategic leadership across the academic departments and is responsible for the delivery of an excellent education and student experience.
Prior to joining SOAS, Professor Ozanne was Vice Provost at the University of Roehampton where she led a number of important developments including transnational partnerships, the online portfolio, research leadership and mentoring, and the creation of a nursing school. In 2017, Claire was seconded to the post of Principal of Heythrop College, University of London.
She is a Principal Fellow of the HEA and has experience as a QAA reviewer.
On her appointment at Hope Professor Ozanne said: “I am absolutely delighted to be taking up the role of Vice-Chancellor and Rector at Liverpool Hope University in the Spring.
"I know we will be building on very firm foundations to open the next chapter in Hope’s mission of excellence in teaching, research and student experience, underpinned by the values of collegiality, community and inclusivity.
“I look forward to meeting and working with you all; to being closer to family and to leading and serving the community of the University and its partners in the region and beyond.”
Professor Pillay added his congratulations: “May I add my welcome to Professor Ozanne.
“She will bring extraordinary gifts and vast experience to a community that will support her in the true spirit of Hope and collegiality. I am sure that all at Hope have much to look forward to.”