The University of Bath Council, the institution’s governing body, has been appointed Pamela Chesters CBE as its new chair following a competitive recruitment process.
Pamela, pictured, will take up the position on April 8 for an initial term of three years. Her arrival will coincide with that of the university’s new vice-chancellor Prof Ian White, who has succeeded Dame Glynis Breakwell. Dame Glynis stepped down last summer following a long and bitter dispute over her salary. 
The university said Pamela brought “considerable experience of strengthening governance” in the higher education (HE), public and third sectors, as well as a background of senior management positions in the commercial sector.
She is currently a non-executive director and audit and risk chair at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and a member and audit risk chair of Court at the University of St Andrews – a position she is stepping down from to take up the role at Bath.
Acting chair of council Ruth Foreman, who is also chair of the nominations committee, said: “We are delighted to welcome Pam as our new chair of council. Colleagues were impressed by her strong personal commitment to the role education can play in opening opportunities for young people and her understanding of the wider contribution universities make to research and society as a whole.
“As a non-executive director in the public sector, a governing body member in HE and as a former leader in the commercial sector, she brings a compelling mix of relevant experience to the role of chair.”
Pamela said: “I look forward to playing my part in helping the university achieve its stated ambition of being at the forefront of governance practice in the sector. Working alongside my fellow members of council, our new vice-chancellor Prof Ian White, and the wider university community, I am confident that Bath’s reputation as a centre of excellence for research, teaching and the wider student experience will continue to grow.”
Prof White added: “I look forward to working closely with Pam. I have no doubt that her counsel, advice and guidance will make an important contribution to the university’s future success.”
Among her previous roles, Pamela has chaired the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, Anchor Trust and Action for Children, as well as serving as an advisor for health and families to the Mayor of London from 2009-2012. She also held a series of senior management positions at British Petroleum between 1979 and 1998. She was awarded a CBE in 2013 for services to vulnerable children.
The University of Bath Council is responsible for the university’s finances and investment and for oversight of its estate and buildings, as well as having a general responsibility for the conduct of all the university’s affairs.
It has a majority of lay members who are neither staff nor students of the university.
