Professor Gavin Brooks has over 40 years of experience in the higher education and health sectors, including almost 20 years of senior executive-level leadership within different higher education institutions. He has considerable experience of leading and delivering transformational change programmes, including strategy development; establishing and restructuring academic and professional support service departments; digital technology programmes; and governance reviews.
Until April 2022, Gavin was Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU), where he had overall responsibility for the day-to-day operation of all academic aspects of the University, across all of its campuses, and had direct line management responsibility for 11 senior leaders in different areas of the University.
Prior to joining BNU, Gavin was at the University of Reading for 21 years, where he held a number of key strategic leadership positions, including: Head of two academic schools; Dean of Faculty; Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning); and Deputy Vice-Chancellor. He also has held a number of external appointments, including Chair of the Buckinghamshire Skills Advisory Panel (2020–22) and Chair of the Study Higher Uni Connect Board (2016–22).
Currently, he serves as: College Principal External Examiner for Royal Holloway University of London (since 2023); Principal External Reviewer for University of Sunderland (since 2024); and as Vice Chair of Corporation Board at Newbury College and University Centre Newbury (since 2022).
Gavin has considerable experience of conducting and delivering academic and professional service governance reviews and strategic projects for a range of FE and HE institutions.
He is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.