Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive of Falmouth University to step down

Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive of Falmouth University, Professor Anne Carlisle OBE, has announced that she plans to step down in early 2022.

Professor Carlisle joined Falmouth in 2009 and led the University through a phase of significant growth, which during her tenure has included doubling the number of students studying Falmouth degrees, both on-campus and on-line and with partner institutions both at home and abroad. In 2012, she successfully led Falmouth to gain University status and to become a Teaching Excellence Framework Gold ranked University in 2017.

Professor Carlisle is the founder of Launchpad, Falmouth University's award winning start-up programme, which to date has incubated 30 new tech companies, with a total valuation of over £8.5million. She served for 5 years as a Director on the Board of Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Chairing its Smart Specialisation strategy sub-group. She is a member of the Screen Cornwall Steering Board, Director of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Shape of Tomorrow Group. Nationally, she has served on several UK Advisory Boards, including the Learning and Teaching Reimagined Advisory Board, the Higher Education Edtech Advisory Board and the UUK Economic and Social Recovery Task & Finish Group.

She plans to continue in public service on a non-executive basis in the future, both in higher education and the private sector.

In January 2019, she was awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year's honours for services to higher education and the regional economy.

Chris Pomfret OBE, Chair of Falmouth's Board of Governors, said: "I would like to thank Anne for her outstanding leadership during her 11 years here. She has grown and transformed the University into a creative innovation hub with a global reputation which plays a critical role in the wellbeing and economy of Cornwall and the UK."

Professor Anne Carlisle said: 

I feel privileged to be Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive of this great University. Falmouth has a very exciting future. It has financial resilience, an ambitious and visionary 2030 Strategy, entrepreneurial and creative staff and students. It's also in a wonderful place and I'm proud that the University has become an anchor institution and a catalyst for economic and social regeneration in this great region.

Falmouth University will now begin the process of recruiting a new Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive.