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Professor Alison Honour has taken up her role as Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer at Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ. Alison joins from Canterbury Christ Church University with over 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles within higher education. Get to know Alison more as she shares her life to-date with us: 

I am delighted to be joining Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ, a university with an ambition that matches my own and I can’t wait to meet you all and learn more about the work that you do. What I have seen so far has hugely impressed me.

I’m so passionate about higher education, and really do believe in the power of education and of universities to change the world. In over 25 years of leadership roles in five different post-92 universities I have been so proud to work on a range of innovative projects. It is that passion for higher education, matched with leadership experience, that I hope you will see in the coming months and years as we work together to maximise the opportunities for BU. 

I started my career in fine art and sculpting, and qualified to Master’s level, and spent time working in the creative sector. As I’ve moved up into leadership roles, I think my creative background has always helped me to remain inquisitive, to see things differently and to find innovative solutions to challenges. It has helped me in my own research, as I have looked at the subject of social innovation, and how creative approaches can add value to STEM subjects, and the role of Arts in broadening this outlook to STEAM. I’ve even explored the role that art can play in improving mental health and wellbeing. We often use the term ‘Createch’, a form of education that brings together creative skills and emerging technologies to develop new approaches to learning and the creation of new knowledge – something I see reflected a lot in the work at BU. 

Did you know? Alison is a qualified welder – a skill that came in handy when Alison was working as a sculptor. 

Inclusion and equality have been a real feature of my working life – I was the first person in my family to go to university –and I have led projects on access and participation to ensure that students from a range of backgrounds have access to education opportunities. This is something I want to expand on in my role at BU.I’m so impressed by the university’s equality and sustainability successes – as highlighted in the THE Impact Rankings, which I know BU has always performed strongly in.  

I have previously led the development of inclusive student experience projects and frameworks to enhance the student experience. I co-led the Birmingham City University Black Lives Matter and Anti-racist Commitment Plan in partnership with students and staff, as well as a range of access and participation initiatives. I’m also an Aurora mentor for women in leadership, particularly those who want to pursue a professorship. 

Across all levels, I think social mobility and staff and student development are a priority. Education and travel expose you to different cultures, communities and ways of thinking, as well as creating opportunities, and I’m keen for as many staff and students as possible to have these opportunities to develop personally and professionally – and that we ensure a widening participation element to it to remove barriers to progression and education for all.  

Did you know? Alison was awarded ‘Woman of the Decade Award’ from the Woman’s Economic Forum and the G100, an international leadership group who make recommendations to the UN against the UNSDG5 – Gender Equality.  

I am so pleased to see the established global links we have as a university, as my outlook has always been an international one. Through my career, global partnership development has been a consistent thread, and I’ve supported the growth of trans-national education (TNE) partnerships in Hong Kong, China, India, Egypt, Malaysia, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Thailand, Canada, UAE and the USA. I’m delighted to see that we are beginning on this journey at BU through our relationship with British University Vietnam. 

Working with international partners can bring such a richness to the life of a university, and I’ve been involved in international projects that have seen a real benefit from global collaboration. My own work has taken me, among other places, to India, leading on a Bollywood film partnership with Yash Raj Films in Mumbai that brought Bollywood directors to Birmingham – it was such an enriching experience for staff, students and local communities  

Did you know? Though Alison was born in Oxford, she grew up in the US, and has travelled extensively, working in a variety of countries around the world. 

Now you know a little more about me, I hope to get to know you all much more in the coming months. I look forward to hearing about the work you are involved in, and I hope you’ll stop me and say hello if you see me on campus.