New chief executive named by Jisc

Jisc, UK higher education’s main technology body, has named Paul Feldman as its new chief executive.

Dr Feldman, who is currently an executive partner at technological research company Gartner UK, will take up the post in mid-October, succeeding Martyn Harrow.

He has spent more than 20 years in the financial sector with Nationwide Building Society and Barclays, and has also worked in IT roles with Thomson Reuters and the Intellectual Property Office.

Dr Feldman joins Jisc at a pivotal time for the organisation’s future as it shifts from a centrally funded model to one in which some of its costs will be paid directly by subscribing institutions.

Speaking to Times Higher Education earlier this year, Professor Harrow said that the “bet is off” on Jisc definitely surviving future spending cuts.

In a report for the Higher Education Policy Institute last year, he warned that the UK risked “sleepwalking into disaster” if a weakening or disintegration of Jisc triggered the loss of the higher education sector’s “world-leading infrastructure”.

But Dr Feldman, who has a PhD in industrial and business studies from the University of Warwick, said that Professor Harrow had laid “solid foundations” and that he looked forward to “building on this success”.

“Jisc plays a pivotal role in helping the UK’s higher education, further education and skills sectors reinvent, adapt to change and make savings through the shared services, collective deals and advisory support it provides,” Dr Feldman said.

“Now, more than ever, universities and colleges need this kind of body and advice to help them take advantage of the opportunities digital technology offers to transform research, teaching, learning and organisations.”

The services provided by Jisc include a high-speed computer network and data storage.

David Maguire, the chair of Jisc and the vice-chancellor of the University of Greenwich, said that the appointment of Dr Feldman “will help take us to the next level, further supporting the critical work of universities and colleges”. 

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com