Nottingham Trent v-c picked as next Office for Students chair

Outgoing Nottingham Trent University vice-chancellor Edward Peck is set to become the next chair of England’s higher education regulator.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said on 27 February that she had nominated Peck as her preferred candidate to chair the Office for Students.

He will now go on to attend a pre-appointment hearing before the House of Commons Education Select Committee on 4 March.

Peck had announced last month that he would step down as Nottingham Trent vice-chancellor this summer, having led the institution since 2014.

If his appointment is approved, Peck will succeed David Behan, the former chief executive of the Care Quality Commission who has been interim chair of the OfS since July, following the resignation of Conservative peer James Wharton.

Peck has become one of the sector’s most high-profile university leaders, having served on the review of post-18 education funding chaired by former banker Philip Augar, which reported in 2019.

In 2022 he was appointed the sector’s first Student Support Champion by the Department for Education, and he chaired the Ministerial Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce a year later.

Prior to joining Nottingham Trent, he spent six years as pro vice-chancellor and head of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Birmingham.

Phillipson said Peck would “play a vital part in supporting higher education providers’ financial sustainability and breaking down barriers to opportunity”.

“Professor Peck has played a key role in supporting students and has a wealth of experience that will be instrumental in guiding the OfS forward. I look forward to finalising his appointment,” the minister said.

Following the pre-appointment hearing, the select committee will publish its recommendation, which the minister will consider before deciding whether to finalise the appointment.

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com