Professor Paul Layzell joined the Board in September 2022 following a distinguished career in software engineering and academia.
Paul was Principal and Chief Executive of Royal Holloway, University of London between 2010 and 2022. Previously Paul held senior positions at UMIST and the universities of Manchester and Sussex. Paul has experience of merged organisations having planned and overseen the merger of UMIST and the University of Manchester in 2004 and also has a proven track record of improving student diversity and the gender pay gap.
Alongside his UHSussex role, Paul is chair-designate of Herts for Learning, the UK’s largest schools-owned company supporting schools improvement. Paul has taken a leading role in the education sector in a Non-Executive capacity through recent Chair roles of AQA, London higher and Eduserve and continues as a board member of Plumpton College and ACCA Qualificiations Board as well as education advisor to World Academy of Sport.
In 2022 Paul was awarded a CBE for services to Higher Education and Technology. Paul is also a Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey
Paul has lived on the East Sussex / Brighton border for 16 years where he is a keen gardener and supporter of the RNLI.