Sir Philip Dilley appointed as Chair of Imperial’s Council
Chair Baroness Manningham-Buller will step down later this year, reports Cecily Johnson
Imperial alumnus Sir Philip Dilley will take over as Chair of Imperial’s governing Council this May. The leading engineer and businessman will succeed Baroness Manningham-Buller, who has been in the role since July 2011.
A member of Council for the last four years, Sir Philip will be the 12th Chair of the governing and executive body and the first Imperial alumnus to take on the role. He has been initially appointed for a four-year term starting on 18th May 2015.
After graduating with a First in Civil Engineering in 1976, Sir Philip left Imperial for a successful career in engineering within Arup Group. He rose through the ranks to become Executive Chairman in 2009, leaving the post in September 2014 to take up the position of Chairman of the Environment Agency.
“We are immensely fortunate to benefit from Sir Philip’s talents and expertise” said President of Imperial College Professor Alice Gast. “He will be a great leader and I am looking forward to working with him”.
In a statement, Sir Philip said “It is a great honour to be asked to Chair Imperial’s Council and I am delighted that I will be able to serve the College as its Chair at such an exciting time in its development.”
“We owe Eliza Manningham-Buller a huge thank you for her service in leading the Council with such wisdom, clarity of thought, and with such strong advocacy for Imperial’s mission, relevance and impact in the world today”.
The outgoing Chair Baroness Manningham-Buller will be taking over as Chair of the Wellcome Trust in Autumn 2015. Professor Gast thanked her for all she has contributed to Imperial in her time serving on Council: “I have been most impressed with Eliza’s leadership of such a talented and dedicated Council. She has been wonderful to work with and has left a lasting imprint on the College, the Council and our leadership team”.
Baroness Manningham-Buller said “I am sad to be leaving Imperial as it is a fascinating place, bursting with outstanding people and exciting ideas. It has been most rewarding to be involved with such a great university, and I feel privileged to have chaired its Council and Court since 2011.
“I am delighted that Philip is my successor. I think the College has made an excellent choice and that it will continue to thrive and develop under his chairmanship. I shall always value the friendships I have made in the College”.
