Steve White our interim Chief Operating Officer (COO) has now reached the end of his contract and will be leaving the University on 7 August.
We had hoped that Steve would be in a position to extend his stay but he will be leaving us on strong advice to undergo long overdue surgery on a chronic shoulder injury.
The search for a permanent COO is well underway and several excellent candidates from within and outside of the Higher Education sector have expressed interest. Final interviews are scheduled for September, and the new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, is actively involved in the selection process. In the meantime the reporting management for Professional Services is being discussed with the Directors and an update will follow.
The Business Model Review will continue as planned, led by the original Steering Group. This Group will continue to ensure the successful delivery of the agreed objectives by our project partners PwC. The outcome of this Review will be presented to the new Vice-Chancellor in October.
Professor Don Nutbeam, Vice-Chancellor commented,
“Steve has provided remarkable service to the University throughout his time with us. He immersed himself in our complex structures, building trust and confidence through his professionalism and executive management skills.
In his relatively short time with us Steve has engaged very effectively with the academic community of the University providing collegial leadership in our business planning and financial management.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Steve for the essential contribution that he has made to the leadership of the University over the last year.”
Steve White said,
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working at the University. It is a genuinely inspirational organisation that has and continues to achieve extraordinary things.
It has, of course, presented some interesting challenges and I hope that in the time I’ve been here, we have managed to address some of the key areas that will be critical in enabling the University of Southampton to achieve its vision.”