Professor Karen Stanton Announced as UAL’s permanent Vice Chancellor

UAL has announced that Professor Karen Stanton has been appointed as its permanent Vice-Chancellor. Karen has been the Interim Vice-Chancellor since the departure of James Purnell in September 2024, where she has used her in-depth knowledge of higher education and empathetic approach to support UAL through a crucial period of change.

Before her Interim role at UAL, Professor Karen Stanton was Interim Vice-Chancellor at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln and prior to that she held the post of Vice-Chancellor at York St John and Solent Universities. She has also held senior leadership roles at the universities of Birmingham, Nottingham, King’s College London, and Glasgow Caledonian University. Karen spent a year on the UAL Court of Governors.

Professor Karen Stanton, Vice-Chancellor, University of the Arts London said: “It is a privilege to be asked to lead UAL into its next chapter. From my time as a member of the Court of Governors and as Interim Vice-Chancellor, I know the inspirational staff and students who make up our colleges and university community. It’s very clear to me that the foundations are in place for UAL to be the leading creative university in the world. I can’t wait to work with everyone across the UAL community to make this potential a reality.”

David Isaac CBE, Chair of UAL’s Court of Governors said: “Karen’s vision for UAL is to build and develop our existing strategy to ensure the University goes from strength to strength. Having been impressed with Karen’s work as Interim Vice-Chancellor, Governors encouraged her to apply for the permanent role. We are thrilled that she agreed to do this; we are even more excited that she is the successful candidate. Given her track record at UAL and in her previous roles in higher education, the Court is confident that Karen’s leadership can make us the global leader in creative education.”

Karen’s leadership in the higher education sector has resulted in a number of cross-sector roles including Chair of the Cathedrals Group of Universities, Deputy Chair of GuildHE and a former Trustee of UCAS. Karen is regularly invited to give keynote lectures at conferences on both the future of technology in Higher Education and on how universities can expand their international portfolios.

The recruitment for the Vice-Chancellor was a full, global search. Karen’s permanent role is effective immediately.