Oriel College Oxford has announced that Neil Mendoza is to be elected as the College’s next Provost, to take over when Moira Wallace OBE reaches the end of her term in August of this year.
Neil has a breadth of experience spanning the commercial, charitable and public sectors. Neil read Geography at Oriel and matriculated in 1978.
He is currently Chair of The Landmark Trust, a UK charity dedicated to saving buildings of historical importance; The Illuminated River Foundation, a large art commission project to light London’s bridges and Vice-chair of the Soho Theatre in London, a theatre that aims to encourage new writing. Neil is also a director of Meira GTx, a gene therapy company with research facilities in New York and manufacturing facilities in London.
Neil is a non-executive director of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. He led two government reviews in 2017 – The Mendoza Review of museums in England and a review for the Cabinet Office covering the national museums. Additional government appointments include being a Commissioner of Historic England and a member of the review panel looking into the sustainability of English churches and cathedrals.
Previously, Neil was Chair of Children and the Arts, a nationwide charity dedicated to using cultural work to help children in disadvantaged communities and hospices. He was also a trustee of the Shakespeare Schools Festival, a theatre charity working with thousands of children across the UK, and has twice been on the judging panel for the Laurence Olivier Awards.
Early in his career Neil founded and ran a pioneering publishing company, Forward, that was eventually sold to marketing group, WPP.
He will be joined at Oriel by his wife, Amelia Wallace, who is a writer.
Neil Mendoza says: “I am honoured to have been selected by the Fellows of Oriel as their new Provost. Oriel is renowned for its scholarship, research and teaching. The College’s strong personality and values are also exemplified by its extra-curricular life in areas such as sport and the arts. I look forward to helping the Fellows, academics, students, College staff and alumni continue to encourage the many wide-ranging and outstanding contributions of this College to the university and wider society.
“I am, of course, especially conscious that this announcement comes soon after the sad news of the death of Dr Mark Whittow, who had been due to take up the post of Provost. I know that Mark is greatly missed by both the College and the wider Oxford community.”