Former Chairman of the Board of the Inland Revenue, Sir Nicholas Montagu, KCB, is announced as the next Chairman of Council at Queen Mary, University of London.
Sir Nicholas will succeed Dr Colette Bowe who stands down as Chairman in August 2009. Sir Nicholas joins the Queen Mary Council in January 2009 before taking over as Chairman.Sir Nicholas Montagu is a distinguished public servant who has worked at the heart of Government for over twenty years. As a high-ranking civil servant, under both Conservative and Labour administrations, he has worked on some of the most vital issues of the day. Pensions, rail privatisation, and public service reform - he has played a leading role in all of these.Speaking about his appointment, Sir Nicholas said: “I am delighted to be joining the Council of Queen Mary. As the recent Research Assessment Exercise has shown, it is one of the country’s foremost higher education institutions and I look forward very much to playing a part in its progress from strength to strength.”Professor Philip Ogden, Acting Principal of Queen Mary said: “Chairing Queen Mary’s governing body, and holding the management to account for the College’s strategic direction, is a hugely important role and one to which Sir Nicholas will bring a wealth of experience and expertise. This is an especially important role as we move into a new strategic planning period following Queen Mary’s outstanding results in the recent Research Assessment Exercise. Along with my colleagues, I am delighted to welcome Sir Nicholas to Queen Mary.”“On behalf of Queen Mary’s staff and students I would like to thank Dr Bowe for the outstanding and very hard work she has undertaken on our behalf over the past five years and wish her great success in her new role at Ofcom.”Sir Nicholas is married, with two daughters, and enjoys cooking and walking in his spare time. He was knighted in 2001.
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