New Chief Financial Officer appointed

27 Apr 2020

Robert Fraser joins from University of Glasgow

The University has appointed Robert Fraser as our new Chief Financial Officer, joining from the University of Glasgow where he is Director of Finance.

Robert has worked for Glasgow since 2004 and has previously held leadership roles at Heriot-Watt University and in sectors including retail, electronics, financial software and education.  He has worked extensively overseas in Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe.   He has served on several national higher education bodies focused on financial reporting, tax and pension issues.

At Glasgow he has led numerous significant projects: including changing the way research support is provided, improving processes across all areas of finance and making substantial investment in e-procurement, ledgers and payroll. He has overseen and managed the University of Glasgow’s own pension scheme and investment in the estate.

Robert is part of the University of Glasgow’s management team and in that role leads on risk management, including identifying opportunities for investment and additional sources of income.

He said: “This is an extremely difficult time for the economy and the sector, but having worked in higher education for many years, I am really pleased to be able to join The University of Manchester and bring that experience to bear as we deal with the financial impact of coronavirus and make plans to come out of the crisis in the best possible position.”

Robert will start in his role on 1 July, taking over from David Soutter and John Cunningham who have been providing interim support. 

Patrick Hackett, Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, said: “I would like to thank John and David for their work, particularly during the current period where their knowledge has helped us address the financial problems caused by the pandemic and make robust plans for the future.

“I am really pleased that Robert has joined us. He brings with him significant experience inside and outside the sector and thoroughly understands the issues that we will be facing as we seek to emerge stronger after this crisis is over.”

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “As I outlined in my communication to staff last week, our University is facing some significant financial challenges. We have already taken significant action and I would like to thank John and David for their work on this.  With Robert joining us we will have a Chief Financial Officer of great experience who will play a vital role in the decisions we will need to make, and our recovery from the pandemic.”