New Chief Financial Officer joins our University
08 Jul 2020
Robert Fraser took up his post on 1 July
Robert Fraser has taken up his post as Chief Financial Officer, joining us from the University of Glasgow where he was Director of Finance for 16 years.
There will be an opportunity to meet Robert at the Senior Leadership Team open meeting on Tuesday, 14 July, 2pm-3pm. You can book your place here:
Robert 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 and served on several national higher education bodies focused on financial reporting, tax and pension issues.
At Glasgow he 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.
On joining our University Robert said: “This is obviously a very difficult time for the whole economy and the higher education sector and we face significant challenges but I am pleased to join The University of Manchester and bring my 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.”
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “Robert brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge which will prove essential in ensuring we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic in a strong financial position to deliver an excellent education and experience for our students, perform high-quality research with impact and maintain our commitment to social responsibility.”
Patrick Hackett, Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, said: “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.”