Alumnus Sir Philip Dilley appointed next Chair of Imperial's Council

Sir Philip Dilley has been appointed Chair of Imperial's governing Council.

Leading engineer and businessman Sir Philip Dilley, former Executive Chairman of Arup Group, has been appointed Chair of Imperial's governing Council.

Sir Philip succeeds Baroness Manningham-Buller, who has been Chair since July 2011 and who will become Chair of the Wellcome Trust in autumn 2015. Sir Philip is the 12^th Chair of Imperial’s governing and executive body and the first alumnus of Imperial to hold the position.

Sir Philip graduated from Imperial with a First in Civil Engineering in 1976, and spent his engineering career within Arup Group, rising to become its Executive Chairman from 2009 to 2014. He continues to advise the firm, and since September 2014 has been Chairman of The Environment Agency. Sir Philip will become Chair on Monday 18 May 2015, and is appointed for an initial four-year term.

The Search for a successor to Baroness Manningham-Buller was led by the Council’s Deputy Chair Jeremy Newsum. The Search Committee’s recommendation of Sir Philip was approved enthusiastically by Council. 

“We have looked closely at the opportunities and challenges ahead of Imperial and thought hard about the qualities we would most benefit from in the leadership of its Council,” said Mr Newsum.

“We are very confident that Sir Philip has what Imperial needs in full measure, and are delighted that he has agreed to become our next Chair.”

Welcoming his appointment President of Imperial College London, Professor Alice P. Gast said:

“I was attracted to Imperial by the excellence of its people. The members of the Council embody that excellence in their service and guidance to the College. We are immensely fortunate to benefit from Sir Philip’s talents and expertise. He will be a great leader and I am looking forward to working with him.”

Sir Philip has already served on Council since 2011, and is a member of the Imperial West Syndicate and the Nominations and Remuneration Committees. He said:

“It is a great honour to be asked to chair Imperial’s Council and I am delighted that I will be able to serve the College as its Chair at such an exciting time in its development,” he said.

“We owe Eliza Manningham-Buller a huge thank you for her service in leading the Council with such wisdom, clarity of thought, and with such strong advocacy for Imperial’s mission, relevance and impact in the world today.”

Manningham-Buller in the Chair

Writing to College staff to announce the appointment, Clerk to the Council and College Secretary Mr John Neilson described how Baroness Manningham-Buller had made ‘exceptional contributions’ to Imperial in her six years on Council and four years as its Chair.

Baroness Manningham-Buller

He highlighted that during her time she led the introduction of a new leadership model for the College:

“Like other leading universities elsewhere in the world, today the College has a President and a Provost, allowing us greater capacity for our leadership to participate externally in the UK and overseas,” he said.

Among a long list of achievements, he drew attention to the College’s strategic developments across west London during her tenure -- the purchase of an additional 18-acre site to expand Imperial West, the plans to build Woodward Hall and the acquisition of sports facilities at Heston – and to the opening of the Imperial College Translational and Experimental Medicine building at the Hammersmith Campus, the launch of the annual Imperial Festival, and the renewed focus on fundraising and advancement at the College.

President Gast thanked Baroness Manningham-Buller on behalf of the College and its alumni and supporters for her many contributions to Imperial:

“I have been most impressed with Eliza’s leadership of such a talented and dedicated Council. She has been wonderful to work with and has left a lasting imprint on the College, the Council and our leadership team. We extend our warmest congratulations to her on her appointment as Chair of the Wellcome Trust and we know that she will bring great value to the Trust.”

Baroness Manningham-Buller, Chair of Imperial’s Council, said:

"I am sad to be leaving Imperial as it is a fascinating place, bursting with outstanding people and exciting ideas. It has been most rewarding to be involved with such a great university, and I feel privileged to have chaired its Council and Court since 2011. I am delighted that Philip is my successor. I think the College has made an excellent choice and that it will continue to thrive and develop under his chairmanship. I shall always value the friendships I have made in the College."