Imperial College London has announced the recruitment of exceptional fundraising leader Michael Murphy to lead its Advancement Division.

A highly successful global fundraiser with almost thirty years of experience, Michael has worked with scientists and leading educational institutions throughout his career. He has led fundraising campaigns across the world, and has worked and studied in cities as diverse as Chicago, Dublin, London, Washington DC, Beijing and Hong Kong. 

He is currently chief development officer at the prestigious National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in the US. He will be returning to the UK where he successfully led the Royal Society’s 350^th anniversary fundraising campaign. He served as chief executive of the Foundation and Friends of Kew Gardens for six years and was previously also deputy chief executive of Dublin City University Educational Trust. He began his career at Antioch University in Ohio. 

I am very honoured to be joining one of the world’s best universities Michael Murphy Designate Vice President (Advancement)

Michael moves to Imperial in June to take up the role as current Vice President, Sarah Porter Waterbury, retires. Under her leadership, the Advancement Division has more than doubled in size and overseen major gifts such as the £25 million from Marit Mohn for the College’s new School of Public Health announced last year. 

The College had a record financial year in 2018 with £59 million in donations, an almost four-fold increase compared to previous annual averages. Imperial now has around 13,000 donors, including nearly 5,000 alumni donors, and has seen philanthropic income increase at all levels, including gifts of £1 million or more. 

Remarkable time

Professor Alice P. Gast, President of Imperial College London, said: “We are very privileged to be able to welcome Michael to Imperial. He has considerable global standing built on great breadth and depth of experience in the science and education sectors. 

“He is also joining us at a remarkable time, as Imperial is leading in so many areas of excellence and discovery and friends and alumni are coming forward to support our impactful work. The opportunities are plentiful and Michael will be perfectly placed to continue Sarah’s excellent work and continue to further our aims. 

“His experience working with scientists and academics makes him an excellent partner to our talented community and he is just as passionate as we are to help them fulfil their ambitions and bring their discoveries and teaching to the benefit of society.” 

Michael Murphy, designate Vice President (Advancement) at Imperial College London, said: “I am very honoured to be joining one of the world’s best universities and coming back to one the world’s greatest cities. Imperial has an extraordinary track record of success and is somewhere I have always admired. 

“It will be an absolute delight to meet and work with its staff, students and alumni and continue the incredibly successful fundraising model which Sarah has created. I look forward to helping the College achieve its mission.”