Chair of the Russell Group receives knighthood

14 June 2014

The Chair of the Russell Group, Professor David Eastwood, has been knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

Dr Wendy Piatt, Director General of the Russell Group of Universities, said:

"We congratulate our Chair, Professor Sir David Eastwood, on his Knighthood. He has made a huge contribution to higher education and research throughout his career – as a historian, public servant, and Vice-Chancellor.

"As Chair of the Russell Group he is a formidable advocate for our research intensive universities, helping us demonstrate the vitally important and unique role Russell Group universities play in the UK and across the world."

Professor Eastwood is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham and has been Chair of the Russell Group of Universities since 2012.

Before taking up his position at the University of Birmingham in 2009 he spent three years as Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England. He has also led the University of East Anglia, and held senior positions at the University of Swansea and Pembroke College, Oxford.

As Chief Executive of the Arts and Humanities Research Board he played a leading role in its establishment as a fully-fledged Research Council through the 2004 Higher Education Act.

He has served on the boards of many national bodies and commissions whose work continues to shape the UK education system, including the Tomlinson Group on 14-19 Education and the Browne Review Panel on Student Funding and Finance.