21 December 2023

Taking over from Professor Julie Lydon in August 2021, Professor Treasure stepped into the role of Chair at a turbulent time for the sector, which was still feeling the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the same time, the higher education sector was facing a big shake-up with the formation of the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research, while grappling with ongoing funding challenges and the imminent loss of EU funding.

As Chair, Elizabeth has been committed to tackling these challenges for the benefit of our universities and the people they serve – guiding the sector through recovery from the pandemic and leading the sector through the tertiary education reforms.

Throughout her tenure Elizabeth has taken a collaborative approach to leadership, perhaps best seen by her work supporting the expansion of the Global Wales programme to include further education for the very first time.

She was also determined that Wales should play a substantial role within the wider UK sector and was happy to take the lead on this, with roles in UCEA and UCAS, as well as taking on the role of Vice-President of Universities UK.

Professor Elizabeth Treasure was appointed Vice-chancellor of Aberystwyth University in April 2017 and prior to that she was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Cardiff University. She is a graduate of Birmingham University where she received a BDS and PhD. Following her PhD she worked in a variety of NHS roles before continuing her academic career in the University of Otago, New Zealand before moving to the Dental School at Cardiff University.

During her time working in Wales, Elizabeth has been a consistent champion for the Welsh language, putting her words into action and becoming an advanced learner herself.

Reflecting on Elizabeth’s time as Chair, Amanda Wilkinson, Universities Wales Director, said:

“Elizabeth has been an outstanding leader and a warm and supportive colleague. In her time as our Chair, she has made a huge contribution to higher education, both here in Wales and across the wider UK, and has played a major role in guiding the sector through a period of significant change as we move towards the implementation of the new Commission for Tertiary Education and Research.

In particular, Elizabeth’s ability to see things from different perspectives, to collaborate, and, crucially, to compromise, has meant that she has been able to build effective working relationships, and I know that her pragmatic and supportive approach is valued by people across the sector and beyond.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Elizabeth and I wish her the very best for the future.”