Bahram Bekhradnia, the current Director of the Higher Education Policy Institute – a position that he has held since the creation of HEPI in November 2002 – is to step down from his position as Director, and take up a new role as President of HEPI with effect from 31 December 2013. As President he will provide support and advice to the new Director as needed from time-to-time.
Commenting on his change of role, Bahram said: “After 11 years as Director I think it is time for me to hand over the day-to-day running of the Institute. This is a most exciting and challenging time for higher education, and in my new role as President of HEPI I am looking forward to supporting the new Director as HEPI continues to play a key role in analysing policy and helping to inform those who have an interest in higher education and its successful development in the UK”.
The Chairman of the HEPI Board of Trustees, Sir Graeme Davies, said: “As the founding Director of HEPI, Bahram has been the driving force in establishing HEPI’s strong reputation for robust and objective policy analysis and advice across the whole range of higher education issues. More recently, as we have sought to establish a sustainable funding base for the Institute, HEPI’s strong reputation as a critical friend to the HE sector, under Bahram’s skilled leadership, has been instrumental in securing substantial support from the sector. We now have over 75 institutions in HEPI’s University Partnership Programme – representing over 50% of the UK’s universities. With such positive endorsement from the sector, and with Bahram continuing to play a key advisory role, HEPI will continue to play its part in helping to sustain a successful HE sector in this country.”
The HEPI Trustees have embarked on an open recruitment process with the intention of making an appointment of the new HEPI Director in the summer of 2013, to enable him/her to take up their post from 1 January 2014.