Author: Elizabeth Nixon

Director of Communications

Nick McDermott has been appointed Director of Communications and will join Imperial in September.

Reporting to the Vice-President (Strategic Engagement and Communications), in this role Nick will lead the development and execution of communications that support Imperial’s mission, brand, and strategic objectives. He will oversee both internal and external communications, ensuring consistency, clarity, and impact across all channels.

Nick joins Imperial from NHS England, where he currently acts as Director of Communications, responsible for the largest communications team in the public sector – supporting the delivery of health service’s priorities and building public confidence in the NHS.

Prior to joining the NHS, Nick was a leading health and science journalist. He spent nine years as health and science editor at The Sun, overseeing their pandemic coverage, and making complex research and policy accessible to millions of readers daily. He was previously science and environment reporter at The Daily Mail, and part of an award-winning investigations team.

Vice-President (Strategic Engagement)

Amanda Wolthuizen has accepted appointment as Vice-President (Strategic Engagement), with effect from 28 October 2024.  

Reporting to the President, in this role Amanda will be responsible for the development and implementation of Imperial’s Strategy, Science for Humanity. This includes the development of our international strategy and operations, and the implementation of Imperial’s government relations and stakeholder engagement strategy.   

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Director of the Fleming Initiative

Professor Alison Holmes OBE FMedSci has accepted appointment as the inaugural Director of the Fleming Initiative, with effect from 1 October 2024.   

A partnership between Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, the Fleming Initiative is focused on driving solutions to antimicrobial resistance that are co-designed with patients, the public, and policy makers and underpinned by a rich and diverse evidence base. 

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Senior Consul and Proconsuls

Professor Jonathan Mestel, Professor of Applied Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics, has been reelected as Senior Consul for a second year, from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024.  

Professor Liz Lightstone, Professor of Renal Medicine in the Department of Immunology and Inflammation and Consul (Clinical) for the Faculty of Medicine until 31 August 2023, has been elected as Proconsul for the period 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2026. 

Professor Martin McCall, Professor of Theoretical Optics in the Department of Physics and Consul for the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Education Office until 31 August 2023, has been elected as Proconsul for the period 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2026. 

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Vice-Dean (Research) for the Faculty of Medicine

Professor Graham Cooke has accepted appointment as Vice-Dean (Research) for the Faculty of Medicine, with effect from 1 March 2023, for a period of three years.

As a member of the Faculty of Medicine’s senior leadership team, the Vice-Dean (Research) works closely with the Dean: sitting on the Faculty Management Board, chairing the Faculty Research Committee, and holding responsibility for communicating and promoting research collaboration internally and externally.

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Director of Principal Gifts 

We are pleased to welcome Andrew Paterson who has been appointed as Imperial’s Director of Principal Gifts. Reporting to the Vice-President (Advancement), Andrew will join the senior Advancement team on 27 March 2023. 

The role provides overall coordination of the Principal Gifts Programme – i.e. the pursuit of Imperial’s highest value philanthropic opportunities. Working with Advancement’s faculty-specific and central fundraising teams, the Principal Gifts Team supports all faculties, institutes and networks at Imperial to deliver transformational gifts. 

Andrew has served as the Head of Principal Gifts and Senior Associate Director of Student Support at the University of Cambridge since 2018. While at Cambridge, Andrew played a central role in designing and delivering their successful Student Support Initiative, which raised over £370 million in under four years. Prior to joining Cambridge, Andrew had a long career in private equity-related contexts and management consulting for businesses and organisations, predominantly in the energy sector. He holds an MSci in Fluid Dynamics and an MA in Natural Sciences (Chemistry) from Cambridge.