David Allen

Appointment: 1 December 2008 to 30 November 2011; 1 December 2011 to 30 November 2014

David Allen has been Registrar and Secretary of the University of Exeter since 2003 and Deputy Chief Executive since 2009. As Chief Operating Officer he is responsible for the effective and efficient operations and governance of the University, controlling budgets of some £80million and being responsible for 1500 staff. David was educated at Barry Comprehensive School for Boys and graduated from Swansea in 1973, followed by a master's degree from Cardiff in 1986. He began his career in University management at the University of Wales Registry in 1976, moving to the then Welsh National School of Medicine in 1981. In 1986 he took up a senior post at the University of Southampton before returning to Wales in 1991 as Secretary to the Joint Planning and Resources Committee of the University of Wales. In 1994 he was appointed Registrar of the University of Nottingham and in 1998 Registrar and Secretary of the University of Birmingham.  David currently serves on the Board of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and chairs its Audit Committee. He is a member of the Leadership, Governance and Management Committee of the Higher Education Funding Council for England and also serves on its Shared Services Advisory Group.