Denis Burn

Honorary Fellowship

April 2022 - Orator: Robin Geller

Listen to full oration and honorary speech on Soundcloud

Chancellor,

An Honorary Fellowship is the highest honour the University of Bristol can bestow. The title is conferred on an individual who has attained distinction in their academic field or has contributed consistently and over a significant period to the life of the University.

Denis Burn may not, at a quick glance, stand out as an entirely obvious candidate for such a prominent, public award. He is soft-spoken, down-to-earth - and utterly unpretentious. Yet he is someone who, always with a twinkle in his eye, quietly and determinedly, motivates, promotes and inspires. Denis is someone who gets things done. As one friend observed: “Denis believes it is his responsibility to make good things happen around him.”

Denis has lived virtually his entire life in the Bristol area – he was born in Cleeve in the same house in which he lives today. His relationship with the University began in the 1970s when he completed a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After a few years in the field, and equipped with an MBA from INSEAD, Denis moved from heavy engineering into a new career path.

In 1988, after a few years with Arthur Young, he co-founded Gimlet, his own management consultancy business and became an early internet entrepreneur designing web platforms to allow employers and employees to contact each other directly – and, as a result, reducing costs. Gimlet’s early successes included the creation of eTeach which remains the premiere platform for recruiting staff in schools across England. Since leaving Gimlet, Denis has had a remarkable portfolio career, combining consultancy work with the creation and leadership of a wide range of charitable endeavours.

Denis’s approach to his philanthropic endeavours has been consistent. He sees that there is a problem and works closely with partners and stakeholders to identify the solution. He then works out the plan to deliver that solution by bringing people - and the necessary resources - with him. In the process he has built an extraordinary network of friends and made a real difference to the people of Somerset and Bristol – and to this University in particular.

Indeed, the list of Denis’s contributions to the Bristol and Somerset communities is incredibly long so today I will only briefly highlight a few of the ways in which Denis has used his talents, energy, sense of humour and vision to change lives for the better. 

His volunteer engagements began in the 1980s when Denis was one of the founding trustees and Chair of MusicSpace - a charity that offers music therapy for people with severe autism. The creation of South Bristol Youth was also Denis’s brainchild and he became its founding Chair. This remarkable organisation recognises the importance of working with and through schools to respond to the specific needs of young people, parents and carers in disadvantaged areas of the city.

Denis was also the champion and founding Chair of the Merchant’s Academy. Working with Bristol City Council, he saw the potential to improve a struggling school in one of Bristol’s most disadvantaged areas. He persuaded the Society of Merchant Venturers and the University to get on board and, a few years later the Merchant’s Academy opened its doors in brand-new, state of the art facilities. This one school has grown into a multi-academy Trust with over 3,200 pupils.

Denis was also the Chair of the Bristol Old Vic during a critical period in its history. Working with Dick Penny and other members of the Board, he was instrumental in raising over £25M to fund the extraordinary refurbishment of this great building.

Alongside all of this, Denis also began to make a difference to the University of Bristol.  He joined the Board in 2006, taking on the role of Chair in 2010. During his time on the Board, and as its Chair, the higher education environment underwent seismic changes – particularly but not only around the funding model for universities. His tenure also coincided with a flood of controversies including a renewed focus on Vice-chancellor’s salaries, freedom of speech on campus, investment in fossil fuels, the crisis in funding pensions and the introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Being Chair of the Board during this eventful period required not only a steady hand, but also the willingness to take on risk. Denis balanced those competing demands with ease – steering the University through these choppy waters with outstanding judgment, balanced with compassion and humility and a willingness to admit when he was wrong.

I can attest from working with Denis that he is a gifted chair – always genuinely listening to the views of Board members as well as students and staff. Denis was easy to brief and did his homework meticulously. He managed controversial discussions particularly well - always sensing when it was essential to allow Board discussions to overrun – to give them the time to breathe. Throughout, Denis always demonstrated a light touch and a fabulous sense of humour which set the tone for Board discussions.

During his time as Chair, the Board endorsed an ambitious new University Strategy. Working closely with Sir Eric Thomas, and then with Hugh Brady, Denis was determined to make the University a better place to study and to work. He championed community engagement and brought a particular focus to diversifying the University’s student body and its staff.

By the time Denis stepped down, the University had changed significantly and for the better - with major investments in the quality of the student experience as well as in the physical plant. His legacy includes a complete overhaul of university governance and of course the appointment of the University’s current Vice-Chancellor - Hugh Brady – a task that he described as the most important role of any governing body.

It is impossible to reflect on Denis’s achievements without also recognising the profound importance of his family. No one has been more critical to Denis’s success and his happiness than his wife Hilary who is here with us today along with a number of his children. Hilary is herself a force of nature - literally - particularly in the area of environmental activism, where her energy and drive mirror her husband’s. Together they are a formidable team.

I want to close with a few words from Sir Eric Thomas. He describes Denis as “a person who embodies everything that the chair of a University should be: Knowledgeable, supportive, and challenging. He is a man of principle who always had the well-being of the University at heart.” I couldn’t agree more.

Chancellor, I commend to you Denis Burn to receive the distinction of Honorary Fellow of the University of Bristol.