Pro-Chancellors
The Pro-Chancellors of the University are elected by Court on the nomination of the Board of Trustees. They act as deputy to the Chancellor and may exercise the functions of the Chancellor (except for the conferring of degrees) in their absence.
Dr Jackie Cornish
- First appointed: 1 January 2021
- Current term of office ends: 31 December 2026
Biography
Dr Jackie Cornish attended the University of Bristol from 1967 to 1972, graduating with a medical degre.
She has worked for over 40 years in front line care as an NHS Paediatrician, devoting herself to the treatment of children with malignant disease. Specifically, she directed the innovative Paediatric Stem Cell Transplant Unit at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children where the use of unrelated donors for children with high-risk haematological malignancy was pioneered. The published outcomes of these transplants in Bristol set a global gold standard.
Jackie also had 20 years of Medical Management experience locally and regionally before moving to the post of National Clinical Director for Children, Young People and Transition to Adulthood in NHS England in 2013; a post she held for 7 years. In this role, she advised both the government and the NHS on improving outcomes for children in all areas of physical and mental health. She has been chair of the University's Expert Advisory Group on Mental Health since 2018.
Throughout her career in Bristol, Jackie has worked closely with the Medical School to support cell biology research, particularly in the study of ground-breaking areas in childhood leukaemia. Most recently, she was instrumental in the creation of the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) and subsequent award of the delivery contract to the University of Bristol. The Reduction of Child Mortality Programme, together with the Database, is arguably her greatest achievement as National Clinical Director for Children. The NCMD, a first of its type in Europe, has been invaluable in supporting improvements in Child Mortality through its thematic reports, especially during the pandemic.
Jackie was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2014, with her oration given by Dr Esther Crawley. In June 2003, she was awarded an OBE for services to paediatric medicine.
Credit for Dr Jackie Cornish's image: Ede and Ravenscroft
Dr Andrew Sheng
- First appointed: 1 January 2020
- Current term of office ends: 31 December 2025
Biography
After graduating from the University with a degree in Economics (BSc 1969), Andrew rose through the ranks of the Bank Negara in Malaysia, to become Chief Economist and Assistant Governor. He later worked at the World Bank as a senior manager, where he undertook pioneering work on bank restructuring.
Now, Andrew is a distinguished fellow at Asia Global Institute, University of Hong Kong, chief adviser to the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, and a former board member of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the sovereign wealth fund of Malaysia.
Andrew has published widely on monetary, economic and financial issues and is a regular contributor to leading economic publications throughout Asia.
Mr Alex Wilmot-Sitwell
- First appointed: 1 January 2020
- Current term of office ends: 31 December 2025
Biography
Alex graduated from the University with a degree in History (BA 1983) and went on to start his career in corporate finance at The English Trust.
He moved to South Africa in 1991 and subsequently joined Robert Fleming in South Africa as a director in corporate finance in 1995. He joined SBC Warburg (which later became UBS) in 1996.
At 37 he became Head of UK Investment Banking at UBS and moved back to London. During his time at UBS Alex worked on some of their biggest deals, including the restructuring of Lloyds Banking. At UBS he went on to become Global Head of Investment Banking, co-CEO of UBS Investment Bank and finally CEO of UBS AG in APAC. He served on the Group Executive Board at UBS AG.
In 2012 he joined Bank of America Merrill Lynch as the president of their business in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Today, Alex is a partner at Perella Weinberg Partners' advisory business based in London, having joined in September 2018. He has regularly been ranked as one of the 100 most influential people in the city.
Alex was a vice president of Save the Children UK from 2008 to 2014 and a member of the University of Bristol Centenary Campaign Board from 2009 to 2014. He was also on the Advisory Board of The Sutton Trust until 2018. Today he serves on the Advisory Board of the National Theatre.