Overview

The imperative to secure world-leading research academics has become one of the top strategic priorities for Global Research Universities.

The largest and most prestigious research-led universities are what they are for a reason and their success in securing large-scale research funding, developing international, multi-partner research alliances, and leading the research endeavour to meet the Grand Challenges rests crucially upon their ability to identify, engage and secure research leaders of the highest calibre wherever they may be located. As the university sector grows globally and as international faculty mobility increases, the demand for this world-leading research capability intensifies and the critical advantage rests with those institutions which have the edge in the professionally executed recruitment of the world’s best academic leaders.

As a global senior level executive search firm, we at Perrett Laver have long given this edge to our clients by providing intensive, intelligent, global search combined with dynamic, accurate, tenacious and candid advocacy. This powerful approach has historically been applied, within the university sector, primarily at the level of President/Vice-Chancellor and first-line report positions but over the last five years the recognition that a campaign of multiple research leadership professorial appointments (and, on occasion, a single decisive appointment) can have a profound impact upon the strategic trajectory of an institution has involved us in some fascinating and deeply rewarding assignments:

• 30+ global searches for full Professor appointments at Queen’s University Belfast (Russell Group)
• 4 global searches for Professorial and Departmental Headship appointments at the newly established research-led Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
• 15+ global searches for full Professor appointments at the University of Surrey (1994 Group)
• 7 global searches for research leadership appointments at the University of Western Sydney
• 20+ global searches for full Professor appointments at the University of Leeds (Russell Group)

Excluding President/Vice-Chancellor, Vice-President/Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and Pro-Vice Chancellor appointments, we have been privileged to advise upon around 250 academic leadership positions (Deans of Faculty, Heads of School, Directors of Research Institute, and Chairs) for more than sixty universities around the world including: the University of Aberdeen, the University of Auckland, the University of Birmingham, the University of Cambridge, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Imperial College London, the University of Manchester, Murdoch University, the University of Oxford, the National University of Singapore, the University of Sydney, and the University of Warwick.