Interim Director for Fair Access and Participation, Office for Students (OfS) and Professor of Practice in Education Policy, University of Birmingham.
Chris first served as the first Director of Fair Access and Participation between 2018 and 2021 where his leadership transformed Access and Participation Plans. In 2022 he joined the University of Birmingham where he leads research on educational equity and its impact on policy and practice. His work focusses on place-based educational opportunity and lifelong learning. In November 2025 it was announced that Chris would return to his previous role as Interim Director for Fair Access and Participation, serving in a part-time capacity alongside his current role at the University of Birmingham whilst recruitment to the substantive role takes place. Prior to his first tenure at the OfS, Chris was Director of Policy at the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), overseeing the Teaching Excellence Framework, National Student Survey and Uni Connect.
Chris is also a board member for Medr (the Welsh Tertiary Education Commission), a Marshall Scholarships Commissioner, a Trustee and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and a Trustee of the Society for Research into Higher Education.