Interim Director for Fair Access and Participation appointed

The Department for Education has today announced the appointment of Professor Chris Millward as Interim Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students (OfS).

Professor Millward is Professor of Practice in Education Policy at the University of Birmingham, where he leads research on educational equity and its impact on policy and practice. He is 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.

He previously served as the first Director for Fair Access and Participation at the OfS, where his leadership transformed Access and Participation Plans.

Prior to his first tenure at the OfS, Professor Millward was Director of Policy at the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), overseeing the Teaching Excellence Framework, National Student Survey and Uni Connect.

He has held academic and policy roles at the universities of Warwick, Edinburgh and Durham, and at the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Professor Millward’s work continues to focus on place-based educational opportunity and lifelong learning. He will serve in an interim part-time capacity whilst recruitment to the substantive role takes place.

A full recruitment campaign for the substantive Director for Fair Access and Participation role will be advertised on the public appointments website in due course.