A new chief operating office is set to join the University of Cumbria next month.
Mark Swindlehurst will join the university on Monday, September 5.
He previously worked at Lancaster University and on a wide range of projects for many universities in his role as director of both management consultancy and asset management companies.
Mark is a chartered engineer and began his career at BAE Systems before moving into estate and asset management.
He worked as principal development and portfolio manager at the BBC before taking up the role of director of estates at Lancaster University. Mark later became director of facilities, overseeing a new estates strategy and campus masterplans.
With a digital-first approach and a strong emphasis on partnership working, Mark will also lead on the university’s major capital projects and estates strategy, including the two new campus development projects in Carlisle and Barrow.
He joins Dr Amanda Taylor-Beswick, who was appointed in June as a new director responsible for developing a centre for digital transformation as part of the university’s 2030 Strategy.
Amanda brings with her a wealth of experience including mental health social work and social work with D/deaf children and adults in Ireland. It was Amanda’s interest in social work education that led her to social work academia in England.
She has been named in the Jisc Top 50 HE Influencers on Social Media and as one of the UK Government top three Women in Tech Leaders 2018. Amanda’s doctoral work focussed on the Contribution of Social Work Education to the Digital Professionalism of Students in Readiness to Practice in a Digital World.
University of Cumbria vice chancellor, Professor Julie Mennell said: “I am delighted to welcome both Amanda and Mark to our senior leadership team.
“We were established in Cumbria for a reason, and this drives us: to increase higher education participation in our county, to address higher-level skills and sector needs and most importantly to positively impact on the lives and livelihoods of individuals across our communities.
“We are investing and are being invested in. With £63 million capital funding from the Borderlands Growth Deal Initiative, Carlisle Town Deal and Barrow Town Deal to transform our university digital as well as physical presence and offer.
“It’s an exciting time to join the university and I look forward to working with them both to deliver our ambitions.”
