Registrar and Secretary of the University of Essex, Dr Tony Rich, is to leave after 12 years in post to take up an appointment as Registrar and Chief Operating Officer at the University of Bristol.

Dr Rich, who joined Essex in 1999 from the University of East Anglia, played a key role in the establishment of the University’s campus in Southend and, in partnership with the University of East Anglia, the creation of University Campus Suffolk.

He is currently a member of Colchester 2020, the Local Strategic Partnership and Renaissance Southend Ltd, the urban regeneration company. He is also a member of the Governing Body of Colchester Institute; a member of the Partnership Board responsible for the development of firstsite, the new visual arts centre in Colchester; and was formerly a member of the (NHS) Essex Workforce Development Confederation Board.

Dr Rich, who will take up the appointment in the late summer, said: “I have had a great time at Essex, which has afforded me a wide range of opportunities. I have enjoyed working with very talented colleagues, both in academic departments and in the professional services. 

“I believe the University is in a strong position to withstand the challenges of the next few years and to move ahead to become yet more successful over the next decade.”

Dr Rich studied at the University of Manchester where he took a PhD in African politics. He then worked for the Longman Group and the universities of Warwick and Sheffield before becoming Academic Registrar at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Riordan said: “Tony has been key to the success of the University of Essex over the past decade. He has been instrumental in forging strong links between the University and the communities of both Colchester and Southend, and has contributed significantly to the University’s strategic development in a period during which it has doubled in size. He will be much missed, but after 12 years at Essex Tony is ready for a new challenge and I wish him every success in Bristol.”

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A photo of Dr Rich is available from the Communications Office. For further information please contact Jenny Grinter on 01206 872400, e-mail: comms@essex.ac.uk.