David Pacey appointed as University Secretary at UCL

David Pacey, currently Chief Governance Officer at the University of Sydney, will be UCL’s new University Secretary, providing independent leadership of governance support and advice to the university’s Council and senior officers.

David brings over 30 years of experience in higher education and government in senior management roles focused on ensuring organisations make accountable, transparent and effective organisational decisions. For the past 11 years, he has provided expert advice to the Senate, Vice-Chancellor, Chair of Academic Board and senior management team of the University of Sydney in several senior roles, prior to which he was Director of Governance at the University of Technology Sydney. He has also held governance roles in Australian local government.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Governance Institute and a Member of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Association of University Secretaries. He is expected to join UCL in June 2023.

UCL’s University Secretary reports directly to the Chair of Council and leads the Governance Team to ensure that Council and its Committees have effective support, as well as providing efficient frameworks of governance for the university executive.

Chair of Council, Victor Chu, commented:

"David is a highly respected figure in the Australian governance sector and I am delighted that UCL will benefit from his extensive track record of working in large, complex and research-intensive organisations. He will be an invaluable advisor and support to me as Chair of Council, to the wider membership and to UCL’s senior team. I am very much looking forward to working with him."

David added: "I am thrilled to be joining the Governance team at UCL and working closely with the Chair of Council, Council members and the senior team. I am very much looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead."