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Annual report of the Remuneration Committee 2023-24

The Remuneration Committee determines the remuneration of the University's senior officers. Part of the Annual Accounts 2023-24.


Annual Accounts

Our Remuneration Committee, under delegated authority from Council, determines the remuneration of our senior officers. An update from each meeting is presented to Council by the Committee Chair.

Remuneration Committee meetings for academic year 2023/24

Read the current Remuneration Committee Terms of Reference and current membership.

Meeting attendance

24 October 2023

In attendance were:

  • Alun Griffiths, Chair
  • Pamela Chesters, Chair of Council
  • Catherine Mealing-Jones, lay member
  • Tim Ford, lay member
  • Professor Alan Hayes, staff member
  • Jimena Alamo, SU President
  • Professor Ian White,
  • Richard Brooks, Director of HR
  • Greg Noakes, Secretary

Andrew Browning (Secretary) was not required at this meeting.

14 December 2023

In attendance were:

  • Alun Griffiths, Chair
  • Pamela Chesters, Chair of Council
  • Catherine Mealing-Jones, lay member
  • Tim Ford, lay member
  • Professor Alan Hayes, staff member
  • Richard Brooks, Director of HR
  • Andrew Browning, Secretary

Jimena Alamo (SU President) did not attend the meeting. Professor Ian White (Vice-Chancellor) and Greg Noakes (Secretary) were not required at the meeting.

12 March 2024

In attendance were:

  • Alun Griffiths, Chair
  • Pamela Chesters, Chair of Council
  • Catherine Mealing-Jones, lay member
  • Tim Ford, lay member
  • Professor Alan Hayes, staff member
  • Richard Brooks, Director of HR
  • Andrew Browning, Secretary

Jimena Alamo (SU President) did not attend the meeting. Professor Ian White (Vice-Chancellor) and Greg Noakes (Secretary) were not required at the meeting.

8 July 2024

In attendance were:

  • Alun Griffiths, Chair
  • Pamela Chesters, Chair of Council
  • Tim Ford, lay member
  • Professor Alan Hayes, staff member
  • Jimena Alamo, SU President
  • Richard Brooks, Director of HR
  • Andrew Browning, Secretary

Catherine Mealing-Jones (lay member) did not attend the meeting. Professor Ian White (Vice-Chancellor) and Greg Noakes (Secretary) were not required at the meeting.

Approach to Remuneration

The overall goal of our approach to senior staff remuneration is to offer levels appropriate to attract, retain and motivate senior staff who have the appropriate skills and qualifications to lead delivery of our mission and strategic objectives. We recognise that our status as a public body is a fundamental part of the decisions regarding pay for all employees, particularly senior staff. Our students and staff are important stakeholders and we recognise that our reputation as an education provider, and as an employer, can be influenced by perceptions of value for money and the way in which senior remuneration is set and governed. Read the senior staff remuneration framework.

We offer remuneration packages appropriate to a leading University, benchmarked against other UK HE institutions of comparable scale, status and complexity operating in a competitive market.

All decisions regarding the remuneration associated with specific roles are taken, with external advice when required, in accordance with our commitment to equality and diversity; financial position and value for money; the nature of the role; reward levels for other members of our community; guidance issued by the Office for Students (OfS) and Committee of University Chairs (CUC); and metrics and benchmarks1 from across the sector. When considering individuals, this also includes the attributes and skills of the candidate and, any changes in responsibilities and individual performance.

Read policies about expenses and income:

The 2023/24 academic year

The Committee met four times during the year according to its agreed annual cycle.

In October 2023 the meeting reviewed the Vice-Chancellor’s recommendations for pay increases for members of the senior team according to the biennial cycle. The recommendations were approved based on the performance reports. The Committee also approved the Vice-Chancellor’s objectives for 2023/24 for noting by Council.

In December 2023 the Committee considered the remuneration for the new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Taylor and later confirmed approval by correspondence with a start date of 1 August 2024. The Committee approved operational matters regarding new appointments and settlement cases and undertook its annual training, which this year included sector pay trends, pressures on the JNCHES pay spine and a review of inclusion data regarding the new Professorial pay system.

The March 2024 meeting was dedicated to policy review, and the Committee spent some time reviewing its policy on the use of benchmarks in remuneration decisions. With the Government’s decision to remove the LifeTime Allowance on pensions, the Committee also updated the policy on pay-in-lieu of pensions.

In July 2024, recognising the imminent leadership transition, the Committee looked forward to possible upcoming appointments and considered benchmarks to guide the recruitment of a potential Deputy Vice-Chancellor. This meeting also gave the Committee the opportunity to reflect on the results of its Effectiveness Review.

The Vice-Chancellor

Professor White’s salary was initially set with reference to external benchmarks on recruitment in April 2019, making comparison with universities of similar scale, complexity and ranking2. In accordance with his contract, the salary was reviewed at the third anniversary of his recruitment to ensure alignment with benchmarks and reflecting his personal performance. Apart from the third anniversary review, the Vice-Chancellor only received the annual pay awards as defined by the JNCHES national negotiation.

As Professor White will retain an ongoing employment relationship with the University as a part time Professorial Fellow following his resignation as Vice Chancellor, the Committee set the appropriate salary level on the academic pay scale.

Professor Taylor’s salary was established using the same benchmarking process, taking into account sector guidance and the initial expectations for the role. The basic salary was published as part of the announcement of Professor Taylor’s recruitment. The Remuneration Committee will review this in line with other staff under the remit of the Remuneration Committee.

  1. With a particular focus on pre-92 universities with revenue over £200M. 

  2. The main comparators were: Surrey, Loughborough, Lancaster, East Anglia, York, and Essex. Although different in scale, the following were also considered: Exeter, Newcastle, Bristol, Liverpool, and Warwick. 

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