Professor Randall Whittaker

South African-born Whittaker studied music at conservatoires in South Africa, the Netherlands and Czechia, where he was a student of the renowned conductor Vladimír Válek. He has over 20 years of experience in specialist creative higher education, leading significant organisational change and transformation projects. He worked closely with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education to advance leadership in specialist institutions. He has held positions at South Africa, the Netherlands, and UK specialist institutions. He is known for his work on representation and frequently writes and presents on the topic.

Professor Whittaker is a Board member of AdvanceHE, serving as a member of the AdvanceHE Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, and member of the Guild of Freemen of the City of London. He has contributed to the activities of several specialist institutions acting in an external or non-executive director capacity; these have recently included the Utrecht School of the Arts, the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Christie’s Education, and BIMM Music Institute.

Before his role at Rose Bruford College, he was Pro-Vice-Chancellor Academic at Leeds Arts University, responsible for research, postgraduate development, and internationalisation.