QAA announces next Chief Executive

The Board of the QAA has today announced the appointment of Vicki Stott as our next Chief Executive, following national and international advertisement through an executive search firm and a competitive recruitment process.

Vicki Stott currently serves as QAA’s Executive Director of Operations and Deputy Chief Executive, and will succeed Douglas Blackstock, who is due to step down in the autumn.

Professor Simon Gaskell, Chair of QAA’s Board said: ‘The Board is united in welcoming Vicki as QAA’s next Chief Executive. We have every confidence that she is the right person to ensure that QAA continues to reflect the sector’s shared commitment to quality and standards and adapts to the challenges ahead. She will be building on strong foundations laid by Douglas Blackstock through significant reform in the sector and the recent exceptional challenges of the pandemic.’

Vicki Stott said: ‘I’m delighted to have been selected as QAA’s next Chief Executive. I will be taking over a highly capable team, overseen and supported by a constructive and insightful Board. Together we can build on QAA’s recent strong track record as an independent charity working across all the nations of the UK to benefit students, safeguard standards and ensure the quality of higher education.’ 

Vicki joined QAA in 2019 in her current role. Before joining QAA, she worked at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, where she was Bursar (Chief Operating Officer), a director of Oxford Limited, St Hugh’s Conferences, St Hugh’s Estates and a founding director of NOSCS. She has also worked at the University of Birmingham, the University of Warwick and Warwick Business School, and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), following previous experience in the commercial and charity sectors.