Arden University appoints Professor Carl Lygo as new Vice Chancellor and CEO

Arden University has today (16 Apr) announced the appointment of Professor Carl Lygo as Vice Chancellor and CEO.

Carl Lygo is a Professor of Law and Barrister with extensive experience in higher education having held numerous management positions in the sector. He was the founding vice-chancellor of BPP University and served as the CEO of BPP Holdings until 2017, during a period which saw BPP successfully acquire university status and taught degree awarding powers.

Professor Lygo was voted one of the ‘Top 50 Most Influential people in UK Higher Education’ for 2015 by Wonkhe. He was previously also on the board of the Office for Students (OfS), having served as non-executive member of the board of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

In 2018, he was appointed as Executive Chair of the Board of Governors at the University of Applied Sciences Europe (UE) in Germany and Chairman of Global University Systems’ Public Affairs Committee. He is an Association of Colleges Global Medal winner and was honoured with the ‘Outstanding Contribution by an Individual’ title at the EducationInvestor Awards 2018.

Reflecting on his appointment, Professor Lygo said: “As Arden University continues to go from strength to strength, I am looking forward to embracing the opportunities of my role as its Vice Chancellor and CEO. I hope to make a valuable contribution to Arden’s continued growth and success.”

Professor Lygo will replace Professor Philip Hallam, the founding Vice-Chancellor of Arden University, who has spent the past 19 years leading the organisation. Professor Hallam will remain at Arden as Board adviser until October 2019, facilitating the transition and supporting Professor Lygo in his new role.

About Professor Carl Lygo: A barrister, a Professor of English Common Law and has specialised in comparative German Commercial Law, which he taught at the University of London. For 20 years, he was at the BPP education company, where he progressed from being a professor to become the founding Vice Chancellor of BPP University and Group Chief Executive.

He inspired and led the growth of BPP’s Business School, Law School, School of Health and School of Foundation & English Language Studies as well as having executive responsibility for universities in the Netherlands and the IUBH business school in Germany.

About Arden University: A modern university that offers a more flexible way to study which enables students to ‘learn whilst they earn’, through either distance or blended learning options. Blended learning combines face to face, tutor-led teaching at one of Arden’s five Study Centres in London, Manchester and Birmingham with self-study time. Arden believes that the purpose of Higher Education is to enable everyone to further career prospects and equip them with the right skills for the workplace.

This is why course content is specifically focused on furthering career progression and improving workplace potential. It’s also why Arden invites companies to sit on the university’s validation boards to continually review and iterate course content. Arden’s entry requirements and costs involved help to make it a more accessible choice especially for candidates who haven’t been in education for a while or who are now returning to education having chosen a different path after leaving school.