Vice-Chancellor
Professor Donna Whitehead is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brighton, providing academic and executive leadership to the University and working with students, colleagues and partners to shape its future. As Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, she is accountable to the Board of Governors for the University’s performance and delivery and is an ex-officio member of the Board.
Since joining Brighton in February 2025, Donna has focused on building an ambitious, equitable and sustainable university that changes lives through education, research and knowledge exchange. At the heart of her approach is a belief in the transformative power of higher education, and in creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds to fulfil their potential. Guided by the University’s Distinctively Brighton 2035 strategy, Donna is leading Brighton towards its ambition to become the number one university for enterprise and equity.
This commitment is also personal. Growing up in deprived areas in Hartlepool, in the north-east of England, Donna was the first person in her family to go to university. Her own experience has shaped a career-long commitment to widening opportunity and social mobility, and a strong belief that people’s potential should not be determined by their background or circumstances.
That experience also shapes her vision for a university deeply connected to its city and region, using its education, research, expertise and partnerships to help tackle some of the big challenges facing people and communities. Donna believes universities have an important role to play in bringing people and organisations together, creating opportunities, addressing inequalities and making a tangible difference to people’s lives.
Alongside her role at the University, Donna is Co-Chair of the Whitehawk Pride in Place Board, supporting a community-led programme to build on the strengths and ambitions of the area and create new opportunities for local people.
Before joining Brighton, Donna was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of South Wales and previously held the same role at London Metropolitan University. Earlier in her career she was Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at the University of the West of England. She began her academic career as a lecturer in law at the University of Sunderland, where she had studied as an undergraduate and postgraduate.
A qualified legal practitioner in the UK who has also passed the New York Bar examination, Donna has taught and researched across a range of areas of law, with a particular interest in family law. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and mentors senior leaders in higher education and other sectors.