1. Foreword from the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive About

My first year as Vice-Chancellor has been a year of choices. We have faced a difficult environment and made the decisions needed to keep our focus on students and staff.

The pressures on higher education remain severe. Costs are rising, fee income has not kept pace, and government policy has shifted quickly. We closed the year with a deficit.

That is a serious challenge, but one we are tackling from a stronger base than many. London Met has no external debt, we hold reserves, and we manage our resources carefully. Those fundamentals allow us to make deliberate decisions, safeguard what matters most, and return to surplus with discipline and care.

Yet financial headlines do not define us. What matters most are our students and staff. Over the past year we have seen stronger continuation, new courses in health and the built environment, and partnerships that stretch from London to overseas.

Our students told us, through the National Student Survey, that they feel heard and supported. For the first time our results placed us among the sector’s leaders for student voice. Colleagues continue to be recognised nationally for excellent teaching. There is more to do on modernising our teaching, student progression and graduate outcomes, and we know the steps we need to take.

Investing in our infrastructure

In 2025/26 we open a renewed Shoreditch campus for Art and Design, a landmark for our creative disciplines and a clear investment in their future. Refurbished teaching spaces at Aldgate and Holloway will also come into use, giving students and staff modern, welcoming environments. Each project has been planned to limit disruption while steadily improving our estate. Next comes a transformed entrance and student heart at Holloway, creating spaces that bring pride and connection to the whole community, including an exciting student zone for services, food outlets and relaxed learning spaces.

Our research and knowledge exchange are growing in strength and profile. Colleagues are winning recognition and external funding for work that directly addresses the challenges of our time: tackling domestic violence, reimagining cities, advancing sustainability, and improving health. This is research with real-world impact locally and internationally.

A vital institution

I strongly believe that institutions like London Met are vital to the success of our country. In a political climate where higher education can be undervalued and where divisive voices challenge diversity and social justice, we remain committed to widening opportunity, celebrating difference, and offering an education that brings people together.

I am realistic about the challenges, but full of optimism about our future. London Met changes lives. That truth gives me energy every day, and together we will continue to deliver on it in the year ahead.