Paul Marshall was appointed the first Executive Director of the 1994 Group in January 2006.  He is the head of the Group’s administration and is responsible for the management of all Group activity including policy development, government liaison and stakeholder relations.

He regularly speaks at national and international conferences on a diverse range of themes reflecting Group’s focus on the promotion of excellence in research and in the student experience.  Recent Group publications include ‘An Analysis of Postgraduate Provision at UK Universities’ (January 2010), ‘Beyond the Curriculum: Opportunities to enhance employability and future life choices’ (November 2009) and ‘The importance of the HE research base in addressing major global challenges and ensuring the UK’s future prosperity’ (October 2009).

A graduate of the University of Sussex (B.A. Hons. American Studies (History), M.A. American History), Paul began his career as Assistant Planning Officer at the University of Sussex in 1997 before moving to the position of Assistant to the Senior Management Group in 2001.  In this role he was responsible, in addition to supporting the Vice-Chancellor and the Senior Management Team, for managing the Research Assessment Exercise planning process and co-ordination of the University’s approach towards the introduction of the national variable tuition fee system in 2006.  

Paul Chairs the national Creative and Media Diploma Development Partnership Higher Education Advisory Group and is a member of the UK Government Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) 14-19 Higher Education Progression Board, the DCSF Qualification and Progression Project Board, the Research Councils UK Research Concordat Executive and Implementation Groups, and the Universities UK/Universities and Colleges Employers Association Employers Pension Forum.  

Paul Marshall will be participating in the League tables: flawed rankings or key benchmarks? session.