New Chief Property Officer appointed at University of Manchester following successful campaign led by Dixon Walter
Posted 4th December 2024
The University of Manchester has appointed Barra Mac Ruairí as the new Chief Property Officer to lead the Estates and Facilities Directorate, joining early in 2025.
Barra is currently the Chief Property Officer at the University of Bristol where he leads the campus division. He is the joint institutional lead for sustainability and works on this as one of the University’s strategic priorities, alongside delivering a world-class physical and digital campus. He has also played a significant role in major projects such as the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, a new city centre campus currently in development.
Barra is a Chartered Architect and Chartered Planner by profession. Before joining the HE sector, he spent a decade in local government, firstly as the Strategic Director of Place at Bradford and then Bristol. He was Head of the Urban Renaissance at the Yorkshire Regional Development Agency having worked extensively in the property development and consultancy sectors in various cities. He has previously also worked in Manchester for Urban Splash.
The work of the Estates and Facilities Team underpins so much of the delivery of a University’s strategic ambition and day-to-day activities, so I’m incredibly excited to be joining Manchester at this time. The new strategic direction of the University and major projects like the residences programme, Sister and the zero carbon masterplan are going to be so important for our future and I’m looking forward to working with colleagues on them.
Barra Mac Ruairí, Chief Property Officer
Barra said: “The work of the Estates and Facilities Team underpins so much of the delivery of a University’s strategic ambition and day-to-day activities, so I’m incredibly excited to be joining Manchester at this time. The new strategic direction of the University and major projects like the residences programme, Sister and the zero carbon masterplan are going to be so important for our future and I’m looking forward to working with colleagues on them.”
Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, Patrick Hackett, said: “Barra’s creativity, leadership and experience is going to be a great asset for the strategic ambitions we have as a University to deliver the best possible environment for our colleagues and students. I’d like to welcome him to Manchester.
“I’d also like to reiterate my thanks to Steve Jordan who has been acting CPO, and will be moving to the University of Birmingham in the new year. Steve has been instrumental in advancing our campus development projects and enhancing our facilities management and I’d like to wish him all the best for the next stage in his career.”
Mike Dixon who led the campaign for Dixon Walter said…
“We were delighted to support the University of Manchester with this key appointment which provides an opportunity to make a fundamental difference to the University and its community over the next decade and more. In the ever-evolving world of higher education, the management of Estates and Facilities is crucial to fostering environments where academic excellence can thrive. This appointment reinforces Dixon Walter’s reputation as a leading specialist and trusted partner within the Estates and Facilities sector, driving transformative leadership across the UK’s higher education institutions”
Good Luck to Barra, we wish you all the best in your new post!
Posted by Sarah Walker
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