PROF Rebecca Taylor (pic) has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of the University of Southampton Malaysia (UoSM).
She will also serve as pro vice-chancellor (Asean), taking a leading role in working with partner organisations and representing the university in the Asean region and elsewhere around the world.
Now in its sixth year of operation, UoSM offers split campus (United Kingdom and Malaysia) degree programmes as well as postgraduate research opportunities in engineering within the EduCity development in Iskandar, Malaysia, the nation’s economic zone located in Johor.
“I’m delighted to be joining the University of Southampton Malaysia and particularly pleased to have my appointment confirmed by the Malaysian government with whom we have a very close working relationship.
“We have an outstanding team in Malaysia who are fully committed and engaged in building on Southampton’s continued success in the country.
“Through our future strategy, we will explore ways of expanding the portfolio of high quality education, research and enterprise that we offer in Malaysia and across the Asean region - a hallmark of the University of Southampton,” said Prof Taylor.
She said the university looks forward to further developing its stronger links with industry and other partners in Malaysia and the wider Asean region, using its strengths to help fill their skills gaps.
A highly experienced educator and academic leader, Prof Taylor’s research interests lie in the field of International Economics and Developments in Economics Education.
Throughout her career, she has designed and directed projects focused on innovative approaches to the teaching and learning of mathematics and statistics in Economics.
She has also worked with the Economic and Social Research Council and the Higher Education Academy on addressing the identified skills deficit in quantitative methods across the social sciences.
“We’re excited by Prof Taylor’s appointment.
“I know that her engagement and expertise will be invaluable in developing and advancing and know she will use her experience to continue to develop and advance the high quality educational and research opportunities we’ve established in Malaysia,” said University of Southampton president and vice-chancellor Prof Sir Christopher Snowden.
He also thanked her predecessors, Prof John McBride and Prof Peter Smith, for their leadership and direction over the past six years.
Prof Taylor is the Vice President (Academic) of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), the organisation that awards EQUIS and EPAS accreditation to Business Schools globally, and she is a member of the Board of the Chartered Management Institute Malaysia.
She is also the Chair of the European Online Course Certification Board (EOCCS) and regularly contributes to conferences and workshops related to developments and innovation in higher education.
