New Master of Pembroke College appointed

Dame Lynne Brindley DBE FRSA has been elected Master of Pembroke College, Oxford. She will succeed Giles Henderson CBE in August.

Dame Lynne was the Chief Executive Officer and a board member of The British Library from July 2000 to July 2012. She previously served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor and University Librarian at the University of Leeds, and in senior executive roles in information technology and information management at the London School of Economics and the University of Aston.

Dame Lynne said of her appointment: 'I greatly look forward to joining Pembroke. I have been most impressed by the professionalism and ambition shown by the College, and by the significant achievements under the stewardship of Giles Henderson. The College is very well placed to continue its progress as one of the leading colleges of this great University, and I welcome the opportunity to play a full part in its future development.'

The Viceregent of Pembroke College, Dr Jeremy Taylor, said: 'We are delighted and honoured that Dame Lynne Brindley, as an eminent leader in her field with a very strong background in academic, public and cultural institutions, has agreed to become the new Master. As the first female Master of the College in its history, Dame Lynne brings a wealth of distinction and experience to this role.'

Dame Lynne Brindley started her professional career as a library trainee at Oxford University's Bodleian Library after studying music at the University of Reading. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, she is credited with playing a leading role in modernising library provision in higher education and was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2008 New Year's Honours List for services to education. Her current non-executive roles include membership of the Board of Ofcom and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.