Dame Jenny Harries named new Chancellor of Chester University
Dame Jenny Harries DBE DL has been announced as the new Chancellor of the University of Chester.
She will be officially installed during a ceremony at Chester Cathedral on Thursday, November 6, 2025, as part of the university’s graduation week.
Dame Jenny is widely recognised for her public role during the Covid-19 pandemic, where she delivered briefings from Downing Street in her capacity as Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England and as a Second Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health.
In 2021, she became the founding Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which has operated nationally and globally to advance diagnostic testing, vaccine development and emergency response capabilities. Under her leadership, the UKHSA established the Centre for Climate and Health Security and a Health Equity for Security Strategy.
A long-time supporter of the University of Chester, Dame Jenny has been an honorary Professor of Public Health at the institution since 2019. She is expected to take a particular interest in the university’s Medical School and to contribute her expertise across disciplines including science, business and public policy.
Her appointment follows a distinguished public health career including key roles in national responses to Ebola, Zika, mpox, MERS and the Novichok poisonings in Salisbury. She received an OBE in 2016 for services to Public Health and was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 for services to Health.
Dame Jenny has also held regional leadership posts in Public Health England, joint director roles in local government and the NHS, and has worked internationally on health policy in countries including Pakistan, Albania, India, Brazil and New Zealand.
She was founding chair of WHO Europe’s Network for Disease Control and co-chaired the Strategic Advisory Group for the International Pathogen Surveillance Network. She has served on the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation and the Expert Advisory Group on the NHS Constitution.
She currently holds positions including Chair of Community Pharmacy England and Director of the Biotech Growth Trust. She is also a senior advisor on workplace health and an honorary Professor in Health Security at the University of Nottingham. In 2023, she was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Gwent.
Dame Jenny will succeed Gyles Brandreth Hon. D.Litt, the former Chester MP, who became Chancellor in March 2017. He will remain involved with the university as Chancellor Emeritus.
Professor Eunice Simmons, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chester, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dame Jenny to the role of Chancellor to share her vast experience and knowledge with our University of Chester community. I know she will be an inspiring role model and we look forward to her guidance in taking the University forward.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Gyles Brandreth for the tireless support and enthusiasm he has brought to the role of Chancellor. He has engaged with so many students and staff, through ceremonies, events and of course the Commonwealth Poetry Podcast. We’re thrilled he will remain a close part of our University community as Chancellor Emeritus.”
Dame Jenny said: “This role is an honour and a privilege and one which when I entered my own academic career I could never have imagined. It is precisely that gift and excitement of opportunity which I know Chester seeks to provide to all its students, whether undergraduate or postgraduate, and whatever their background, which is the reason I am drawn to serve the University as its Chancellor.
“In a world of change and global connectedness, exchange of learning, mutual respect and equity of opportunity remain the foundation stones for advancing humanity. That is precisely what the University of Chester achieves and I am delighted to be journeying with so many future citizen students of the world.”
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