Key details
Dr Gary Brown
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean (Interim)
Gary has over 20 years of experience in higher education, spanning academic leadership, portfolio development, and institutional strategy. Prior to his appointment as Dean, he served as Associate Dean Student Success at Greenwich, leading cross-faculty strategies that delivered significant improvements in continuation, awarding gaps, graduate outcomes, and student satisfaction. His leadership was central to securing EFMD re-accreditation and driving curriculum reform aligned to institutional and sector priorities.
Before joining Greenwich, Gary held senior roles at the University of Liverpool Management School, including Director of Education for his subject group and later Director of Online and Innovation. In these roles, he led the transformation of the School’s online provision, expanding postgraduate taught programmes, embedding high-quality student experience at scale, and overseeing curriculum redesign to meet market and pedagogic demands.
He began his career at Edge Hill University, where he was Programme Leader and Senior Lecturer, completing his PhD at University of Liverpool. Across all roles, Gary has championed ambitious, data-driven, and student-focused approaches to academic leadership. He brings energy, clarity, and strategic intent to his work, building high-performing teams and fostering a culture of purposeful, values-led education.
Responsibilities within the university
As Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean (Interim), Gary’s responsibilities include:
- Developing a vision, strategy and plan of delivery aligned to the University 2030 Strategy
- Creating a positive colleague community that is inclusive, diverse, equal and which engages and motivates colleagues and provides a sense of belonging
- Ensuring the operational and resource management is effective, regulation compliant and provides long term financial sustainability for the School
- Ensuring that the School has the appropriate people talent, development and succession planning in place to achieve academic, leadership and research excellence
- Ensuring the achievement of all the university’s key target metrics (NSS, PTES, TEF, REF and KEF)
- Strategic development of the programme portfolio to meet the future needs of applicants and employers
- Developing strategic partners and networks for mutual benefit and to support key government initiatives
- Developing and implementing the School’s accreditation strategy
- Putting enabling infrastructures in place to encourage and incentivise research, enterprise and entrepreneurial activities
- Ensuring that we engage with and support our local region and communities
Research / Scholarly interests
Community and identity with recent work centring on the importance of personal imprint and good judgement in delivering university education.
Recent publications
2021
'Creating flexible, meaningful pedagogy in ambiguous times: Responding to the challenges facing higher education'. 'On Demand' Presentation. (Conference Paper)
Brown, G., & McCall, V. (2021, July 6). 'Creating flexible, meaningful pedagogy in ambiguous times: Responding to the challenges facing higher education'. 'On Demand' Presentation.. In Advance HE Teaching and Learning Conference 2021. Virtual.
University Educator as Bricoleur: The Role of the Personal in University Pedagogy (Conference Paper)
Brown, G., & McCall, V. (2021, June 23). University Educator as Bricoleur: The Role of the Personal in University Pedagogy. In British Academy of Management Teaching and Learning (MKE) Conference. Online.
Community, adaptability, and good judgement: Reflections on creating meaningful, sustainable pedagogy in uncertain times (Conference Paper)
Brown, G., & McCall, V. (2021, January 14). Community, adaptability, and good judgement: Reflections on creating meaningful, sustainable pedagogy in uncertain times. In 6th Annual Pedagogic Research Conference. University of Liverpool (Online).
Community, adaptability, and good judgement: Reflections on creating meaningful, sustainable pedagogy in uncertain times (Journal article)
Brown, G., & McCall, V. (2021). Community, adaptability, and good judgement: Reflections on creating meaningful, sustainable pedagogy in uncertain times. Developing Academic Practice, 2021(January), 5-9. doi:10.3828/dap.2021.3
2016
The unbearable lightness of being in-between: Liminality and ‘Strangerhood’ in organisational knowledge work (Conference Paper)
McKenzie, C., & Brown, G. (2016, July 7). The unbearable lightness of being in-between: Liminality and ‘Strangerhood’ in organisational knowledge work. In EGOS. Naples.
The ‘shared workplace’ agenda in Northern Ireland: lessons from local government (Journal article)
Brown, G., & Cole, M. (2016). The "shared workplace' agenda in Northern Ireland: lessons from local government. LOCAL GOVERNMENT STUDIES, 42(4), 557-578. doi:10.1080/03003930.2016.1167043
DOI: 10.1080/03003930.2016.1167043
2015
Ethicality and Individual Positioning Practices in a Small Consultancy Firm (Conference Paper)
Mckenzie, C., & Brown, G. (2015, September 8). Ethicality and Individual Positioning Practices in a Small Consultancy Firm. In British Academy of Management Conference. Portsmouth, UK.
Otherness, Uncertainty and Ethicality: Positioning Practices and Client-Consultant Relations in a Small Consultancy Firm (Conference Paper)
McKenzie, C., & Brown, G. (2015, July 2). Otherness, Uncertainty and Ethicality: Positioning Practices and Client-Consultant Relations in a Small Consultancy Firm. In EGOS. Athens.