Wendy Piatt was appointed Director General of The Russell Group

Russell Group

The Russell Group is a collaboration of twenty UK universities that together receive two-thirds of research grant and contract funding in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1994 to represent their interests to the government, parliament and other similar bodies...

 of UK universities in January 2007.

Life

Piatt was born on the Wirral

Metropolitan Borough of Wirral

The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 311,200, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bebington, Heswall, Hoylake and West Kirby. The city of...

, and went to convent school in Birkenhead

Birkenhead

Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...

.

She was awarded a first class honours BA in English from King's College London

King's College London

King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...

 before studying for an MPhil in Shakespeare and Renaissance drama

Renaissance theatre

For Renaissance theatre see*Its section in the History of Theatre*English Renaissance theatre*French Renaissance theatre*German Renaissance theatre*Italian Renaissance theatre*Spanish Renaissance theatre*Renaissance TragedyFor place name see...

 and then a doctorate in 16th and 17th century political philosophy

Political philosophy

Political philosophy is the study of such topics as liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what, if anything, makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it...

 at Lincoln College, Oxford

Lincoln College, Oxford

Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...

.

Employment

Piatt went on to work for the left-of-centre think-tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research

Institute for Public Policy Research

The IPPR is the leading progressive think-tank in the UK. It produces research and policy ideas committed to upholding values of social justice, democratic reform and environmental sustainability. IPPR is based in London and IPPR North has branches in Newcastle and Manchester.It was founded in...

 before joining the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit

Prime Minister's Strategy Unit

The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit was an elite unit based in the UK Cabinet Office between 2002 and 2010...

, where she rose to the post of Deputy Director.

In January 2007, she was appointed Director General of The Russell Group

Russell Group

The Russell Group is a collaboration of twenty UK universities that together receive two-thirds of research grant and contract funding in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1994 to represent their interests to the government, parliament and other similar bodies...

. Dr Piatt leads the Group’s policy development and strategic direction to help ensure the UK’s major research-intensive universities maintain and enhance their worldwide reputation for excellence in research, teaching and knowledge transfer.

External Links

• BBC Russell Group's Wendy Piatt on university funding video of Wendy Piatt