During the Easter break, I took the opportunity to read Sir Bob Reid’s biography, titled as above. Sir Bob was chair of the Edinburgh Business School for fourteen years and, as some will know, a legend in his leadership of companies such as Shell, British Rail, ICE Futures Europe and as a Deputy Governor of the Bank of England. The book is written in a very creative, precise and engaging style in giving an account of global life in technology, business change and his life as an astounding sports person. Now I won’t spoil your enjoyment but just to say it opens with such a shocking start that one wonders how things will work out (hence the title). But it does. The allegory with our current lives in stepping through the pandemic is perhaps apparent. I am feeling a real sense that our current condition is on the way out but the pathway has some curves along the way. Anyway, I thoroughly recommend the book (ISBN-978-1-78155-803-4, Fonthill Media, 2020).

We are just days away from the operational opening of the new Dubai campus and I am delighted at this wonderful achievement – especially in our Bicentennial year. It has been a monumental effort – I am very aware of the trials and tribulations along the way and the sheer effort that has gone into the final push. It is going to be a wonderful campus for our colleagues and students and paves the way for our future ambition in the region – and will be an exciting option for Heriot-Watt students. I know many of you will have seen the video prepared to showcase the campus, but it really is worth another look.

At the end of last week, I was fortunate enough to be invited to present at the HWU Student Union Annual Volunteer Awards, including the Principal’s Awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Student Community and Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community. Despite being virtual, it was a great excuse for me to don my dinner jacket, bow tie, and my Heriot-Watt cufflinks, for the first time in over a year, although I didn’t win the best-dressed prize! Must try harder next year! It was another reminder of the care and determination of our community with heartening stories of the purposeful spirit that exists within our student body, despite the restrictions we have been under. It has been such a difficult year for our students, and to hear the initiatives and events, societies and support that they have been creating and providing was inspiring. My congratulations go to all the nominees and winners, and I thank everyone including very many colleagues who volunteer across our student community.

As we enter examinations season I know this is a great deal of pressure both for them and our colleagues involved in setting, marking and assessing the work. This is the second year we have had to provide exams online and I am thankful for the amount of work and effort that goes into getting this right, and the technology to make it possible. Ahead we will be taking views on how we may wish to present assessment processes in future.

My thanks also go to everyone who joined the All Staff Executive Briefing on Monday. It was a full agenda, with very diverse topics, and it was good to see the range of questions coming in. Importantly it was an opportunity to highlight our upcoming Bicentennial year Values Awards, Technicians Awards and Public Engagement Awards and to discuss a financial and pensions update, the launch of our Global Environmental Sustainability strategy and the approach to how we are setting out to manage the new academic year. The recording and the slides are already available on the SharePoint site and the recording with BSL provision will be posted shortly – along with replies to the discussion points we didn’t manage to reply to on the day.
No condition is permanent.

Professor Richard A. Williams
Principal and Vice-Chancellor 

Our next All Staff session will be on Wednesday 5 May and the invitation will be issued shortly.