Dave Lewis

Director of Business School Operations

Contact details

Telephone: 0121 414 4662
Email: D.Lewis.5@bham.ac.uk

Dave Lewis

Work experience:
I’m a generalist and have worked in the higher education sector for almost 15 years. My current role as the Director of Business School Operations is the 12th role I’ve had and Birmingham is my 4th University. During that time, I’ve worked in worked in both research intensive and teaching-focused universities and have operated in most areas of university business; working in academic schools, central support departments, and commercial services. I’ve done everything from student finance, to marketing and student recruitment, to estates and corporate governance (yawn!). I’ve worked in flag-ship research centres, and in teaching-focused roles, I’ve headed up large operational teams and led major institutional wide change programmes. Although my background is financial management, I’ve gained a range of qualifications including project management, lean process review, marketing, leadership and management, and even taxation (although that was from 2001 so now about as useful as a chocolate tea pot!)

Greatest achievements:
From a works perspective, I’d highlight the following:

  • Received an Excellent rating for Teaching and Learning support (Institutional Teaching and Learning Review, Warwick Chemistry, 2017)
  • Reorganised operational teams to increase service provision, resilience, and alignment with priorities while reducing costs (Chemistry, 2016, & Technical Services Merger, Warwick Medical School/School of Life Sciences, Warwick, 2015)
  • 84% employee engagement score among professional services staff, ahead of both institutional and school average (Pulse Survey, Warwick Chemistry, 2016)
  • Delivered £350k of efficiency savings in conference catering (Food project, Campus and Commercial Services Group, Warwick, 2014)
  • Streamlined decision-making and 5 year planning, which supported a significant and sustained increase in surplus generation (Discuss, Ask, Inform and PPQP, Campus and Commercial Services, Warwick 2013)
  • Led a major curriculum renewal project that delivered a 29% point improvement in NSS results (C21 project, Cardiff Medical School, 2012). 
  • Managed the bid to secure c.£3.5M worth of funding and launched the Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (MRC Centre, Cardiff Medical School, 2011)
  • Merged administrative teams, developing a model of governance and administration subsequently adopted for a school-wide restructuring (MRC Centre, Cardiff Medical School, 2010)
  • Oversaw a 20% increase in UG student applications (Review of Recruitment and Admissions, Glamorgan, 2009).

Away from work, I’m most proud of completing the Brecon to Cardiff Ultramarathon (44miles) in under 9 hours and the Race to the Stones (100km) in 13 hours.

What I like about the University of Birmingham: 
I love a challenge and want to make a positive difference. I really enjoy working with positive and constructive people and I see it as my job to remove the barriers, to empower people, and to create a supportive environment in which people thrive. So for me the best thing about my role is the scale of the business and the scope and opportunities this provides to make things better - that is what gets me up in the morning and keeps me coming in to work!

If I were stranded on a desert island:
Assuming that I had all of the ‘essentials’ already and these were just three luxury items, I’d want to have a kindle, a hammock, and my running shoes – the thought of some peace and quiet, no meetings or emails and just the chance to lounge around reading or running sounds bliss!  


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