ARU appoints new Director to manage its estates

John joins ARU from Queen Mary University of London, where he led the engineering, operations and commercial teams as Director of Campus & Commercial Services, overseeing significant investment in the areas of residential and infrastructure.

After graduating from the University of Central Lancashire in 1993, John had a successful early career at the De Vere hotels group and Jockey Club Racecourses, leading to a role in strategic operational planning for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

John then joined the estates team at King’s College London, where he successfully transformed commercial and operational performance through the ‘Fit for King’s’ programme, as Director of Customer & Commercial Services up until 2019.

John will take responsibility for the operation and upkeep of buildings and facilities at ARU’s campuses in Cambridge and Chelmsford, as well as ARU Writtle and ARU Peterborough.

I am delighted to be joining ARU as the new Director of Estates and Facilities. We are lucky to have diverse and welcoming campuses and I look forward to working with colleagues across the university, ensuring our buildings and infrastructure provide the best possible environment for our students and staff to achieve their goals.

john Iveson, ARU’s Director of Estates and Facilities

John has an extensive and varied background and joins us with a track record of delivering successful projects. With campuses across the East of England, this is a key role in the university and I am delighted to welcome John to ARU.

Professor Roderick Watkins, Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)

Building on our extensive experience in Estates and Facilities leadership appointments within the sector—particularly over the past 18 months, Dixon Walter have developed a thought piece exploring the evolving landscape and critical challenges facing universities. This includes the complexities of managing estates and the increasing pressures on institutions;

If you are an Estates leader interested in a confidential conversation about your career, or if you have hiring plans for own your team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can reach us at 0191 500 5500 or by email at info@dixonwalter.co.uk