Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Director of Recruitment appointed at Leeds Beckett
Chris joins Leeds Beckett from York St John University and will take responsibility for international, as well as European and UK student recruitment, including working with regional schools and colleges to increase awareness of and recruitment to university amongst pupils who may be the first in their family to receive a university education.
Chris Watts was Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment at York St John with responsibility for university-wide marketing, communications, student recruitment and admissions activity. Before joining York St John, Chris led marketing and student recruitment at Northumbria University during a period of rapid growth and success. His early career was in the commercial sector and he has brought this acumen to the higher education sector in these critical roles.
Speaking about the appointment, Tracey Lancaster, Deputy Vice Chancellor Corporate Communications at Leeds Beckett, said: “Chris combines an understanding and respect for the academic life of an institution with a highly professional approach to student recruitment. We are delighted to welcome Chris and look forward to the part he will play in the strategic development of our university during a time of unprecedented change in the Higher Education sector.”
Chris added: “I am thrilled to have joined Leeds Beckett and to have been given this opportunity to help it continue to develop. The University has a vital role to play regionally, nationally and internationally and I am confident it can achieve greater success in the future.”
In addition to his first degree Chris holds a postgraduate diploma in management studies (Manchester Polytechnic); a postgraduate diploma in marketing (Northumbria University); the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) diploma in marketing, and the Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM) diploma in interactive and direct marketing. Chris is also a member of the CIM and the IDM and is Chair of the Universities Marketing Forum (UMF).