The President chairs all Universities UK Members' Meetings, UK Board and Executive Committee meetings and - as well as the Chief Executive - acts as a spokesman for Universities UK at conferences, events and to the media. The President is an elected member who serves two academic years in post. The ballot for election is conducted by the method of a single transferable vote of the full members of Universities UK.

Professor Eric Thomas, Vice Chancellor of the University of Bristol (link opens in a new browser window) is President for 2011-13.

About Professor Eric Thomas

Professor Thomas has been Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol since September 2001. He was previously Vice-President of UUK, Chair of its England and Northern Ireland Council and Chair of the Research Policy Committee. 

Professor Thomas is Chair of the Board of CASE Europe and a Member of the Board of CASE and has been appointed to serve as a Commissioner of the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission.  He chaired the Government Taskforce into Increasing Voluntary Giving in Higher Education, which reported in 2004. He was Chair of the Worldwide Universities Network from 2003 – 2007. He was a member of the Board of the South-West Regional Development Agency from 2002–8.

He graduated in Medicine from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1976 and proceeded to obtain his MD by thesis in research into endometriosis in 1987. He trained as an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and worked at both the universities of Sheffield and Newcastle. In 1991 he was appointed Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Southampton and then became Head of the School of Medicine there in 1995 and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Biological Sciences in 1998. He was a Consultant Gynaecologist from 1987 to 2001.

He is a Deputy Lieutenant of the City and County of Bristol and is married with two children.